Walk No.1 - Otford to Eynsford via Shoreham

I love walks in the country. To go walking you need enthusiastic friends (at least one). Someone who doesn't mind an earlyish start at the weekend, who accepts the prospect of crap public transport somewhere along the line and who doesn't mind getting muddy and will wear walking gear. I'm not a rambler and hate big walking groups, but I like marching out on uncharted terrain. It doesn't have to be far; there are some cool places just outside London. All you need is a bit of faith and determination. Oh and it helps to have someone with a sense of direction who can read maps. I can do both those things badly and hate the responsibility. Thankfully I have some very talented friends who can do that for me.

I'm now going to document all my walks. Drawing heavily on Ian Sinclair and Richard Long...

I did the following walk on Sunday November 15th with my friend Alastair. He is great company and a confident map reader. All you could want really... and he brought along an incredible lunch, which was much appreciated after the initial steep ascent.

Walk No.1 - Otford to Eynsford via Shoreham (County: Kent). Length: we think about 8/9 miles.
Huffing and puffing up the mound.
Sandwiches from our youth - corned beef and pork pie encased in cellophane.
Sloshing mud and swishing through leaves.
The deep, earthy smell of wet ground.
A dead chaffinch; eyes closed, stiff and beautiful in repose.
A majestic oak, stripped bare by autumn storms, standing firm and proud and alone in a field of cabbages.
A flock of fieldfare and the flash of red breast in the undergrowth.
A manor house with the drawing room open.
A surge of aged ramblers forging ahead.
Stiff legs and menthol sweets.
A field of hops.
A swift pint in the local.
The Sunday train service home.