Salt Marsh on the North Kent Coast

The National Fruit Collection is kept at Brogdale near Faversham in Kent. They have regular events and today was their Orchard Day where you could take a self guided tour of their collection apples, pears, quinces, berries, cherries, plums and so on. They have over 2000 varieties of apples over 500 pears and more than 250 varieties of cherries.

You were each given a bag and, as part of the entrance fee could collect as many apples or pears as you could fit in the bag, stuff in your pockets or gobble to taste as you walked the orchards. We managed 9 varieties of apple and one pear. The pear was Concorde, a super fruit which we ate on the hoof as well as put in the bag. One of the extras shows the apples we collected.

The apple varieties are shown in extras and were Laxtons Supreme, William Crump, Norfolk Royal Russett, Kidds Orange Red, Jupiter, Ananas Reinette, Aldington Pippin, Holstein and Newton Wonder. We did nibble many others. The Ananas Reinette had a wonderful pineapple flavour. They were all wonderful.

Replete with apples, pears and lunch we walked from Faversham out onto the North Kent Marshes to Oare Creek and back down Faversham Creek. Always a favourite walk, desolate, isolated and quiet with an ebbing tide. The marshes always provide an interesting blip. Time has stood still in this part of the Kent coast.