This morning began with Mass, Lauds (Morning Prayer) and a full English breakfast (bacon and eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans on toast) in the 13th century Pilgrim's Hall.
It would be wonderful to be able to spend each night in a monastery welcoming pilgrims, as would have been the case for medieval pilgrims (and is the case today on the Camino de Santiago in Spain). Alas, the Priory is almost alone on the contemporary Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury.
We phoned ahe
ad and booked a room in Lenham, 14 miles away and our destination for the day. And then we set off. Pleasant walking through woods and fields, but very muddy. Soon there was a lot of up and down and quite steep. Up to the ridge line at the top of the Downs and then up and down the valleys cutting into the ridge line.By early afternoon it was clear that we couldn't make Lenham before dark. So we stopped at 6 pm in Hollingbourne and took the train to Lenham.
We had taken 6 1/2 hours of walking to do 10 miles; less than 2 miles an hour. Lesson for the day: 1 mile on the flat is not the same as 1 mile up and down. Hope northern France is relatively flat....
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