We were breakfasted and out on the Deal seafront before 8am avoiding the Dutch golfing trio and hoping to get a little breeze and cool before the heatwave temperatures took hold. The pier that had looked wooden and rustic the previous evening now looked brutalist. The sculpture out front is appealing and fluid in comparison. Don’t think the fish was enjoying itself.
The promenade and beach was populated but I got the impression that everyone was local: either on the way to an exercise class with yoga mat in hand, chatting to acquaintances or having an early morning dip. Very peaceful. At the far end of the prom where the houses end are apparently the remains of Sandown Castle but all that we could see were the flower beds being tended by eager gardeners.
Immediately out of Deal and the Cinque Ports golf course appears and is replaced later on by St George’s both amidst low dunes with fairly high sea defences as protection. It may not be a popular statement to make for those that are fond of the sport but I find golf courses such an unfathomable waste of space and hope that in the future many more may be rewilded as is starting to happen in Brighton.
A couple of dog walker ladies stopped us and asked our destination. When we replied Ramsgate they looked a little shocked and said “You do know there’s a bus?’
Sandwich Bay estate is placed in the middle of the two golf clubs and is a private estate of handsome villas that were mainly built pre- World War 1 with a view to creating a new town but due to more war and other factors never became bigger than a few roads. There still remains a toll to enter.
Barbara noticed a small chick darting and cheeping amongst the pebbles, nothing more than a ball of fluff. I hope it found its mother.
Reached the turning onto the Saxon Shore Way where we could cut off the extra miles and stopped for a swim. It was 9am and already over 30 C. Barely anyone around. Of course as soon as we said that a couple came over the rise of pebbles on their bikes and sat fairly close. It was high tide and great swimming. I was lazing in the water when Barbara started shouting my name at the same time that a helicopter flew over. I thought there must be some emergency and got straight out the water only to discover she just wanted to warn me I was drifting. Felt like a Mediterranean country not our dreary, rain sodden land. A glorious feeling on the one hand but scary on the other when you contemplate the global warming that is contributing to all these heatwave days. As the heat was so intense I didn’t make a stupid decision and keep walking up the beach but stuck to the plan and we headed off across the golf course away from the vista of Ramsgate and white cliffs and inland.
Over the other side was a particularly posh driving range with odd little thatched buildings..
Meandered along Lime lined shady paths and over the River Stour.
Came into Sandwich along the river and stopped on a bench for Barbara to apply tiger balm. Unfortunately, her calf spasms had migrated to the other calf and she now had a nasty blister on the top of one of her big toes. She didn’t look impressed but refused to entertain the notion of stopping. I did a quick reccy for lunch possibilities and we found a perfectly situated venue just by the bridge we needed to take out towards Ramsgate. A military vessel was moored by the bridge and the other way were boats offering seal tours. Funnily enough, my sister was due to arrive in Deal today (having never been to the town before) and then intending to come on a seal trip from right here tomorrow so we were never going to quite meet as we’d always be a few miles ahead of her.
After a very pleasant and relaxing, shady lunch we set off on the part of the walk that I knew from the map wasn’t going to be a whole lot of fun. This section coincided with the heat ramping up even more. It started fairly tamely with a shady A road on one side and an industrial estate (Stonar Park which incorporates a Discovery Centre, a branch of Pfizer and a biomass plant) on the other.
The excitement became unbearable as we hit the A256 dual carriageway. So exciting I didn’t find time to take any pictures. Or in reality I was melting and pulsating so badly that I just put my head down and marched on towards the turn off into Pegwell Nature Reserve. When we got to the place where the turning should have been, beside ‘A Skip for You’, all we got was a path diversion sign.
It wasn’t a great moment. Barbara looked like she might hit me or something else or just give up altogether so I insisted she took some ibuprofen and after some cursing we continued.
Eventually, around Ebbsfleet there is a path and we entered into much more picturesque surroundings of high meadow grasses and small trees but very little shade. We came across a small wizened tree that afforded a little respite and had a rest to let the heat pulsations ebb away while Barbara tended to her blisters. At this point I felt very thankful that we’d cut out a few miles.
Feeling slightly more human, we set off again and spent a quiet couple of miles crossing Pegwell Bay with huge sunbaked mustard coloured fennel and swooping swallows. Came across a bird hide and had a couple of minutes inside away from the heat listening to the susurration of the rushes. Nary a bird in sight.
Then it was out onto suburban roads and more relentless heat. Although I had seen that this area was called Viking Bay, I wasn’t expecting a full blown Viking ship.
The Hugin is a 1949 replica commemorating the 1500th anniversary of two legendary Viking brothers who came aground at nearby Ebbsfleet where we left the cursed road only an hour before. It’s hard to think of that junction as a historic invasion point. Ramsgate looked tantalisingly close so we didn’t stop and joined the cliff path just beyond the ship. Occasional spots of shade but as the path was quite narrow never a good place to stop. I wasn’t’ immune to injury as my shoulders were struggling in the heat with a 4-day rucksack on. I’d started using a lunghi to pad my shoulders and it kept making me chuckle as I caught sight of my shadow.
Asparagus fields. Horses behind electric fences. Ramshackle coastguards cottages. And the Sovereign Hotel at the end of the path.
Had a pint of lime and soda on the terrace which seemed even hotter than the inside of the pub and rolled ice cubes over our necks and temples.
Up a residential hill and then down a footpath beside a large and rundown Georgian Crescent towards the grand promenade.
Entering Ramsgate from this direction, you get to see all the faded glory and an interesting sculpture.
According to tourist signs it was a popular hang out for royals and I’m sure it must have been magnificent in its day. Thought it would be wise to get down on the beach road near the sea pool.
Soon realised that I had taken us past the ferry port and the industrial area – it’s like I couldn’t get enough. Lots of boy racers on motorbikes and others standing around next to their cars with the engines still running. Didn’t have the energy to cross the road and suggest they turn their engines off but walked towards the notice telling us that Thanet is a European economic development area. That all seemed fairly ironic and amusing considering I first knew about Thanet as a district when Nigel Farrage of UKIP fame tried to win the South Thanet seat and failed.
Minutes later and I realised that our B&B was back up the cliff using the steep Jacob’s Ladder steps. We paused at the bottom for the last push and noticed we were sitting next to the Sailor’s Church.
The Queen Charlotte where we were staying is still closed since the lifting of lockdown. Nigel the landlord says it’s such a small space there’s no way he could create social distancing. So many small businesses are in a similar position. The room was quirky but also stiflingly hot so he kindly popped out and got us a fan which made a huge difference.
Ate out at Little Ships and treated ourselves for the first time since Weymouth/Portland to a whole crab each. It was divine and very little conversation occurred as we cracked and crunched and devoured every last morsel whilst looking out at the busy Friday night seaside scene.
Miles walked 13.8
Miles of coastal path missed out: about 4.5
Since the beginning: 891.9
B & N's ridiculous journey 