Main issue is that most of the churches on the list are now in west and north Kent, meaning a bit of a hike to get there, and on top of that, not knowing if your target will be open.
So, with the three churches chosen, postcodes noted, we can prepare for the morning.
Make coffee, feed the cats, fill up the bird feeders and make bacon butties to give us a decent start to the day.
Saturday was dark and gloomy, not a good day perhaps to do church crawling, but what else is there: too gloomy certainly for wildflowers, those that are out. And the flat light, can be good for photography in churches. At least that is what I tell myself.
Off up the A20 to Folkestone, and from there up the motorway, where, after Ashford, Highways England are removing the Operation Brock contraflow barriers. Now, I know I said no more Brexit, but an observation here: Kent MPs lobbied the PM to have these removed as it was a major pain for locals, but the threat of no deal and/or traffic jams caused by increased paperwork check is higher now, and the hundreds of thousands now being spent taking the barriers down could be spent again putting it back up later in the year.
In Brexit, anything is possible.
But back to the churchcrawling.
We turn off at Maidstone, go through Leeds up the down, where along the ridge there are a series of churches overlooking the low-laying land to the south, where the churches served a series of impressive houses set in sloping parkland. From Leeds through Sutton to the two Boughtons, at east half a dozen churches stand looking down on west Kent.
Eighteen months ago, I visited the two Boughtons, and also East Sutton, not realising there were two other churches in Sutton: Valence and Chart. I passed Sutton Valence just as a vintage Rolls depsosited a bride at the lych gate on the "main road". So, no point in trying to crawl that back on the warm September afternoon, but was on my list since then for a return.
And here we were.
The sat nav took us down a narrow lane, with a space large enough to abandon the car in, while I get my gear and walk to the church, trailing behind JOols who had gone to check the door. I get the thumbs up to indicate it was open.
Good news.
Sadly, the church has been stripped of most of its character and history. It is a fine church, nothing wrong with it, but few monuments, no brasses, no medieval features, so my job of recording it was completed in a few minutes. Another tick in the box done, though.
Next up was Chart Sutton, some 90 seconds away the sat nav told us. Though as we only had the post code, and it seemed that applied to most of the village. We drove through it, and out the other side. There was a Church Lane, but with no church on it.
We consulted a map, and after some searching, made more difficult with me not having my reading glasses with me, we find it, and return to the bottom of Church Lane. Behind the school there was a small dead end lane with no sign, but the church lay at the end of that, looking like a setting for a Gothic novel, set in a mist'shrouded graveyard, and the graves covered in moss and lichen.
I knew that it would be locked.
I mean that there were no signs for the church at the end of the lane meant it wasn't supposed to be found, andindeed the two main doors were locked fast. And on the noticeboard and in the porch, no keyholder details listed. So, another one for a heritage weekend.
From there was two more closed churches, either side of the Medway, reached by crossing ancient pack horse bridges that I dd not know one existed, let along three.
Nettlestead lays along the north bank of the Medway, between Maidstone and Wateringbury. Its good that I put the sat nav in, as the main road goes past the church, which is set back and behind a farm. The only telltale sign is a small lychgate showing the way to a footpath leading to the churchyard.It was still gloomy, and it felt that this would be locked too, but the porch door opened. Inside it was dark, almost too dark for photography. That there were plenty of lights around was frustrating, and so as I went round snapping, I looked for the switches. Which I did find in a wooden box behind the organ.
Warm golden light filled the church, revealing a fine church, with plenty of interest.
I take plenty of shots.
As with this church, Jools had been comparing my list of targets with the map, and said that Yalding was nearby, just ten minutes. OK, we'll do that then go home.
The sat nav took us back down into the Medway valley, over the railway and then over a canal, with a fine looking pub reached by a flimsy looking footbridge; one for the summer, perhaps.
Across another stone bridge into the village, and the church was standing on a low mound on the banks of the river. The village is lined with fine looking houses, some thatched, including the village forge.
The church was reached via a cobbled alley, and we could see the doors of the porch open as we approached.
With not knowing we were going to come here, as usual, I had done no research, so had little idea what to expect inside. What I found was a huge parish church, the back of which had been converted into a community space, with a fitted kitchen, wooden floor for use possible as a gym or space for yoga, and the east kept as a fine parish church, filled with monuments, memorials and fine fixtures and fittings. Three wardens were tidying up preparing for Candlemass the next day.
I go round taking shots, taking nearly and hour to do so, as there was so much detail.
Jools had gone back to the car to wait, she had also visted the village shop and had supplied of mini-cheddars, a Twirl and a pack of M&Ms. No pub lunch for us.
We go back home via the outskirts of Maidstone then to the motorway and then back home.
And to taunt us, as we arrived back in Dover the clouds parted and the sun broke through for a few minutes.
Back home we have a late lunch of sausage rolls, more mini-cheddars and M&Ms washed down with a huge brew.
Lovely.
We were back in time to listen to the footy, the FA Cup, and City were away at Burnley, a poor draw that we had no right to expect to win. Farke made eight changes, and City dominated the game, should have been four up at half time, but were still drawing 0-0. In the second, Norwich scored twice and were cruising. Until Burnley pulled one back, but we play well and see the game out.
So, four wins in 25 league games, and two out of two in the Cup. You work it out.
So, with Norwich entering the 5th round for the first time in what seems like a lifetime, I cook dinner in a pleasant haze. Heck, we open a bottle of pink fizz to wash down the chorizo hash.
We play Uckers, and I come up on the inside rail to pip Jools with getting my last piece in from halfway round the board.
Ha ha.
And that is it. Another fine day in Kent's churches.
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