Wonderful Weekend of Walking.

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After receiving depressing confirmation on Thursday (10 January) that sadly the only way for Lavinia to carry a pregnancy safely will be to undergo a fourth operation to reconstruct and strengthen her uterus; or alternatively we will have to opt for surrogacy - we decided to try to lift our spirits by embarking on a weekend of walking with family and friends. For us we find that going for walks/hikes is an excellent way of trying to reduce our stress levels, it enables us to spend valuable time together and reflect on life.

Saturday 12 January - After a leisurely lunch we headed out for a walk around the village of Leeds, in Kent - the home of Leeds Castle. It was great that we were joined by Steve's mum, Joan, her husband, John and Steve's brother Malcolm. We were blessed with a lovely winter's afternooon, with wonderful blue skies. On the walk we started out at a historic Saxon church called St. Nicholas, built around 1000. In 1200, the Normans added a tower. After about half a mile of walking we were rewarded with superb views of Leeds Castle. On the return journey we passed through a mixture of woods and fields, and the attractive village of Broomfield. The walk for us was very poignant, because when we were looking for wedding venue four years ago, we had thought about getting married at Leeds Castle as it is such a stunning castle and surrounded by a beautiful lake, the Great Water. However, we found a gorgeous venue a short drive down the road from Leeds Castle that held more guests. This whole area of Kent fills us with so much warmth and very happy memories, because we spent several weekends during our engagement exploring the picturesque villages around Leeds Castle.

Sunday 13 January - With predictions of rain for today, we were not very hopeful about the weather. But we were not going to let the rain stop us!
Today we were so thrilled to be joined not only by Steve's brother Malcolm, but our dear friends Radha and Rajal. Radha and Rajal went to University with Steve and are very keen mountaineers and rock climbers. Radha and Rajal like us love the challenge of hiking up a mountain, but today we decided to go for a ramble along the North Downs Way. Interesting fact - it is claimed that the North Downs were used by pre-Ice Age hunters some 250,000 years ago. The walk started in Trosley Country Park, passing through woods of beech and yew on the top of the North Downs, then headed on through the villages of Ryarsh and Addington, in Kent. In Addington we had a lovely lunch in a 14th century inn called the Angel Inn. The route also passed some ancient Neolithic tombs possibly dating back to 3000 BC. It was an exhilarating walk in parts, with fantastic views from the North Downs and it didn't rain!

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Photos

Leeds Castle and the Great Water
Leeds Castle is often called the loveliest castle in the world. It has been home to six English queens.

St Nicholas Church. Leeds, Kent
St Nicholas Church in the village of Leeds at the start of the walk.

Ancient wooden church door. Leeds, Kent
St Nicholas Church had many interesting features, including its impressive studded wooden door.

Beautiful House in Leeds, Kent
This was a lovely country home set back from the road in the village of Leeds.

Scary looking tree. Leeds, Kent
This tree was huge and quite imposing - the parasitic growth on the tree was quite unusual.

The consultation - Are we lost? Leeds, Kent
Steve and Malcolm try to work out whether we are still on the right path. Joan and John wait patiently, whilst looking out towards the first glimpses of Leeds Castle.

First glimpse of Leeds Castle, Kent
The first glimpses of Leeds Castle were beautiful as the sun reflected on its stone walls.

Someone lost a huge golf ball? Leeds, Kent
We came across this huge white ball structure - it did resemble a huge golf ball. Even after much discussion the best idea for what we thought it could be was an observatory. If anyone knows what it is, please let us know. We are intrigued.

Views across to Leeds Castle, Kent
The views across the beautiful lake, the Great Water were stunning. It was a great place for peace and reflection - the only disturbance was the quacking ducks.

Another view of Leeds Castle, Kent
We took so many photos of Leeds Castle - it looked so glorious shining in the afternoon sun.

Fungi growing on tree. Leeds, Kent
We found this usual mushroom fungi growing on this tree. It made for an interesting photo opportunity.

A Family Photo. Leeds, Kent
Malcolm, Steve, Joan and John stop to have a family photo.

Reminiscing... Leeds, Kent
This walk gave us the chance to reminisce about all of the joyous times we had spent exploring the picturesque villages around Leeds Castle and the Castle itself prior to our wedding in May 2005.

Over he goes! Leeds, Kent
Steve takes a short cut across a farm gate.

Back to St Nicholas Church. Leeds, Kent
End of the walk, we passed St Nicholas Church again.

St Nicholas Church. Leeds, Kent
Fancy metalwork on the door at St Nicholas Church, Leeds, Kent.

Stained Glass Window, St Nicholas Church
Lovely stained glass window in St Nicholas Church.

Sunday 13 January - North Downs Way, Kent
Second walk of the weekend - passing along the North Downs through Trosley Country Park, Ryarsh and Addington in Kent.

Ready for a ramble. North Downs Way, Kent
Steve, Lav, Radha and Rajal - adventurers together, ready for an exhilarating walk along the North Downs Way.

Pennine Way Trio! North Downs Way, Kent
Steve, Lav and Malcolm ready to hike again!

Ancient sign. North Downs Way, Kent
Very old stone sign for the North Downs Way.