Jun 20, 2024
Greener NHS Kent walking for world clean air day
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Shona Metcalfe
To celebrate World Clean Air Day 2024 on 20 June, a team from Kent and Medway ICB are walking the 27.5 mile Tunbridge Wells Circular to raise money for Asthma + Lung UK and the Kent Wildlife Trust.
We range from experienced hikers to those new to hiking boots but we're all committed making practical steps to delivering a greener NHS for the people of Kent. We chose these charities for their work helping improve our natural environment and addressing the health impact of the poor air 99% of us breathe - something we're all passionate about!
Thanks from Ali, Nigel, Mark, Jo, Liz, Simon, Amber, Tamsin, Linda and Shona! and Tina as support driver/rescuer/water and snack replenisher!
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A welcome rest, after about 4.5 hours of walking. Time to replenish the energy with a spot of lunch and some Jelly Babies.
0 likesThrough some amazing old woodland. Challenging the team with some hill climbs and a fair amount of mud underfoot.
0 likes08:15: We're off. Lots of energy at the moment. All raring to go! We'll post updates throughout the day.
0 likes1 lost mobile phone (luckily retrieved after having to double-back), several nettle stings and a large blister on little toe and we completed approx. 10 miles across open fields and coastal paths around Folkestone, passing the poignant Battle of Britain memorial (which put our challenge in perspective). Beautiful sea views, blankets of wheat, skylarks and several friendly dog-walkers. What better way to spend a sunny Sunday morning.
1 likesStarting at Dover Priory station, you first walk through the town centre, where you can pick up any forgotten essentials. The Kent Coastal footpath then initially ascends a steep climb up to the clifftop, for some magnificent views across the sea and beaches. There's a good variety of scenery on this part of the walk, and you get to see plenty of open countryside alongside picturesque seaside scenes.
0 likesAfter stopping for lunch, part 2 of the walk took me from Deal to Sandwich station. Henry VIII built 3 castles along the seafront in and around Deal: Walmer and Deal Castles are still standing strong, but Sandown Castle has gone; you can see a pretty rockery in its place instead. Much of the second part of the walk follows a path right next to the beach and the Kent Coastal footpath heads through the Priory Golf Course and public gardens before finishing at Sandwich station.
0 likesShona, Steve and Mark did the 17 mile walk from Sevenoaks to Dartford, along the Darent Valley Path on Sunday 26th May. Passing through picturesque villages, acres of open fields and ancient woodland gave us a truly varied excursion. It’s a great walk, with plenty of places to stop along the way, including Eynsford, with 4 pubs in close proximity giving a good set of options for lunch.
0 likesWe walked past two cricket grounds and were delighted to find a game in full swing at the second one.
0 likesWe crossed the River Darent several times along the route and were lucky to see ducklings as well as other wildlife.
1 likesIf you want to take your walking experiences this year to a new level, these walking guides are great. Published by the Kent Ramblers, they contain detailed maps and route descriptions, together with photos and narrative about the places you walk past. They're easy to carry in a rucksack or carry on your walk, and contain details of walks from a couple of miles long all the way up to the 27.5 mile Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk.
0 likesOne of the good things about training for 20th June, is that it’s made me look for other opportunities to boost walking fitness during my daily life. I can take a longer walk to and from work along the picturesque towpath by the River Medway. The towpath is less than 5-minutes’ walk from Maidstone Town Centre, for anybody who is looking for a peaceful stroll close to town.
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I decided to try out a longer distance over the bank holiday weekend, so plotted an 18 mile route along the Medway towpath. It was a fab walk, but the legs really started to hurt after mile 13/14. Glad to say it only took 2 days to recover and I'm sure it was good practice for the real thing.
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Back in time for a coffee before heading home. We had a great time and would thoroughly recommend Bewl Water for a peaceful and varied walk. There's so much to see on the way round; changing landscape, a mixture of lake, woodland and village life and we were also lucky to see the local rowing club demonstrating their talents.
...no, you're not. Bewl Water has helpful distance marker posts on the way round. The team felt that these were far more motivational towards the end of the walk than at the start
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Getting ready...Shona, Ali, Linda and Mark had a very enjoyable 12.5 mile training walk on Sunday 28th April, making their way round Bewl Water. They were lucky to try out 'the full range' of weather and test all of their walking gear, including waterproofs. This photo was taken at the start of the walk and I hope you agree they all looked fresh and raring to go, despite the rather chilly 08:30 start!
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