The second checkpoint had been at Ightham Village Hall and Simon and I did wait outside to briefly wait for some of the Norfolk & Suffolk entrants, but we then made progress towards the third checkpoint at Weald Memorial Hall.
This was marshalled by Thames Valley LDWA and friends.
We could see entrants into this checkpoint from the window, which was handy advance notice and here’s Yvonne and Roger striding towards the hall. We had missed David Morgan, he had already long gone. He’s really very fast.
The hall and the friendly volunteers, with a couple of helpful members of the media team who are doing video footage for Instagram.
Simon getting some shelter under Chelle’s brolly. Chelle seems to have everything in her bag, it seems like a treasure trove of handy items, but she’s not new to this long distance walking game.
Chelle in her Tigger costume….
Jane had shelter too.
And Hilary was prepared too.
Andy looked wetter than at the previous checkpoint. But, like me, he’s one of those very brave walkers who doesn’t complain.
And Madeleine, the national LDWA chair, looking positive and upbeat. But I would expect nothing less.
The rain had only really just started at this time and it did get quite heavy. It was a little sub-optimal as the rainfall was quite hard and it’s hard to keep everything dry when it’s constant, it’s easier to get more frequent and lighter showers which gives chance for things to dry off a little. The weather was going to remain rainy until the next checkpoint at Cowden Memorial Hall, but the temperature was moderate and cool, so that seemed pleasant for the walkers. The terrain was also quite dry underfoot at this stage, with the hills not being too onerous by this point.
The Dorset and friends volunteers at the first checkpoint. I’d add that I’m only visiting select checkpoints on the route, which is more to do with the limitations of getting there rather than a lack of aspiration to visit them all.
Anne and Vaughan were two of the first in, with Anne being the 100s officer so there’s not much that she doesn’t know about this event.
The formidable David Morgan, who I am sure is getting taller every year.
Roger and Yvonne, the first two entrants in from Norfolk & Suffolk.
Andy Todd, looking calm and confident.
Despite his war wound…..
Some of the Norfolk & Suffolk entries in there, including Jane, Jayne and Hilary.
Chelle and Michael then swept in, completing the Norfolk & Suffolk entrants.
The weather at this stage was very warm, it would have been too hot for me, but I complain about the heat a lot. There wasn’t much shade along parts of the route and those without hats were starting to suffer from sunburn already. It’s a challenge when the first ten mile section is hot, it might feel reasonably pleasant but it can lead to excessive sweating and it is quite exhausting. But entries on the 100 have all completed a 50 mile event and have lots of experience, so confidence remained high.
Simon and Bailey, both supporting the Norfolk and Suffolk contingent.
Peter and Steph, the main event organiser and the marshal walk organiser.
The walkers are lined up and ready to go.
There’s always some nervousness amidst the excitement, but the fifty or so walkers all looked fairly confident to me. The sun was shining and at 10:00, it was time for everyone to set off. They have 48 hours to walk the 100 miles and their first checkpoint will be at Addington Village Hall, which is around ten miles into the event.
I rounded up the Norfolk and Suffolk LDWA contingent for a group photo before the start of the big walk. I had to use AI to edit this as someone was unhappy with how they looked…. But I was very helpful and obliged.
Peter Jull, the organiser of the whole event, looking really rather calm and cool at HQ. And, if technology works, there should be a short video of him below.
It’s not called the Hunnypot 100 for no reason….. And entrants will get to go over Poohsticks Bridge which is the original wooden bridge in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex which is where the game of Poohsticks was invented.
I’m safely at Meopham and this is where the marshal event is taking place this weekend for the LDWA 100.
It feels a bit hot to me, but I’m seemingly always too hot. I rushed to get the train in Chatham to get here and I didn’t need to rush, I just realised that I could get an earlier one. Anyway, this 100 is the work of the Kent group of the LDWA.
I would say that it is the calm before the storm, but it’s all too controlled for there to be a storm. Anyway, this is Meopham scout HQ, which isn’t where the main event will be starting from. It’s all happening now as they say, well, as Alan Partridge says… There’s a strong contingent from Norfolk & Suffolk LDWA which is rather lovely.
Walking to the hotel, I would have never known what happened along this stretch of road without this memorial sign. It was the highest loss of life from any road accident at the time and it’s still one of the worst coach catastrophes. What became known as the Gillingham bus disaster took place on the evening of 4 December 1951, outside Chatham Dockyard in Kent. A group of 52 young Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps members, marching from Melville Barracks to the Royal Naval Barracks to attend a boxing tournament, was struck from behind by a double-decker bus on Dock Road. The cadets were children, mostly aged between nine and thirteen, and 24 were killed, with 18 more injured.
It was a dark winter evening, the street lighting was poor and the boys were marching in dark uniforms along this stretch of road. The bus driver, John Samson, said he had not seen the cadets before the collision. The disaster led to an inquest, a criminal case and searching questions about road safety, visibility and the responsibilities of those in charge of young people moving along public roads after dark. Samson was convicted of dangerous driving, fined £20 and banned from driving for three years, but avoided prison after the court accepted that other factors had played a part. The inquest had returned a verdict of accidental death, but regardless of this, Samson’s life was destroyed by what had happened and he never drove a vehicle again. A military funeral for 20 of the boys was held at Rochester Cathedral on 12 December 1951, with thousands of people standing along the route to Gillingham Cemetery. The Chatham Royal Marine Cadet Unit still holds an annual memorial parade, preserving the memory of the boys whose lives were lost on an ordinary journey that became one of the saddest moments in the area’s modern history.
