Day 4…walking from Wrotham to the Lower Bell Pub and Inn…
The heat wave broke…to the upper 20s…but better than 37 so today we walked and walked…and trudged 19 km and began wilting later in the day…but were saved…
Leaving The Bull I see where the oregano flowers on my salad last night came from. And it is pronounced like the US state of OreGON-o. Not o-RAY-gano. Who knew?Do not be fooled by conniving Pilgrims Way signs that make you think you are going in the right direction. I would blame it on Ken but he reads these posts for false accusations. Too bad for me. Heavy sigh.Lovely walk through forests…With climbs over styles…Through narrow little kissing gates…Which are meant to protect the sheep and all the little lamb babies who sang for us as we walked through their field.Down narrow lanes…an opportunity for a photo of the 2 of us…instead of Ken’s rear…Mail boxes in the most random places.Where are we? I dunno!Are we lost? Ask Ken. (The Bugsnax look very worried! They must be…to ask Ken for directions!) 😄Yes, here’s a guy who looks like he knows where he’s going!These plants and the thistles above are over 6 feet tall.Scary “Mirkwood” for all you Hobbit fans.First sightings of chalk cliffs…they are being quarried.Out of the shade and into the hot sun.Lavender!These tunnels are creepy.Bishop’s palace wall…still standing since 1077. Ken had to replace our bathroom wall from 2002.For my son Peter…and no, we did not stop at McDonald’s.Original church with some windows dating to the 1100s. Bells are from the 1700s, with some older headstones in the cemetery.And our first church pilgrim stamp since leaving Southwark. I noticed the guest book had been stamped so I went searching through the little desk (should i admit that?) and found the stamp. My fellow Camino-ites will understand.The church gate had a sign indicating this was a “Commonwealth Grave Site”. One lone soldier, brought home to his wife. WW2 is a fresh memory in this part of England.The path is getting so hot, the Bugsnax are tired and cranky (or was that me?), but I still like to enjoy the flowers along the way. Or maybe the flowers are just an excuse for a breather break. And we still have 4 km to go…or do we???Meet our next Camino angels, Judith and Roy! We met them at the bottom of a hill – they had been out biking and informed us that the trail actually ended up ahead and we would have to walk the last few kilometers on a very busy road. Instead, we were invited into their fairy garden, plied with ice water and ginger biscuits and welcoming conversation. Judith has family in Canada and spent several years there. And after that, we were driven in style to our lodgings for the night. We are so very grateful to them as the temperature had hit 31 and we were struggling to go on. We have been met with so much kindness! Thank you, Judith and Roy!Don’t fall in, Bunger! (Part burger, part dung beetle, with Curly fry legs and tusks, in case you were wondering)Wood pigeon at the edge of the pond.
Great pics and I love your write ups. I’m so glad you opted to be safe in that crazy heat yesterday. I was thinking about you when I heard on the news that England had hit an all time record high!
TerryandKenViaFrancigena2022 
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