{"id":26733,"date":"2026-03-14T23:22:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T23:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=26733"},"modified":"2026-03-29T21:12:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T21:12:57","slug":"chilham-and-last-night-on-the-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=26733","title":{"rendered":"Chilham – and last night on the Trail…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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March 14, 2026 – The last post noted that on our next-to-last day of hiking the Pilgrims\u2019 Way<\/a> – Tuesday, August 26, 2025 – we visited All Saints\u2019 Church, Boughton Aluph<\/a>. (We Americans refer to “the PW” as England’s Canterbury Trail.) Later that day we passed Chilham Castle<\/a>, on the way into Chilham<\/a> itself. And I ended that last post by saying, “I enjoyed the town of Chilham so much that I figure it\u2019s worth a lot more detail in the next post.” So here goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlight? We had dinner at The White Horse<\/a> pub in Chilham, a three-minute walk down “The Street” from Woolpack Inn<\/a>, where we spent our last night. More on the Woolpack later, but first more about the White Horse. It’s a 14th Century Inn in the heart of the “historical and picturesque village of Chilham.” It sits in the village square opposite Chilham castle, and has been featured in several film productions and television programs. For my last dinner on the Trail? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I had a vegan pot pie, along with a salad and fries, as penance for last night\u2019s Bangers and Mash.” Which brings up one of the best benefits of long-distance hiking adventures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each day is an ordeal and triumph. The sore-foot, mile after mile hiking is the Ordeal; the end o\u2019 day pint, dinner and maybe a dessert is the Triumph. (Along with interacting with the locals.) One benefit of those long miles, the extra calories burned mean you can eat like you never could at home.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another big point: If you\u2019re ever in Chilham, The White Horse is the place to go. Then after the fine meal there I had a last pint and a slice of cheesecake at a place down The Street. (Unfortunately, I didn’t note the name.) But then I had to note as well, \u201cI never eat like this at home!\u201d But also that after tomorrow, “No more hiking ten miles a day with a heavy pack.” After two days off in Canterbury and then another two in London, I’d be back home and “back to my Spartan Kosher diet.” Meaning no more cheesecake at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, back to the Woolpack Inn<\/a>, offering rural chic in a traditional country pub:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This traditional country pub sits amongst the lush green fields of Kent and is surrounded by the well-known Kent Oast houses. Ideally located for exploring the historic city of Canterbury and picturesque Rye, this is a great spot to discover and explore this fascinating and beautiful area.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

More important, from the Woolpack Inn we were only seven miles from Canterbury and the end of this year\u2019s pilgrim hike. And as I wrote after the pint and cheesecake, “So ends our last night on this year\u2019s pilgrimage. Tomorrow, we end up in Canterbury, Friday in London, and Sunday I fly back home. ‘Sheesh, where did the time go?’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much for the fun part of Tuesday, August 26, 2025. What about the hard part, getting to the Woolpack Inn and its charms from our start at the Conningbrook Hotel, Ashford<\/a>? For starters, it wasn’t that<\/em> hard. In the days leading up to it we had hiked 10.5, 11.3, 11 and then 12 miles, but on the 26th it was mere 8.5 miles. And there were a lot of interesting things to see. For example, after visiting All Saints\u2019 Church, Boughton Aluph<\/a> we hiked on, and then – two miles short of Chilham – we came on the weird-looking wooden-poled Coppice Oratory<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This four-metre-high wooden sculpture is a key lookout point on the North Downs Way, a space for reflection for modern-day pilgrims travelling along the route through King\u2019s Wood, near Canterbury and Ashford. Positioned in the 1,450-acre King\u2019s Wood above Godmersham at the point where Canterbury Cathedral becomes visible to walkers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

You can more pictures at Image Results<\/a>, but about that “point where Canterbury Cathedral becomes visible.” My Pilgrims\u2019 Way Guidebook<\/a> has a note saying at 1:23 p.m. we got to a board – a trailside sign – “indicating a view of Canterbury Cathedral.” Or so they say. I took a picture of “that tiny thing seeming just above Carol\u2019s head but really off in the distance.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much for our next-to-last day hiking, on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. In the morning I would have a hearty breakfast at the Woolpack Inn, berry pancakes with a yogurt topping. Then we would hike the last seven miles to the end of our 2025 hiking adventure, of which more on the next post. (Along with enjoying the sights of Canterbury and recuperating from our ordeal.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by the way, I recently had to remind myself that I’ve already done a post on My last day in London \u2013 2025<\/a>. That means that after this post all I have to do is fill in the blanks between August 27th and the 31st, when I flew home. And then I can write up a preview post on my next<\/em> overseas adventure: Two weeks in May, in Ireland with lots of pubs to visit, along with a trek up to the top of Skellig Michael<\/a>. (That’s assuming the Good Lord\u2019s willing, the creek don\u2019t rise<\/a>, the weather cooperates and we can keep the end of world<\/a> at bay for a while longer…)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Come next May I hope to climb to the top of this daunting peak…<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The upper image is courtesy of Woolpack Inn Canterbury England – Image Results<\/a>. The page that came with it supplied some of the commentary. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: Good Lord’s willing, etc. I first heard that from Tennessee Ernie Ford<\/a>, but there’s more. See, \u201cIf the Good Lord\u2019s Willing and the Creek Don\u2019t Rise\u201d | USC Digital Folklore Archives<\/a>, noting “this Southern phrase when making a promise or commitment. It served as a way to qualify their pledge, acknowledging that unforeseen circumstances could prevent them from following through.” <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Southern saying blends faith and realism, reflecting the values of the region. \u201cThe good Lord\u2019s willing\u201d conveys deep religious faith and trust in divine providence, while \u201cif the creek don\u2019t rise\u201d acknowledges the potential for unexpected natural disruptions. Together, the phrase expresses both humility and an awareness of life\u2019s uncertainties – recognizing that even with the best intentions to uphold a promise, external forces may intervene. By using this expression, the informant\u2019s parents could make a commitment while also leaving room for circumstances beyond their control.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

There was also the Jerry Reed song covered by Johnny Cash, see If the Good Lord’s Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise – Wikipedia<\/a>. Who knew there was so much background on that simple saying? (That’s another reason I love blogging.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: End of the world. See Stephen Hawking’s end of world prediction is coming sooner than we think<\/a>. “By the year 2600, the world’s population would be standing shoulder to shoulder, and the electricity consumption would make the Earth glow red-hot. This is untenable.\u201d BTW: It would be 649 years from 1951 – when I was born – to the year 2600. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower image is courtesy of Skellig Michael – Wikipedia<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*   *   *   * *   *   *   * March 14, 2026 – The last post noted that on our next-to-last day of hiking the Pilgrims\u2019 Way – Tuesday, August 26, 2025 – we visited All Saints\u2019 Church, Boughton Aluph. (We Americans refer to “the PW” as England’s Canterbury Trail.) Later that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26733"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26733"}],"version-history":[{"count":91,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27010,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26733\/revisions\/27010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}