Yes, we've finally finished. Here are the highlights. I can't manage proper prose anymore. - Getting lost on Hothfield Bogs within half an hour of setting off and me getting grumpy. - Seeing that a haze of bluebells had appeared in the woods - Getting lost again amongst woods and yellow fields of rape - Being pursued across a field by a herd of cows, overtaken and then licked by one of them. - Seeing Lenham church tower and knowing it was all over For those that have yet to do so, it's now time to cough-up the money. I'll email [View Full Entry]

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Got the train to meet Emma in Wye on friday. Stayed in the King's Head - ok, nothing spectacular but the cheapest we could find in Wye. Wye is pretty but a bit dull. Got an early start for the 10 miles ahead of us, the longest stretch we've managed yet. Across fields, over fairly flat, open country as the valley broadens out, Ashford office blocks visible in the distance. Swans feeding in the fields. The river now barely 5m wide. Into Ashford and a stop for lunch in a greasy spoon. Rubbish coffee. Out of town through a park with [View Full Entry]

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I've started work in London so it's good to get out on the weekend. That's also the reason this is so short. I think this was the most picturesque walk so far - walking through fields and woods, looking out along the stour valley, dotted with farms and manor houses. We rejoin the track at Chilham and start route south. After skirting some woods the path loops away from the river and drops down into a small, hidden valley. While chatting about the pros and cons of living somewhere like this, we lose our way (not for the 1st time) and [View Full Entry]

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I did this one last week on a rare rain-free day of intermittent sunshine, starting in Canterbury and walking the 8-ish miles to Chilham. This time i created a 'Junglist-Rambler' look by pairing walking boots with my big Spiewak puffer jacket. I started by walking out of Canterbury through Westgate gardens which, incredibly, i'd not set foot in once during the 9 years i've lived in the area. There have been quite a few 'how did i not know about this?' moments during my walks. Some nice trees, a Victorian manor house, and the river running its length make the garden [View Full Entry]

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Had Emma with me to keep me company this time. We bought proper walking boots over christmas and matched these with Bench hooded coats and tracksuit bottoms to create a whole new look: the chav rambler. Took Em a while to get used to her first bus ride in a decade, on the way over to Upstreet. The first part of the walk we knew already, through Stodmarsh nature reserve. We passed quite a few birdwatchers being followed around by their patient wives. At Stodmarsh village there's a pub (can't remember its name) that Em thinks is scary because it's decorated [View Full Entry]

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During September to October this year I worked and travelled in Malawi (see previous blog entries). I volunteered with the Malawi Volunteer Organisation near Monkey Bay, on their Malaria Prevention project. Before heading off for Africa I decided that I would like to raise money for the projects I would be working on by doing a sponsored walk through my home county of Kent, along the Stour Valley. At the end of my stint with MVO it was suggested that I could raise money to buy a bicycle ambulance, which are used to ferry seriously ill patients to hospital. The Stour [View Full Entry]

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Sorry for the delay, but here at last is my final entry. I'm now back in the UK enjoying the wind and rain. Sorry it's a bit of a long one. It was even longer before i edited it down. I left Nkhata Bay after a day of relaxing and wandering around. Butterfly Lodge had a very relaxed family-feel but the compost toilet was smelly. Travelled north by bus to the lakeside village of Chitimba, via Mzuzu. The bus ride to the lakeshore at Chitimba was hot and cramped but fairly short (only 2.5 hrs) and the scenery was enough of [View Full Entry]

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My tummy bug slowly cleared, and i took a lift in the back of a truck that a german family had hired to get to chipoka to meet the ferry on friday. The truck was 2 hours late arriving, leaving barely enough time to get to the port. It then ran out of petrol in the middle of lilongwe and we had to push it to a petrol station. Arrived at chipoka just before 4, when the boat was supposed to be leaving, and found that it was delayed by 4hrs. Sat in the waiting shed, having a couple of beers. [View Full Entry]

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It's happened again - i finish my project, looking forward to seeing some of the country, and i get ill. This time it's a stomach bug that went round the lodge over the last couple of weeks. I'll spare you the details, but i've taken my antibiotics and it seems to be improving - don't panic mum, it's nothing serious! I'm at Mubuya Camp, a backpackers place in Lilongwe with a swimming pool, bar and good internet connection. I've taken a double room rather than a dorm as i've been ill. Last week back at the lake, we finished spraying a [View Full Entry]

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Another brief entry as i only have 1/2 hour. I'm back at Cape maclear for the weekend. We kayaked out to the island in the middle of the bay yesterday. The weather's been better this time but now there are lots of mozzies. Went snorkelling when we were here last weekend, then packed up and set off in the boat. Once out of the bay the lake was too rough though, so we had to come back by matola - flat bed truck that you sit or stand in the back of. The thing was literally falling apart - the rear [View Full Entry]

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