The North Downs Way along Nashenden Down Ridge...

Taking the North Downs Way towards Wouldham up the hill from the top of Nashenden Farm Lane leads to some spectacular views across the Medway Valley, particularly at this time of year just before harvest. It was a rather gloomy day but the views were no less impressive. 

Long may they remain unspoiled...

Looking north towards the M2 from the HS1 bridge at Nashenden...

Looking west towards the M2 bridges from just above Nashenden...

Red Admiral...

This somewhat battered specimen was the only one of several that would stay still long enough to be photographed. It has been a good year for butterflies and an exceptional one for Red Admirals...

M2 bridge seem across the oat fields from the bottom of the North Downs Way...

Cuxton from the Borstal North Downs Way...

Cuxton Church Hill from the Borstal North Downs Way...

Bores Hole chalk pit and North Halling...

Halling, the River Medway and Holly Hill...

Ivy Cottage, with Bores Hole and Church Hill in the background...

The St. Andrews estate from the Wouldham North Downs Way...

Common Poppies...

Panorama from the Wouldham North Downs Way...

Looking back towards Cuxton from the Wouldham North Downs Way...

Corn Chamomile...

Wall Butterfly...

Descending the slope (and down the hundreds of steps) down the Black Robin path brings you out (not surprisingly by the (very) old and former pub which is now Black Robin House. I was interested to see that this is up for sale...

Medway Terrace on the Burham Road Pilgrims Way. The Black Robin is the blue house on the left...

Wheat field view from the Black Robin...

Purple Viper's Bugloss (Echium plantagineum...)

At first I thought this was a common Vipers Bugloss but the flowers are not in the usual columnular form. I think I have the ID right, though. This is not a common UK wildflower and may be a garden escapee as the seeds and plants are often sold online...

After a few refreshers in the Waterman's Arms, I made my way through Wouldham village and back over Peter's Bridge...

View of the Medway north from under Peter's Bridge...

View across the river towards Wouldham from Halling...

View down the river south from Halling...

Wouldham Ploughing Match...

Today I took a stroll over the river, to take a look around the local country fayre and ploughing match that was being held at Ringshill Farm in Wouldham. The event is an annual one but does the rounds in Kent, and it has been a while (2012, I think) since it was last held locally...

View of Ringshill Farm from the Cuxton side...

Comma...

Towards Cuxton from the Wouldham river path

St. Michaels Church, as seen from Wouldham river side

Bores Hole and North Halling from Wouldham...

The abandoned Rugby Cement works...

Mute Swan...

The Medway Bridge and Cuxton Marina...

St Michaels at Cuxton...

Steam traction engine at Ringshill Farm...

Tow plough...

Engine and tow plough, with Cuxton in the background...

Bores Hole and North Halling from Ringshill Farm...

Caterpillar Tractor...

Ringshill Farm...

Gymkhana...

View towards Cuxton from Shoulder of Mutton Shaw...

View across the river...

I find myself increasingly drawn to the Wouldham area as a relaxing place to walk. The Cuxton and Halling countryside is rapidly becoming inaccessible: what hasn't being bought up and spoiled by a billionaire non-dom and truculently policed by his surly minions is being covered in fencing or barbed wire or otherwise plagued by hordes of idiot dog-walkers who cannot control their stupid mutts. 

The eastern side of the river is still mercifully free from such things at the moment.

The North Downs Way - Borstal to Wouldham...

At this time of year, the North Downs Way overlooking Ringshill Farm offers lovely views across the River Medway towards Cuxton and Halling...

The Medway Bridge...

The Medway Bridge...

Cuxton and the marina...

North Halling and Bores Hole...

Halling and the river...

Panorama across the Medway valley...

Ringshill Farm has been run by the Gore family since 1934, and they have recently been able to buy the land outright. Hopefully, in these challenging times, they will be able to continue managing the land as they have done for the last 90 years.  

Field Poppies, North Downs Way...

Field Poppies, North Downs Way...

Towards Halling...

St. Andrews estate and lake...

Information board, Wouldham Common...

Towards Halling from Wouldham Common... 

Unfortunately this view is in danger of being lost as the trees are growing quite fast and will soon screen off the river from view...

Rosebay Willowherb, Wouldham Common...

Ragwort...

Ragwort is one of those plants whose dangers stemming from its toxicity are grossly exaggerated. This was largely due to the Daily Mail*, which whipped up a load of hysteria about Ragwort, just to fill up a few column inches for its ever-credulous readership back in 2007** (and in subsequent occasional rehashes of the same rubbish). As a result, many of the horsey community now take it as an article of faith that Ragwort is lethal to their pets, even though in practice it seems that a horse (or any other large mammal) would have to be starving to eat Ragwort as it apparently tastes very bitter to them.  

That doesn't stop some people getting very angry about it, however, and such zealots would like to see this rather beautiful wildflower eradicated. Such drastic action would also bring about the eradication of the Cinnabar moth, whose colourful orange and black striped caterpillars feed on Ragweed along with many other insects, but hey, that's a small price to pay to possibly, maybe, keep our horses safe, eh?

A debunk of the myths around ragwort can be found here.

*so often a source of misinformation and "fake news", to the extent that Wikipedia still refuses to use it...

**I would include a link to the aforementioned 2007 article, but unless you are prepared to spend ages blocking consent to all of its "vendors", the MailOnLine will download so many "cookies" onto your computer/phone/iPad that I would not be at all  surprised if it exploded!