Although weary from our difficult past two days of walking, we started today with optimistic determination. We met bright and early at 6:30am for breakfast at our hotel and then returned to our suite to attend online Mass from the Oxford Blackfriars. It was the feast day of St. John Chrysostom. We found the homily particularly inspiring; we learned about the life of St. John Chrysostom (the "Golden mouth") and how we can spread the gospel through both preaching and practical charity.
We left Sevenoaks at 8:40am and hoped we would arrive at the Carmelite Priory in Aylesford in time for Evening Vespers. Outside the hotel we immediately started on the North Downs Way and then quickly transitioned to the Pilgrims’ Way, walking through the fields and woods of Kent.
From left: (1) All geared up to start the day. (2) The trail went between two homes! (3) A possible morning commuter follows behind us, perhaps walking to catch the train. The train ride from Sevenoaks to London usually takes around 47 minutes.
From left: (1, 2) Crossing Kings Cutting Overline Bridge over the Southeastern Main Line tracks. (3) On the Pilgrims' Way outside of Sevenoaks.
Nearing Otford, we crossed over some more railroad tracks.
Left: An ingenious stepping gate on both sides of the track. Right: How many times did we tell our kids never to walk directly across the tracks at the VRE station in Fredericksburg? Yet, here we are...
Arriving in Otford, we discovered St. Bartholomew Church, a church that we didn't know was on our route. (We've been calling these churches "bonus" churches and we love the surprise visits we make to them.) St. Bartholomew's is significant because its nave survives from the Norman era and its sturdy west tower is late 12th century. We stamped our pilgrim passbooks and continued on our way.
Left: Otford town sign. Otford means "Otta's ford" (Otta is an Anglo-Saxon male's name). The village sits astride the River Darent.
From left: (1) Approaching St. Bartholomew's Church in Otford. (2) Side door to the church with a 1949 sundial above it. An inscription on the sundial reads, "The darkness is passing away and the true light already shineth" (1 John 2:8). (3) A sweet tombstone commemorating a "mum" in the churchyard.
As we walked on toward Kemsing, Frans realized that he had left his hat at St. Bartholomew, so he hurried back to retrieve it (hats are important!). The rest of us waited outside a house aptly named the “Little Pilgrims.” While waiting there, the homeowner, Carol, approached us and asked if we needed help finding the trail. We told her we were planning to walk along the road instead, but she strongly encouraged us not to do this because the road was very busy and not safe for walkers. How providential! She was so kind and we talked for a good while. Leslie gave her a chaplet in thanks for her care and good advice.
Left: Us in front of the Little Pilgrims House. Right: Kind Carol, giver of God-sent advice!
Frans returned and after a small break, we followed Carol’s advice and returned to the trail toward Kemsing. Here we saw St. Mary the Virgin Church, which was unfortunately locked.
St. Mary the Virgin Church in Kemsing
Our next stop was the village of Wrotham, about five miles away from Kemsing. Here we visited St. George's Church, a wonderful medieval building dating from the late 13th century with a 15th century tower. It was the second church to be built on this site, the first one dating to the middle of the 10th century. It's always been dedicated to St. George, which was relatively rare at the time of its consecration.
Left: Outside of St. George's Church in Wrotham. Right: Interior of Church. The wooden chancel screen (also called a rood screen) separating the altar from the pews is similar to the Orthodox iconostasis.
When we came in, we found the parishioners having a coffee and cake fellowship hour. We signed the memorial book, received our church stamp, and departed the church as well as the Pilgrims’ Way. Had we stayed on the Pilgrims' Way, our trip would have taken another 12—14 miles (!) to the Carmelite Friary in Aylesford. Harry modified the route to head due east along the A20. Although a little busy at times, we had sidewalks the entire route. We stopped for lunch in Wrotham at The Moat, a recently refurbished pub.
Left: The Moat pub. At least we didn’t have to cross one in order to get inside the pub! Right: Obligatory pilgrims-in-pub pic.
From left: (1, 2) Walking along the A20. (3) Crossing the 8-lane M2. Thank goodness there was an overpass!
Left: One of many beautiful scenes in Kent. Right: A young lad riding his bike home from school in Ditton. What is Rang-du-Fliers (on the sign)? It's a city across the English Channel in northern France. It's a “sister city” (known in the UK as “town twinning”) to the town of Ditton, much the same way that Frejus, France is a sister city to Fredericksburg.
Arriving in Aylesford, we crossed the River Medway on an old brick and stone footbridge. It was gorgeous, as were the old homes and businesses on the other side. We felt like we were stepping back in time 200-400 years.
Made it to Aylesford!
From left: (1) Crossing the River Medway. (2, 3) Scenes on the way to the Priory.
We arrived at the Friary and checked into the reception area and our rooms. Words cannot describe how beautiful and inspirational the Friary is (we will, however, attempt this in tomorrow's blog post). We were able to attend Vespers, which was conducted by a tall, grey-haired friar with a beautiful voice. The service was calming and edifying, and we offered up our sore muscles and blisters, contemplating the pain that Jesus enduring for our salvation.
(1) Left: The Friary. (2) Right: Arriving at our rooms--we're staying overnight at the Friary.
After Vespers, we walked to town and had a delicious dinner at the Hengist. Named for the legendary first Jutish king of Kent, Hengist is a modern restaurant and bar set in a 16th century building.
We will have a complete post on the history and spirituality of the Friary tomorrow, but for now we will retire to our rooms for a good night’s rest.
Imposing medieval-style wooden doors to our rooms. Ready to retire for the night.
Comments