Bedrock to Shadoxurst via Quarryville and returning via Claylands

Hasted (1798) was unimpressed with Shadoxhurst, commenting: "This parish is but little frequented, being very obscurely situated in a low flat country, the whole of which is much covered with coppice woods, which makes it very dreary and unpleasant. The soil is a deep miry clay, and the roads are much the same and equally bad as those of Halden and the intermediate country." *

The Ragstones, looking for export markets for rock to fill muddy puddles, were attracted by a story on the BBC news (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8599513.stm) about a Shadoxhurst man who erected a warning sign about potholes and was told by the police to take it down! They were a little late on the scene as KCC roads department were busy repairing a potholey stretch of road - such is the power of publicity, but large through the potholes were, Ragstones found many larger ones elsewhere on the ride.

Despite all this bad publicity, the Ragstones had an enjoyable ride through the coppice woods, passed Nickly Wood, stopping for a photo-shot at the Village pump and finally made it to the Kings Head where they had an enjoyable lunch.

So, from the Ragstones: Ruth, Robert, Jane, John, Alex, Rosemary and Peter; a thank you to Hasted, but your advice has been superceded - Shadoxhurst is a great place to go for lunch and thanks to modern roadsigns, it was easy to find

*From: 'Parishes: Shadoxhurst', The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 7 (1798), pp. 238-244. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63413 Date accessed: 07 April 2010.