Day 156 – Sittingbourne to Faversham: 16.1m: 5.8h

There are rail problems this morning affecting the line through Sittingbourne, both from St Pancras and Victoria. Mike’s train from St Pancras is delayed, and the train from Victoria on which the rest of the group is booked is cancelled. However, remarkably, we meet in Sittingbourne at the time we have planned. The Victoria team all arrive at Victoria in time to catch an earlier – and helpfully delayed – train, and get to Sittingbourne at Mike’s scheduled arrival time. John calls in at the Pumpkin Café for some provisions, and is disappointed that he is not remembered from his visit 6 weeks earlier. Mike’s train pulls in 20 minutes late at the time when the Victoria team would have arrived if their train hadn’t been cancelled. Take that Network Rail.

Gary is back on the starting grid and Cathy has joined the walk again. It looks as though the two days are going to be warm and dry and, with one exception, everyone is in shorts. Not for the first time the exception is Gary although, in an uncharacteristic display of optimism, he has not brought any waterproof kit. We find our way to the end point of the last walk, and set off just after 10:45. We need to walk along a few streets before we can get back to the Saxon Shore Way on the south side of the river but then, for the next couple of hours, said Shore Way certainly lives up to the “shore” element of its name. We walk alongside the river which soon widens and affords views back over to the Isle of Sheppey but, after 4 miles or so, we need to turn south in order to get round Conyer Creek. This brings us into Conyer itself where, as we turn north, the refreshment available at the Ship Inn is too tempting to resist. We restrict ourselves to a pint each at a table in the sunshine before continuing alongside the east side of the creek, past Conyer Marina, and back to the river.

As we continue east along the river bank we go past a couple of nature reserves and then, once again, we have to turn south to get round a creek. We turn back north at a place called Oare, but on this occasion the path on the east side of the creek doesn’t go straight to the river. Instead, after a couple of miles, it follows a long clockwise loop on the inside of further inlets leading into Faversham Creek. Shortly after 5 o’clock, we arrive in Faversham, cross the bridge over the creek, and finish our logged walk for the day opposite the Shepherd Neame Brewery. From there, it takes only a few more minutes to reach our overnight stop, the Sun Inn.

We have a drink in the bar while checking in, and book a table for supper at 6:30. A slightly later reservation proves to be “difficult” due to two large groups having reservations for 7 o’clock. The food is very good. Unusually, everyone apart from Ben orders one of the interesting starters (eg baby squid with chorizo) but the main courses are more traditional and, as has become customary, fish & chips or ham egg & chips get the nod. One of the topics of conversation over the food (and the two bottles of white and one bottle of red which accompany it) is whether, and if so where, to watch the Man Utd v Liverpool game which is due to kick off at 8 o’clock. The Sun doesn’t have any screens, but Mike establishes through the internet that a nearby pub called the Bull shows Sky Sports and we decide to try and catch at least the first half there. One of the Sun’s barmen who is a Man Utd supporter confirms the Bull to be a suitable venue and gives us directions. It’s not much more than 5 minutes away but, when we arrive just in time for kick off, we find that it’s closed on Mondays – or at least on this particular Monday. We return to the Sun where the slightly surprised barman suggests that we try the Limes which is not much further away than the Bull. We get there to find it open and showing the match which, by now, has been going for about 10 minutes and is scoreless. However, we’ve timed our arrival pretty well. No more than 5 minutes later, United score, much to Cathy’s irritation but to the obvious delight of one bloke close to the screen whose loud and very colourful celebration earns an equally loud rebuke from behind the bar. To be fair, the bloke looks suitably chastened. We have just the one drink and at half time, with the score still 1-0, return to the Sun. Ben retires to bed, but the rest of us start to watch the second half on a phone via Sky Go (with the sound turned down of course) in the company of stickies and, for part of the time, two of the barmen. 10 minutes into the second half, United score again, and shortly thereafter the four of us decide to follow Ben’s example.