Paddock Wood to Yalding walk

This new, 11.7 mile walk in the Medway Valley is not one of this walker's favourites. The first few miles, to Sluice Weir Lock, weren't a 'country' walk at all, and were a reflection of all that's wrong with this country at the moment; litter everywhere, scorch marks on the grass from discarded barbecues and illegal fishing on the river banks. People just don't seem to care and there's no enforcement. This needs to change, if the plastic island in the Pacific is to be reduced and our wild life saved.

Thereafter, the walk reflected some of what Kent is better known for; Oasts, Orchards and fields of vegetables.

Lunch was had in the church yard at Yalding, with its unusual church tower. There was a nice surprise at the end, with a 'Parish Picnic' in Yalding's community orchard.

A decent walk, after the initial 3 miles had elapsed, but one reflecting both the population growth and new housing development in Kent and the difficulty of creating new, true 'country' walks in the South East these days.