The Crab and Winkle way, Kent (July 24)

Our first proper camping trip of the year coincided with this little corner of southern England experiencing some hot sunny days and warm sticky nights.

We arrived at “Fleets Paddock” our campsite for the weekend with plenty of time to set up the bell tent and relax.

And relax we did…

We escaped the heat of the day by sitting in the shade a tree house built by Alex (the site owner) in the heart of a majestic oak tree. Well, it was more like a tree ‘deck’, with comfy chairs and a table, an ideal place to while away the hours and pop open a bottle or two!

Indeed, the tree house became our “go to” place whenever we found ourselves back on site.

We were located close to the village of Blean in the middle of the beautiful Kent countryside, not far from the university. Out of habit we brought the log burner along with us, but with night time temperatures being what they were, it wasn’t needed. The campsite was also perfectly located, only a stone’s throw away from a bridleway called the Crab and Winkle Way.

The bridleway stretches between Canterbury and Whitstable and allows for a traffic free cycle between the two points. We cycled to both over the weekend, taking our time to explore, grab a tea, beer, snack or meal. The car stayed in the campsite carpark for the entire weekend.

There were a large variety of local cask ales on offer in the pubs, many of them made nearby including the Shepherd Neame brewery in Faversham, a place we stayed at during our last camping trip to Kent.
We also discovered that punting is very much alive and well along the river Stour in the centre of Canterbury, which added to the Englishness of this break.

The stunning city walls have been around since the time of the Romans, but more latterly to keep out the pesky French. Inside the walls there are countless charming buildings, many of which have been converted into pubs and restaurants. Some, like those pictured above, remain libraries or official government buildings, oh and the Cathedral stood out and was as much as I remembered from my last visit here decades ago.

At Whitstable, we bumped into dozens of Morris Dancers doing their thing at an annual event in the Harbour market, they were performing adjacent to a traditional “Thames Barge” – an iconic design from a bygone era. I love a good old Morris dance display, nothing could be more English than the pagan, pre Christian native dance of this country. It is something I’ve always been drawn towards – shame most people nowadays don’t feel the same.

Oh and a Spitfire flew along the bay as I was drinking a pint by the same name! How wonderful!

Like generations before them, day trippers from London and further afield were tucking into their crab, shellfish and all things fresh from the sea. Children of all ages were wading in the shallow waters, in search for sea shells, much like I did 57 years ago when visiting Leysdown beach with my parents, just across Whitstable Bay, on the Isle of Sheppey only a few miles from here. The B&W picture of me below was taken in 1967.

We struck it lucky at the “local” pub (The Tyler Kiln) with a half price fish deal on Friday night, so Emma tucked into a scrumptious cod fillet and I had a more traditional haddock and chips. Indeed all of the restaurants and pubs we visited in Canterbury and Whitstable were great, including the Parrot, where we grabbed lunch. It’s one of the oldest pubs in the city, built originally in 1370.

Canterbury was bigger than I remembered, a gorgeous city full of history and beautiful architecture. We’re going to come back and visit the Cathedral out of high season and when it’s less busy. We decided to give it a swerve this time as it it was just too damned hot to queue on the day we visited.

The campsite was just about perfect, tons of elbow room, but not too big and not too many people. It had a gorgeous rustic shower, with a wide open window looking out into the rolling fields and beyond – a great way to start the day.

The other facilities were spotless too.
We sat around a fire pit in the evening chatting under the full moon and stars .

On Monday, we headed back to London for a quick change and mad dash to Fitzrovia for a meal booked at one of our favourite restaurants “Six By Nico”. It was a meal with a difference – a blind tasting experience. We’ve stuck a few picture in the restaurant section of this blog. https://www.lawrencestravels.com/1900/01/24/central-london-a-selection-of-restaurants-pubs/#six-by-nico-blind

So, all in all a great weekend in Kent exploring the region. We’ll be back!

Hints and tips

Fleets Paddock Camping https://www.fleetspaddockcamping.co.uk/

The Crab and Winkle Way