July 17, 2014 -- Day 32, Rye to Folkestone, 2 miles walking

Today’s plan was to take a train from Rye to Hamstreet, and then walk 15½ miles along the Royal Military Canal to Folkestone.  When I left the hotel this morning to walk to the train station, it didn’t take me long to conclude that it was simply too hot to commit to that distance. In fact, it was too hot to walk at all. Subsequent information confirmed my decision – a television newscast from London was talking about a heat wave and warning people not to exert themselves unnecessarily.

I just checked the Bing weather on my computer. Eastbourne (where I was three days ago) was recording 79° F; the previous record for this date was 66° in 2006. Dover is reporting 82°, tying a heat record for this date. For those of us from the American southwest, those temperatures seem ideal, but when combined with high humidity (Dover was reporting 68% humidity), prolonged physical exertion should be avoided.

So instead of walking today, I took a bus to Folkestone. Of course, my room wasn’t ready when I arrived at 10:30 am, so I walked around the city, went down to the harbor, and had a lovely lunch in an upscale restaurant. I don’t even have lunch when I’m walking, so I could hardly justify one when riding a bus, but the setting was nice and I had a few hours to kill. After lunch, I walked about 45 minutes back to my inn, so I did get in a bit of a walk.

I have a lovely room overlooking the beach and the English Channel. I’m told that on a clear day, one can see France. The high humidity creates a haze, so all I can see is the sea. Tomorrow’s forecast is much of the same, so I may just download a Kindle book and sit in my room and read. Or maybe I’ll walk to the bar.

Street in Folkestone town center

Old cobblestone street Folkestone
(note cobbles for carriage wheels)

This guy is crazier than I am

Lower Leas Coastal Park

Splash pad in Folkestone

Folkestone Harbour at low tide

English Channel from Coastal Park

© 2014 Ken Klug