Trying to escape the sodden fields of Berkshire we headed East to explore a little of Kent, the garden county apparently and oddly, somewhere we pass through alot to go to the continent but rarely stop and haven’t ever explored.

First stop was Canterbury, somewhere I haven’t ever been to and Keith has only ever visited as part of hockey tours… so how much he actually saw, or perhaps remembers, is another thing. We booked the Canterbury Camping and Caravan Club site as it was only about a mile outside the center and had hard standing which is still key with amount of rain we have had, despite it apparently being Spring.

I think, we were possibly a little harsh on our judgement having only recently been to Winchester and being pretty impressed, as we found Canterbury a little tired and without a huge amount of appeal. Many of the shops were empty and the town felt a little ‘soul-less’ which was a shame but it was good to see all the same … and some of the architecture is beautiful, including the cathedral.

We had already planned a little gastronomic excursion whilst staying in Canterbury…. well the pub booking actually came before the campsite as we had wanted to visit ‘The Sportsman’ which is in Saltwater for a while now, just not made it.

This time however, we were lucky enough to have a dry day and decided to take the bikes and ride out for lunch …. a bit of a long ride, but it was beautiful and very tranquil. Lunch was exceptional – both service and food…. we will definately be doing a little bit of a detour to come again in the future. Not that we need an excuse but we do feel the need to come back and explore Whitstable as it looked lovely on our brief pitstop en-route!

Moving on, we headed to a CL (Lydden Farm CL £20pn) that I had found, nicely positioned between Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. I was a little concerned in so far as there wasn’t any hard standing and a couple of the comments mentioned access was tight… but the owner assured me that the fields were ‘well drained’ and access would be fine so we set off confidently, well semi-confidently at least…

To be fair, it was only the first 20m of the last 300m and although the hedges had just been cut, which was a huge benefit, the farmer had caught one of them which had pulled a large, solid branch out making access a little squeeze. We made it through with just a little tickle down the sides and thankfully and once settled, Keith went back to check out the branch and found a way to secure the troublesome branch back into the hedge, making it slightly easier for my exit! The field was chalk under the grass and well drained so despite the huge quantities of rain we didn’t sink.

Margate had a small but lovely old town which was quite eclectic and lovely large sandy beaches but as much as I love a 2p machine, there were slightly too many amusement arcades and rock shops for us unfortunately. Ramsgate, again had lovely beaches but not a huge amount else, although to be fair to it – we did visit on a wet and windy Sunday so most things were closed and looking a little grey.

Broadstairs, however, and the walk along the promenade from Ramsgate to Broadstairs was lovely. It is a beautiful small town which used to be a fishing village and evolved into a holiday destination in Victorian times, hence much of the architecture is of that era. A lovely circular walk on a slightly grim day enabling us to learn more about some of the Kent seaside towns.

The final destination of our trip to Kent was Little Norword Farm CL (£22 p/n) which is just outside Sittingbourne and close to the Isle of Sheppey, a beautifully prepared site. We were welcomed by the father as the owners were away, accompanied by two boxes of beautifully fresh eggs…. what could be better!

We headed out for on the first afternoon to have a little walk and made a round trip through some local villages, taking in the views of the sea before arriving back at the motorhome – a pretty area. The second day we decided to head into Sittingbourne to have a look around and decided that next time, we would probably skip the town itself unless we needed something specific… it was even a bit of a struggle to find a coffee shop!

And then finally, as we were so close to the Isle of Sheppey it would have been rude not to go and have a look, so we jumped on the bikes and cycled across to the other side of the Island to where the Nature Reserve is. Unfortunately, it was slightly more built up than we expected and the roads were busier with traffic so, although we did make it to far the far tip – Leysdown on Sea – stopped for a coffee on the seafront by the amusement arcades, we didn’t stay long before turning around and heading back again…. a good 42km round trip. We are glad we did it – and perhaps it would be better during ‘holiday season’ – but I don’t think we will be coming all the way over here again soon.

Following only three days back at the farm we did a quick trip across to the Cotswolds to Moreton on the Marsh where we had found a nice little place just outside the town to stay for three nights. (Pebbly Barn CL £20 p/n)

A perfect location to explore if you like walking – who would have known there was a ‘Four Shires Corner’ ? But also to catch up with Pete and Liz who live locally, and we also had a last minute surprise coffee with Matt and Jonathan who were also passing through the area… this is one we will definately be coming back to.

Although we have had a few meals out, we have also been cooking a little more and experimenting with a recipe book that we had put in a cupboard and forgotten about – thank you Ian, one of the Bosh Boys’ books has some great recipes in it.

– Cheesy Mac and Greens – a great one pot cheesy pasta dish with whatever greens you have in the fridge
– Goan Fish and Prawn Curry – quick and easy and full of flavour
– Onion Rice – real depth of flavour with a lovely twist
– Saag Aloo – a Bosh alternative which although slightly more complicated, full of flavour and deliciosness
– Rogan Bosh – a really quick, tasty dish
– Falafel Wraps – yes, we have been trying out another new recipe and this time wrapping them up in tortillas

…and finally just as we are embarking on our next trip the map of where we went in March…