From Maidstone to Loose stream and back

 Maidstone is a strange mix of very old and pretty modern with a great deal of grotesque in between. When I say grotesque I refer to the buildings created in the 70s which are now crumbling and laying empty for the most part.

The river, however is still a wonderful sanctuary and there are paddle boats which will take you to Allington Lock where a pub awaits the traveller with food and drink. There is also the park and walks as well as boats for hire. For further information, I found this link to be of great interest

https://www.picturesofengland.com/England/Kent/Allington

I decided to walk in the other direction and headed towards the footbridge on the town side of the river and start at the old church and its rectory. There is also a lovely little cafe there which hires small boats and has the paddle boat which will ferry you up to Allington.

I however, was after a cup of tea and then to proceed back over the river to the comparatively new buildings on the other side called the Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre. 

 Looking back across the bridge I could see the oldest part of Maidstone centred around the the Priory and the Church. Not far from here is the original fording point across the river now named Knightrider street.

Behind me, from where this picture is taken is the entertainment centre which houses an Odeon cinema, various places to eat and drink and a separate building called the Market Place which is where the public toilets are.

The toilets are remarkably well kept and although very dated, they are clean and functional [at least they were the day I used them]. There is parking at Lockmeadow and for Maidstone, the prices are reasonable. I don't drive into Maidstone but prefer to use the Park and Ride, which has two car parks, one on the London Road and the other somewhere in Bearstead.

 It was getting warm and the Odeon was preparing for a showing by the looks of the number of very excited children I came across skipping and screaming in anticipation, so I set off along the tow path, heading towards Tovil.

As I crossed the river I watched a couple paddle boarding up stream in the direction I was travelling

Looking back I could see the last part of the original Church buildings, the Arch Bishop's Palace, with the main bridge across in the distance. I couldn't hear the sound of the traffic any more, I was starting a trip along a river bank and the only sounds I heard were those of people living in the flats alongside the river and the swishing of the boats as they glided through the water.

How the other half live! Probably bought many years ago, these house are large and have gardens to match. each had their own mooring point and most had boats, jetties and open seating areas to enjoy the river. Looking on the map it is probably Waters Edge and College Avenue, Tovil.

 

As I walked along I saw the couple on their paddle boards coming back. Had I been that long being nosy and stopping to admire the view? In the background you can see the gardens as they came down to the waterfront. I noticed one man was renovating his jetty; moving barrows full of sand to do some work.

 

It is very beautiful along here and used by many people so walking along during the day on your own is OK.

Looking back, I could see one of the boats which had passed me earlier and that too was returning up river to town. Checking my watch it was only 14:25 so not that late, plenty of time to do the route I had mentally sketched out.

One of the reasons it is a safe area to walk is because of the housing all along the edge here. In the summer many have their doors open onto their balconies and quite a few of those have people sunning themselves so if anything were to happen, there would be a quick response. This set of flats is a really nice one. They have very large balconies and the lower floors have security doors which bolt shut so as to deter intruders should they climb up the railings.

 All too soon I reached the Tovil bridge across the river which takes me to Loose Stream and up the hill into Tovil. 

If you stay on the tow path, it will take you all the way along to East Farleigh where the train station is close by but that is for another day and I think I will do it the other way round; East Farleigh to Maidstone.

If you go up the slope, you can turn left and go over the river to Tovil or turn right and head back into Maidstone via a footpath over the railway line and then up a steep slope called Bower Lane. Sticking to Bower Lane it will eventually lead onto the Tonbridge Road and turning right, following the hill down, you end up back at the start, the main bridge back across the river into Maidstone itself.

I had already done that journey in the other direction and was keen to go to Tovil this time.

 

Climbing a more gentle slope than the one on Bower Lane,  I turned left along Church Road.

The further along I went, I hadn't noticed, but there must have been a steady inline because at one point I was able to take this photo. I could see all the way to the Downs on the far side of Maidstone and I recognised the rooves as those next to the river. Following Church road was somewhat of a let down as I had hoped I might end up in a small centre of some kind, but it was just a very busy thoroughfare.

As I got closer to Maidstone proper I came across this, the ruined entrance of some kind to an ecclesiastical building perhaps [knowing the area's past history]. It did have a sign to say private and Ministry of Defense but the place didn't look as if it was bristling with personnel checking name, rank etc.   

 Ever the cheeky person, I had a nose and went as far as the barrier allowed without me actually intruding on private property. The image was amazing and reminded me of an old farm house in the way it was laid out.

 

I walked round the corner and came across a frontice which is amazing. This is only the portico style entrance, but the building went out on both sides and it was pretty evident it was residential.

 

Looking across the road and attempting to take a photo in between traffic light changes, I noted a chapel which is again one of the old features of Maidstone. Its now a Montessori establishment but at one time was probably aligned with the teaching of the clergy which was a major feature of this area around the Bishop's Palace.

Coming back into town I passed the Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum of carriages which is you haven't seen is well worth a look. I never appreciated just how heavy those coaches were until I saw them. The horses must have been quite something not only to get them going but to stop them!

 https://www.thecarriagefoundation.org.uk/museum/tyrwhitt-drake-museum-carriages-1