I usually have mixed feelings on the last day of a long walk. While t0day was not a last day, it had something of that flavour as it marked the end of my warm-up walk, so to speak, along the E2. After a couple of rest days in Canterbury, I’ll be starting the Via Francigena itself later this week.
On one hand there’s a sense of achievement. At the same time, there’s a sense of sadness, almost of loss. I think perhaps it comes from the realization that the challenge, which is a significant part of the motivation for a walk like this, won’t be there any more. I’ll have my memories of the walk, good and bad, and I’ll know I succeeded at something difficult, but the challenge will be gone.
These mixed feelings made for an odd day’s walking. My first glimpse of Canterbury Cathedral came about half-way through the day (you can see the main tower, Bell Harry Tower, framed between the two prominent trees).
From then on, while my pace seemed to slow, my progress across the map seemed to go more and more quickly. It seemed like almost no time before I was turning in for the night immediately below that tower.
When I started off, the idea of actually walking to Canterbury from my home in the North seemed so preposterous that I was reluctant to say it when people asked where I was going. And now I’ve done it. It still hardly seems real.
Day 32 Route: Charing to Canterbury via North Downs Way. Terrain: field and woodland paths and tracks. Weather: initially sunny, later overcast and eventually raining heavily. Daily distance: 32.9 km/20.4 miles. Cumulative distance: 807.4 km/500.6 miles. Accommodation: Cathedral Gate Hotel, Canterbury.
Come Wind, Come Weather 