09/03/19 - Canterbury City Walk

Distance - 4 Miles
Geocaches - 6
Pub - The City Arms
Walk Inspiration - AA 1001 Family Walks - Walk 306


For a City that's synonymous with Pilgrims, my extensive library of walking routes had only a handful of entries for Canterbury.

A gentle 4 miler from the Premier Inn, via breakfast ate Saffron Cafe, should provide the necessary fresh air before a matinee performance of War Horse and maybe allow us to identify the best of the pubs for the evening.

This is a gentle walk that heads West, via the castle to the flood lands of the Stour Valley Walk.

We'll get closer to the Cathedral on the Return

Castle - closed due to falling masonry

Stour Valley - After the Rain

The Geocaches are along the Stour Valley, providing a distraction from the puddles and passing under the railway to climb Golden Hill.   No views back to the City but we do get an indication of what Kent is famous for - hop fields.

Could be Runner Beans - but this is a Real Ale Walking Blog

As well as the theatre, the dining and the walking, we are of course here to check out the Good Beer Guide Pubs.   The route back into town walks past one of the outliers, the Eight Bells.   Can't tell you much about it, as it's not an early riser, and a back street boozer is never going to convince Mrs M to totter back across the city for a time when it is open.

Like an unfound Geocache, I'll leave it for a another day.

 Mrs M unprepared to come back at night and ask what the sign is all about

We're back within the Town walls.  So much to look for, at and in.   How refreshing to see independent shops and a non uniform high street.   Plenty of fine medieval buildings but the star of the show is both covered in scaffold and charging £13 to get close to.   It remains photographed from afar.

Here's some of the photo highlights.

West Gate - which you can squeeze a Nissan Cross trail through

1500 Building and Boat Trips on the Stour

Gateway to the Cathedral - where they demand money

Butchery Lane - home of the City Arms

Mrs M takes me by surprise by announcing she has a pre-midday thirst and we should go to the pub.  I must be on my holidays.  Google suggests the City Arms is one of the rare non JDW pubs that is open from 10am.   C15th building in the delightful narrow lane shown above. 

A Closer Look at the City Arms

Inside, it's a quirky enough affair, covered in metal advertising.   Beer wise, there's just the two on.  Hobgoblin and Sharps Atlantic, which contrary to popular belief, is not the main ingredient.

Open from 10am but punters have not cottoned on

A functional stop off point.   We'll be back for the Good Beer Guide Ticking after a frankly wonderful experience at the Marlow Theatre.