Day 8 – arrived in Canterbury

This was the laziest day for a pilgrim. I slept for 9 hours then ate a huge breakfast in the Woolpack Inn, Chilham. We finally started walking at 10.20 but stopped in the village church where the ladies were serving coffee. They had a stamp and so we received our first official stamp on our credentials.

As expected, it was a slow start as my feet reluctantly came into operation. Fortunately it’s only a 2 hour walk from Chilham to Canterbury and with Paul carrying several kilos of my baggage we arrived in just over 4 hours. I started calling chiropodists, starting with the nearest to the Premier Inn but they were all booked, probably by pilgrims coming from Rome. One man, just 0.6Km away, was expecting a cancellation tomorrow and promised to call back. He also suggested “Minor Injuries”, NHS speak for A&E. That entails a day waiting in the hospital but it’s free of charge.

Anyway, we had a delightful walk through the garden of England. Acre after acre of apple orchards. We passed “Orchard View”, a mobile home park for migrant workers. We met a few cheerful people and I always reflect on the hand of fate which determines who gets the best opportunities in life. It’s also true that if apple orchards in Central Europe paid £5000 a day, there’d be a mass exodus from the UK.

I’m writing today’s blog earlier than usual because we are meeting Torin at 6pm. Despite my efforts to persuade him to drive he is coming on the bus. I know what that means.