Magic Kent

Kent is always beautiful, as it is England's gateway to the world, at least in my eyes!

How can I describe what I experience here? It is beautiful here, of course, there are beautiful spots everywhere, but the small, too narrow streets, the hedges along the roads, the half-timbered houses, great courtyards with funny towers, and really old place names are abundant here. In addition, there are quaint little villages that in my eyes probably have not really changed their appearance since William the Conqueror. It is a green land, with many forests and meadows that have not been flooded so far, unlike in the north.

A friend from the search and rescue dog team took us to a truly quaint pub located in the somewhat French-sounding village of Wickhambreux. We dined wonderfully at the Rose Inn and had a great conversation with Mick, as the dogs and the shared hobby connect us. It was a great day in the village, which will always remind me of 'Pride and Prejudice' thanks to its name.

Some of the villages here really look like a heroine from Jane Austen's novels is about to turn the corner, in fact, I had to chuckle when we drove through Wickham and the next village was not Longbourne but Littlebourne.....

Culturally, we also took something from Kent, as for years we had only driven through Dover without really looking at it. This time we changed that and went to Dover Castle, which is truly a huge area and boasts remnants from Roman times. We not only visited the medieval part, but also the areas associated with war.

Right in the white cliffs of Dover, there is a sophisticated tunnel system that was first used in Napoleonic times and then became the command center for the evacuation of British and French soldiers from Dunkirk during the Second World War, even the D-Day left its mark here. Unfortunately, taking pictures in the tunnels was not allowed, as it is truly impressive. The field hospital would have been interesting to see as well, but then we had to check on the dogs, as it had surprisingly become quite warm.

On Sunday and Wednesday evenings, we pursued our shared hobby with SARDA Kent and were able to let the dogs run. It was a training full of laughter and joy, the exchange was again great and we had a lot of fun! I find it fascinating because this hobby overcomes boundaries that we cannot easily cross otherwise. The reserve that often meets us at campsites is gone here.

On Sunday, we trained next to another quaint pub and rounded off the training with a visit to a pub together. It was always fun and there was always much to laugh about. That is the magic that I simply cannot describe, a primal understanding and camaraderie.

In addition, our truly fantastic campsite, because James is currently undergoing renovations, but he welcomed us incredibly friendly and even let us stay longer. When we arrived, it was right in the middle of Summer Half Term, so holidays, but he assigned us a great pitch and then also spoiled us with a delicious, homemade pizza from the wood oven. His colleague Robin has a café by the road, which we found just as great. It was very quiet, everything uncomplicated, AND right at the campsite there were many walking trails and routes, so we didn't get bored during the two weeks on site.