COFFEE STOP IN COUNTRY CHURCHYARD.......

I usually home in on a country churchyard somewhere when out on the e-bike. Once it was because I had an antiquary interest in medieval churches. That's till the case but in my stiff old age I need  a break from the saddle after 12 miles or so. The days are gone when I could just lounge on the grass - I would find it difficult to arise now, but a seat always seem to be available in a churchyard for a rest (and there is always a pew inside if cold or inclement.)

So, making for  Kenardington church, I passed a nearby farm

I was sitting in the churchyard, coffee in hand and musing on that farm's name, watching a man mowing around the many ancient gravestones. As he drew closer I called out a "good morning". Which resulted in him stopping the engine for a chat. "Any idea why the farm down the road is called "Battle Hill Farm", I enquired. He settled beside me on the seat. "Well you've come to just the right person. I own the farm and, for my sins, am the churchwarden - all the work and little thanks.

" Close to where we are now was once an Alfred the Great era Saxon fort. My farm has been so called for centuries from, I suppose, a folk memory. But I have done a lot of research and the reason is that this was once on the edge of an estuary inlet from the river Rother, you can see where it was looking over to the valley over there.

"Well Viking longships rowed up there, attacked the half finished fort, established a base here and went along to ravage Appledore,, then a seaport, about three miles away.King Alfred had established other forts at Newenden and Lympne and soon got reinforcements along the coast to deal with the Viking camp and smashed the lot!"

Seeing my interest and answering my questions had obviously established that I was not just a chance tourist. "I have often picked up stuff from that battle site, bits and pieces of armour and a couple of swords, whilst ploughing over it. I keep them in the farm office, do you want to pop back down the hill to see them?"

Of course I was interested! When he had put the mower away we went down a footpath to the farm. He had quite a collection and I was reaching for my camera when he requested no photographs and did not want to tell me the exact  field where he had made the finds.

"I don't want it shared around or I shall have metal detectorists and the county archaeologist all over the place. But I felt your interest and I don't often get the chance to show off my hobby."

Well the  half hour coffee stop turned into over an hour's involvement, but a leisurely life on a bike is possible when you are a retired 80 year old!