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Although you do not need to do the food trail to find the cache,
the trail offers you a wonderful day out walking and taking in the
local sights, along with enjoying a meal or drink at one of the
area’s fine local eateries or pubs.
Taking A Walk on the Wild Side you’ll be
bowled over by breath-taking views across farmland, sweeping
pasture and glistening wetlands, and by an internationally
important bird sanctuary, grazed by livestock as in days gone by.
The scene is framed by the open sea and the local fishing boats
that still land their catch here.
Echoes of the area’s explosive and maritime history are
all around you in this unexpectedly unspoilt and fertile habitat,
rich with wild plants and skies that all year round brim with
birds.
The trail also takes in Faversham’s bustling Market Place
– a sea of colour, lined with centuries old half-timbered
shops and houses and presided over by the elegant, stilted
Guildhall. On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays traders selling fresh
fish, fruit and vegetables, flowers and local produce vie for
attention like their predecessors down the ages, while tempting
tearooms entice you to sit back and enjoy the aroma of beer brewing
most days of the week at Shepherd Neame, the country’s oldest
brewer.
Out of the town farming sits happily alongside the
region’s diverse flora and fauna and today Oare marshes are
an unspoilt and tranquil haven for walkers, livestock and wildlife.
Cattle and sheep graze the wetlands, following a centuries-old
tradition that encourages a diversity of coastal plants, creating
an internationally important bird life sanctuary. The walk takes
you through a 200-acre reserve managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust.
You may even be lucky enough to spy one of the 14 different species
of dragonfly and damselfly recorded here.
As you reach the coast and The Swale, take time to enjoy the
fragrant sea air and look out for fishing boats that harvest this
stretch of water. Locally caught fish is a delicacy you can enjoy
at restaurants in the area. From the coastline, you walk back
through open countryside, where sheep graze in orchards and you
will find Luddenham Court, with an ancient church by its side. The
butcher’s shop here sells local meat, much of it reared on
the wetlands you have passed through.
Oare village, with its welcoming pubs, is then just a stroll
away across the fields, providing an opportunity to stop for a
drink or a meal and enjoy the open views across the creek. Or
retrace your steps into the heart of Faversham, where you will find
dozens of places to eat, many specialising in local Kentish
produce.
If a piece of treasure is removed from the cache, please
replace with something of equal or greater value.
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