My friends took me for a walk today. Well actually, I chose it from four walks they had picked from a book of walks. We went to the Folkestone Warren.
It wasnt until after the walk that we got a clear explanation of the formation of a warren. Water gets into cracks in the chalk relatively close to the front of a cliff, and eventually the front breaks off, creating a new cliff face with a lot of rubble at the bottom. Trees and bushes grow in the rubble creating the warren. Its a natural process that never stops. Steps have been taken to slow the erosion by the sea at the foot of the cliffs – at least to curtail damage to the rail line that runs at the bottom of the cliffs through the warren. This slippage and cracking explains why the White Cliffs of Dover stay that colour.
We began by walking through a camping and picnic site. People just pulled in and set out their picnics right by the car – they were even charged for parking.
Then we walked by a Martello Tower , a round structure near the cliff edge. They were built at fairly close
intervals along the coast as part of the defenses during the Napoleonic Wars , when they functioned as lookout posts and living quarters for soldiers. The one at the beginning of the walk was privately owned as a home and featured loud rock music pouring from its inland windows. The museum (with the warren explanation) was another tower,
A nature walk was developed on part of the path, with trees planted to resemble wild woods, except with discrete signs identifying them. All along were genuine wild blackberry bushes, laden with ripe and developing fruit. On the way out we ate some, and on the way back we picked some for Rosemary to use or freeze. (Back at home she made a delicious blackberry and apple crumble for dinner.)
We climbed up a bridge over the railway and started in earnest up the cliff. I had no idea how high we would be climbing - exhausting! The views, of course, were spectacular. The mist wasnt too bad, so I hope the photos turn out well. A little while after reaching the top, we sat in the long grass near the edge to enjoy lunch and the glistening sea, until we
We did have a choice just to walk along the cliff tops, but that seemed too tame. We plunged down into a cool, leafy wood where quite a few people were walking. Although the guide books description said we were following the rail bed, our path had a lot of up and down – altogether a fairly energetic walk. To top it off, we walked up a hill to get to the Martello Tower Museum and walked up two flights of stairs to gaze at even more views – but quite hazy and limited by then.