Reading through the national newspapers at the time, this was a major event in the country. The King sent a message of sympathy and there were reports of the bravery of individual boys, including Alan Brazier who pulled cadets to safety. The Admiralty sent a message saying that he had done well, but it wasn’t enough to justify a special distinction of an honours recommendation. Then, in 1958, Brazier was involved in another act of heroism when he saved a man who was in distress in the water.
The plaque at the site was unveiled by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on 2 December 2001, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the tragedy.
I had a rail connection at Bromley South railway station today to get to Kent, so I thought that I’d meander over the road to the JD Wetherspoon operated Richmal Crompton which I’ve visited a couple of times before. The sun was shining, the pub had a beer garden and it was just too hot. But, I didn’t complain to myself about the extreme temperatures.
The chain explains the reasoning for the pub name:
“This is named after Richmal Crompton, the author best known for her ‘William’ books. William Brown first appeared in a series of short stories written in Richmal’s spare time, while she was a teacher at Bromley High School for Girls. She lived in Bromley for 26 years, first in Cherry Orchard Road and later in nearby Oakley Road.”
It’s cavernous and not overly interesting as a building. It got busier at lunchtime, but the chain also has a pub just a short walk away, the Greyhound. Incidentally, and I write this without having a view either way, but this is one of those venues where customers queue in a line to order rather than wait along the bar. There’s an area which feels like a dining area off to the left, although the tables were all in long lines and it wasn’t clear whether they were expecting groups of 24 to turn up, or they had just crammed them in there. There were bookshelves to the rear of the pub and I thought that added to the arrangement. It’s all affordable and reliable, spacious and predictable.
My obligatory carpet shot.
In terms of the beer, the prices were moderate as usual and they had a selection of craft cans alongside six real ales, with beers from Thornbridge, Adnams and Theakston.
I decided to get unlimited coffee for £1.85 rather than anything beer related, although they had run out of milk and didn’t bother replacing it for the two hours that I was there. I decided raw coffee would just have to do.
The online reviews are about average for the chain and I couldn’t resist having a little look….
“Came in for a quick bite to eat with my dog who’s sitting outside and I’ve been told by every bar staff in here dogs aren’t even allowed on the premises that means even outside the door , Food is absolutely disgraceful as you can see from the photo, The manager with the wonky eyes said I need to get out as soon as I’ve eaten my food absolute joke stay clear unless you’re on a budget”
I suspect that JD Wetherspoon would be pleased that a customer who insults their staff like that goes elsewhere….
“We reserved an area for our wedding reception, no help in moving tables was offered, on the day there was glass in the reserved area that hadn’t been cleared prior to us arriving. We appreciate we had a large party but we waited ages for our meals, and drinks. Having booked in January for September plenty of notice had been given that we’d require food. They’d ran out of chicken nuggets, and the large mixed grill, and this was only early afternoon. When the steak came up and we asked which was medium rare, the waiter said that they’d all been done to the same (medium) even though we’d asked for different. We had one waiter serving almost 30 of us and it took almost an hour for tables to be cleared of plates. Me and my wife met in this wetherspoons 2 years ago but we will not be returning unfortunately.”
I’m not wholly convinced that JD Wetherspoon pubs are usually well equipped to deal with entire wedding parties….
“On top of that, after we left a pub, I came back to go to the toilet, it was around 23.00. On my way to the toilet i have been stopped by the waiter saying that ‘I’m banned in this pub and I have to leave’ after my statement that I AM PREGNANT AND I NEED TO USE A TOILET he insisted me to leave. How comes pregnant woman cant use a toilet in such a big pub? What policy are you based on? Of course I will proceed with further excalations and highlighting this situation everywhere possible as IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO NOT ALLOW A PREGNANT WOMAN TO USE A TOILET.”
The customer was refused service for allegedly being drunk, they left the venue after an argument and then are furious that the venue wouldn’t let them back in. I like a bit of drama to be fair….
“Being Xmas everyone was having a great time and we were playing a game with an I top, a harmless tabletop game . When we were laughing and jeering eachother on ,the staff came over and told us to keep the noise down. What happened to the good old days when they had juke boxes in pubs and everyone singing along to Xmas songs and having a great time.”
Good, there’s no need for frivolity even at Christmas….
“Bar staff and management told us to leave because we were being to loud and noisy we were having a laugh we weren’t being rude or we were having a laugh. But we had to leave all because we were having a laugh”
Reassuringly peaceful, I like it.
“Not worth posting a review”
I think that’s a review.
Anyway, I digress enough. It seemed like a perfectly serviceable pub, although they rather abandoned the coffee machines, but in fairness I didn’t say anything to let them know. It was all clean, the team members were friendly, it was value for money and it wasn’t too loud. All really rather lovely.
It’s the marshal’s event of the LDWA Hunnypot Hundred 2026 in Kent this weekend (2 to 4 May 2026) which means that I’m meandering down to Chatham today. I’ll use this as an index page for all the excitement and random witterings I might have to offer over the weekend as well as links to photos and videos.
