Mud, mud and more mud!!...15 miles of walking in the muddy Kent countryside

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Sunday 30 March - We had a very emotional and stressful week for various reasons, so we were longing to get back into the outdoors. With less than a month to go until our fundraising hike...all 429km of it, we decided to do a 12 mile walk around the beautiful villages of Hever, Chiddingstone and Penshurst in Kent, to continue building up our hiking stamina. It was a fantastic walk...except for the mud and waterlogged fields! We had never seen anything like it before in all our just over 9 years of walking/hiking together. In order to avoid the waterlogged fields, we had to take massive detours. Therefore our 12 mile walk turned into a 15 mile walk!

We literally slipped and slided our way along the Eden Valley Way...it was a real adventure. It was almost as if we were on a muddy ice-rink at times. At one point we were both trying to hold each other up to stop the other from slipping over. It probably was a very funny and ridiculous sight! Even though we walked for 15 miles, it felt more like 30 miles, because it is much harder work trying to walk in thick sticky slippery mud.

At least the initial raindrops quickly passed and we were left walking in a wonderful spring like day. On the walk we had a very sad reminder of the life of Caron Keating, (TV presenter) that was cut short to breast cancer, Gloria Hunniford's daughter. Caron is buried at the beautiful church in Hever - we saw her very touching gravestone, the messages were full of so much love from Gloria Hunniford and the family. It was a reminder of the immense courage she had shown in her long battle to fight breast cancer. It was also a reminder for us both, that after Lavinia very nearly lost her life last July so tragically to an ectopic pregnancy; that each day we live and breathe we have to remember 'I am alive. I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it.' by Dalai Lama.

As walked along the Eden Valley Walk, we listened to the knocking of woodpeckers, the 'cuckoo, cuckoo' of the wait for it, yes...cuckoo bird, we saw the cutest spring lambs who came bouncing over to see us, came across two tiny inquisitive furry pigs and rambled across deer darting through the woods. It was a great day for experiencing wildlife. With all the sights, sounds and rays of warmth from the sun , it really felt like spring was bursting into life.

The walk helped to lift our spirits, especially due our hilarious attempts to stay on our feet along the extremely muddy and slippery footpaths. Almost halfway round the walk we stopped in Hoath Corner, Kent (a lovely village) and treated ourselves to a lovely pub lunch - Steve had the most amazing plate of sausages, mash and onion gravy! Just perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

We have now raised nearly £2,500 for our fundraising hike, for the wonderfully supportive Ectopic Pregnancy Trust - which is excellent. If you would like to support us too by making a donation to this well deserving charity, please go to www.ectopic.org.uk/fundraising/?p=46 . Thank you very much for your support. Lavinia and Steve

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Photos

Eden Valley Walk. Kent
The Eden Valley walk is 15 miles in length and crosses the River Eden, and passes meadows and woodland. We followed part of the Eden Valley walk.

The Rock Inn...time for lunch! Hoath Corner, Kent
Steve had the most delicious sausages, mash and onion gravy! Taste sensation.

Hever Church, Kent
This is a beautiful 700 year old church with impressive stained glass windows. Hever was home to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. Caron Keating (TV Presenter), daughter of Gloria Hunniford is buried here, after very sadly losing her life to breast cancer.