Eva on the Via Francigena (and beyond)

Song of the Day: White Winter Hymnal — Fleet Foxes

It may not be winter in Kent, but it certainly does not feel like August. This song also would have been more fitting with what I thought were the opening lyrics (“I was following the path”), which it turns out actually is “I was following the pack.” So it goes.

I set off for Canterbury on my first day of the Via Francigena — and I could not be more happy that I opted to split the Canterbury-Dover leg into two stages. While 10-ish miles of walking is not a long day, I’m realizing that I did not prepare walking with nearly enough weight. Combining this with the fact that my pack has blown past the recommended 10% of body weight, and it was a tougher 10 miles than I had expected.

I started the day with breakfast at the hotel, where Nathan and I had a nice view over the empty square in front of the Cathedral. After a croissant and a cup of peppermint tea, we walked over in a light drizzle to the Via Francigena Kilometer Zero marker before splitting up — Nathan heading to a warm coffee shop, and I heading to Sheperdswell.

Despite making a wrong turn on my way out of town, I managed to get out of Canterbury in good time and started off along the North Downs Way. My companions for most of the day were gently rolling hills and fields of grain, punctuated occasionally by a flock of sheep or horses. I can only imagine that it is a marvelous walk on a sunny, warm summer day. For me, the weather mostly held up until a 2 mile long exposed section cutting through fields of wheat and wildflower, when the wind and the rain both picked up. Within 10 minutes I was soaked to the bone and shivering. Thankfully, the rain eventually stopped, and the wind meant that my clothes dried relatively quickly before I made it into Womenswold, a small village about 3 miles away from my final destination.

I popped into the church in Womenswold, a lovely village church built in the 13th century, which offered a place for pilgrims to stamp their passports and sit for a bit. Grateful for the chance to take off my pack, I sat inside for about 10 minutes, during which the rain picked back up. Feeling rested, I headed back out into the rain for the hour-long walk to Sheperdswell. The rain was relentless this time, and finally at about 1pm I stumbled into the only restaurant in town, the Colonel’s Cafe at the train station, completely soaked. I scarfed down a platter of chips, sausage, and egg, and sat down to write with a slice of carrot cake and a cup of tea to wait out the rain.

When it finally died down, I headed uphill (!) to the St. Andrew’s church for my stamp, checked into my Airbnb, and did as little as possible for the rest of the day. My knees and hips are very much feeling the impact of 12 miles of walking — I can only hope my body will adjust as I go.

Final mileage: 11.78 mi
Walking time: 4 hours
Elevation gain: 787 ft

Accommodation: Susanna’s house (Airbnb)