Stage 1 : Canterbury to Calais

Polly and I met whilst walking the Camino de Santiago. We've been planning to walk the Via Francigena for some time. It was a logical next step for us. But neither of us can remember who first suggested it.Or when it was first mooted. Or why. Because at approximately 2100k (1300miles) it wasn't something to take lightly. Most of our friends thought we were bonkers (which is true, of course) but wished us well. Some of them even came to see us off which was fab, (unless they were checking to see if we really would go). 

I arranged for us to be given a blessing at Canterbury Cathedral before we set off. It seemed like the right thing to do. We were met by Canon Christopher Waite who blessed us and wished us God Speed. Now, I'm not really a Christian (I'm a bit of a pagan with a big interest in Gaia Theory tbh) but this was genuinely moving. We couldn't have wished for a better send off.





We set off on our first day in bright sunshine. We were soon in the countryside, walking through fields of ripe corn and into old, picturesque villages. Numbers of butterflies are supposed to be decreasing, but we walked through clouds of them on our way to Shepherdswell. Spirits were high as we reached our first overnight stop especially after we had a reviving pint at The Bell and then supper with Polly's good friend Wendy.

We set off early the next morning, talking about the guy who is supposed to have walked this route first of all, Sigeric the Serious. Sigeric was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 990AD. He was ordered to go to Rome by the Pope, ostensibly to collect his pallium, but I wonder if the Pope was testing his mettle. A walk to Rome in the 21st Century is difficult enough, but we had the benefit of guide books, hotels, modern protective clothing and good preparation, so Sigeric's walk in the 10th Century must have been blummin tough. We wondered what his preparation would have been like. Polly thought he would probably have taken a horse. Or at least a donkey. I rather fancied he'd have had someone ...well... practical with him. Sigeric was a very learned man, but could he look after himself on the road? Could he build a shelter or cook a meal?

The king, at the time, was Ethelred the Unready. Or rather, to give him his authentic title, Ethelred Unred. The nickname 'Unred' was a medieval joke. The name 'Ethelred' meant wise but 'Unred' meant badly advised. So, although he was a wise man, he was badly advised. Interestingly, Sigeric was one of Ethelred Unred's councillors. Oh dear.

Our walk into Dover was excellent, though fields and down old pathways until we were soon heading downhill into the centre of town. We'd walked this part of the route last year and had visited Dover Castle which was ace. I loved the Henry II stuff, particularly as he'd built up the castle to welcome pilgrims on their way to Thomas Becket's shrine in Canterbury. Polly really liked the World War II rooms, which were atmospheric to say the least.

We stayed at Blake's Hotel, where we'd stayed last year. Unfortunately, as we were due on an early morning ferry, we were told there'd be no breakfast. This was a big disappointment because last year we'd had their own smoked salmon, which was incredibly yummy and had inspired me to buy my own smoker. Apparently, he marinaded it in whisky for 24 hours. Oh well, perhaps next year.

Breakfastless, we headed off for the ferry terminal in the gloom of an overcast morning. We hoped for better weather when we got to France, but the forecast wasn't good. To be fair, the crossing was very smooth, the Channel like a mill pond. I kept one eye on the clouds scuttling across the sky, and hoped that when we landed in Calais, the weather would stay clear. We had to walk to Wissant, our first overnight stop in France, almost 20k from Calais. It was Wissant, rather than Calais, where medieval pilgrims would have landed. Just like those pilgrims, we wanted to set off from Wissant.

Distance from Canterbury :  52k

Distance to Rome :              2081k