So hey….I did it!!! Yesterday; Faversham to Sittingbourne along the Saxon Shore Way ððð 9 hours. 30.06 km. Holy moly what a long day. If I add on the distance from home to the station and back, I can add on another 2.5 kms. The last time I walked 32km on any one day was 4 years ago on the Portuguese Camino in Spain…destination: Caldas de Reis. I swore to never do such a long walk ever again ðĪŠðĪŠðĪŠ Hah. I’m very comfortable with 16kms, so this is a bit of a stretch, but hey, it’s done. Now I can concentrate on the next section; Sittingbourne to Rochester….
I’ll do a proper write up in due course, but for now, what I really wanted to tell you about were all the abandoned boats I saw along the way; boats of all sizes, their rotting carcasses littering the creeks.
I wondered why they were abandoned? Who abandoned them? What were their names before being dumped, and why have they been left there to rot.
They are beautiful in their various stages of decay, but how sad. I’m sure they were beautiful craft at some time, sailing proudly along the channels, brightly painted, flags fluttering in the wind, decks alive with chatter.
And now, they’re lying there, forlorn and forgotten….too sad. This post is to honour all boats that get dumped and forgotten. In order of appearance, these boats were seen in Faversham Creek, Oare Creek, The Swale, Conyer Creek and Milton Creek.
I’d love to know their provenance and how long they’ve been lying there….
Long may they rest in pieces and provide food and homes for the fishes.
I’ll try get my post up as soon as I’ve caught up with the Thames Path posts, the Pilgrim’s Way posts (2 years ago ðąðĪŠðĪŠ) and the initial stages of the Saxon Shore Way I’ve already walked. ðĪðĪðĪ Thank you for your patience ðð
And yes, after walking 30 kms, I’m feeling every. single. one. of. my. years. ððð but lots of vitamin C, Aloe Heat Lotion paracetamol and feet up…I’ll be right as rain…ð
Not Just a Granny 
Yes, those LONG days on the Portuguese Camino … I remember them well! But hey, good for you to walk that far (and that while you’re not a ‘youngster’ anymore ð).
One wonders about all those abandoned boats … but it made lovely photo’s.
They did make for interesting images. Although quite sad to see them just rotting away, they were quite beautiful…in a weird way.
Uhmmm yes, ðĪŠðĪŠ those long days. My sister and I are walking the route again in 2022, but I will be more vigilant about distance when planning our overnight stays ðð this poor old body is having difficulty keeping up with my plans. Mind you, beyond a couple of achy joints and my right heel that hurts no matter how long or short the day, I feel fine. Tomorrow’s section is just on 22kms, so not too hectic
I’m with you about ‘be more vigilant about distances’ … if we ever walk the Portuguese Camino again (I hope …), we will definitely take it slower and shorter distances on each day.
Enjoy tomorrow – hope the weather is good and you will be able to take more beautiful photo’s!
Thank you. So far it looks okay. The coastline is so beautiful that we can’t go wrong with good photos.
As for the Camino, I’m going to limit it as best as possible to max 20kms, ideally 16. Hopefully ð
Wow, congrats!! 30+ km is indeed quite a bit.. to much LOL
Your boats reminded me of some abandoned boats I’ve seen several years ago.. I think in Vancouver, CA. It is sad they are left like this..
Christie
Hi Christie. ðð yes, definitely a bit too much. I’ll have to be more careful with my distances. Its been really frustrating trying to find out how long each stage is in the SSW…each site I visit has something different. If I’d known it was going to be that long, I’d probably have cut off at Conyer…which is not too far from a railway station. But, at least it’s done now….
The boats were amazing. Sad but beautiful and added an interesting element to the seascape