Welcome to the Kitchen Table Walks
In 2019 participants of the T100 walking festival walked over 195 miles in a continuous 15 day pilgrimage, connecting diverse communities along the River Thames, sharing food and recipes, finding what different groups have in common and sharing an understanding of different cultures.
Each day of the journey included sharing food and there were plenty of opportunities for creative writing and drawing which encouraged an exchange of stories between participants from different backgrounds.
We couldn’t have done this without our dedicated volunteer walk leaders who researched each route to uncover the history, stories and fascinating facts about the landscapes and places each passed through. Huge congratulations and thanks goes to each and every one of them. Our huge list of credits and thank you’s is here.
All the 2019 walks are listed below so you can follow the routes yourself if you wish – all the maps are on the individual walk pages.
‘Welcome to the Kitchen Table’ walks by start location
Click on the markers for more info.
Navigate the map by click/drag and the +/- button on the bottom left.
2019 Walks by Grading
Easy
Weds 10 July 1.15pm Chadwell St Mary to Coalhouse Fort & East Tilbury with Fish & Chips
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Distance: Approx 5.3 miles
- Terrain: Pavements and footpaths.
- Access: The section from Chadwell St Mary to St Catherine’s Church/Coalhouse Fort is not accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Fri 12th July 10.15am Canvey Island ramble with lunch on the sea front
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 7 hours
- Distance: Approx 11 miles
- Terrain: Mainly pavements and footpaths across flat terrain, including accessing the sea wall path which incorporates occasional short flights of steps.
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Sun 14 July 9.45 am – Chalkwell to Southchurch
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 2 hours walk, 3-4 hours including picnic
- Distance: Approx 3.2 miles
- Terrain: This walk is on promenade and pavement.
- Access: This walk is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Lifts and ramps are available at all inclines.
Mon 15 July 9.45 am Sheerness to Minster
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Distance: Approx 3.5 miles
- Terrain: The walk is on pavements and a tarmac seaside promenade.
- Access: This walk is accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs but it should be noted that towards the end there are steps up the cliff, with an alternative route up the hill to Minster Gatehouse Museum.
Mon 15 July 5.15 pm Leysdown-on-Sea to the Ferry Inn
- Grading: Easy but could be muddy/ slippery in places.
- Duration: 2 hours
- Distance: Approx 5 miles
- Terrain: Open and remote countryside. Although the terrain is level, the sea defence embankment is uneven and may be muddy in wet weather. There’s a short rough footpath across fields towards the end, which can be avoided on a slightly longer diversion on lanes.
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Tues 16 July 11.15 am – Faversham Two Creeks Walk
- Grading: Easy
- Distance: Approx 5.6 miles
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, it is along pavements and footpaths, some of which are uneven.
Tues 16 July 4.45pm – Faversham Town Walk
- Grading: Easy
- Distance: Approx 1.5 miles
- Access: This walk is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
- Terrain: There are no steps on the route but there are kerbs, cobbled street surfaces and narrow pavements in places. Apart from that, the route is fairly level, with one incline near the Quay.
Weds 17 July 10.15 am Sittingbourne to Swale
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 6 hours approx
- Distance: Sittingbourne Station to Kemsley Down Station – approx 2.5 miles; Sittingbourne Station to Swale Station – approx. 5.5 miles
- Terrain: On firm surface to Kemsley Down Station; rough/muddy surface thereafter.
- Access: Kemsley Down Station is accessible from the Saxon Shoreway, although the footpath might not be suitable for wheelchairs. Sittingbourne Viaduct Station is exited by steps only and does not yet have disabled access. Access Statement from Sittingbourne & Kemlsey Light Railway: https://www.sklr.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/SKLR-Access-statement.pdf
Thurs 18 July 4.45 pm Gillingham to Strood
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 3 hours
- Distance: Approx 4 miles
- Terrain: Pavements and footpaths and some long flights of steps in places, plus a long, steep climb from the riverside path in Chatham up Hammond Hill to the top of Victoria Gardens.
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Sat 20 July 9.45 am Tilbury walk to join the carnival at Tilbury Cruise Terminal
- Grading: Easy
- Duration: 45 mins (approx) Tilbury Town Station to Anchor Field
- Duration: 2 hours (approx) Carnival Parade Anchor Field to Tilbury Cruise Terminal
- Distance: Approx 3 miles
- Terrain: Pavements
- Access: This walk is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Moderate
Sat 6 July 1.45 pm Grays to Purfleet
- Grading: Moderate
- Distance: 5.4 miles
- Duration: 4 hours
- Access: The walk is flat but sections are uneven in places and could be muddy in wet weather. There are a few metal steps along the way.
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Sun 7 July 11.15 am Purfleet to Chafford Hundred via HHPP
- Grading: Moderate
- Distance: 6 miles
- Duration: 5.5 hours
- Terrain: Pavements and public rights of way, which can be muddy in wet weather.
- Access: The section from Purfleet to High House Production Park is accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs. The section from High House Production Park to Ship Lane is not accessible. The section from Ship Lane to Davy Down is well surfaced and is pushchair and wheelchair accessible.
Mon 8 July 12.30 pm Lunch taster at intu Lakeside. Davy Down and the Mardyke Way to Bulphan
- Grading: Moderate
- Duration: 3.5 hours not including lunchtime at La Tasca
- Distance: 7.3 miles
- Terrain: Pavements and countryside footpaths, uneven ground.
- Access: This walk is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs between Intu Lakeside and Chafford Hundred. It is not accessible between Chafford Hundred and Bulphan.
Tues 9 July 12.45pm Orsett to Chadwell
- Grading: Moderate
- Duration: 4.5 hours
- Distance: 3.2 miles
- Terrain: There are some narrow paths and one dirt track. There is a seat at the start of the track for people that do not want to go down it.
- Access: This walk is accessible
Thurs 11th July 10.45 am East Tilbury to Pitsea
- Grading: Moderate, difficult in a few places
- Duration: 6.5 hours
- Distance: Approx 12 miles
- Terrain: Gravel and paths likely to be muddy in wet weather and uneven in places.
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Sat 13th July 9.15 am Benfleet to Chalkwell
- Grading: Moderate with difficult parts.
- Duration: 5 hours
- Distance: Approx 8 miles
- Terrain: The walk is very varied including public road, pavement and steps. There is uneven marshland terrain, managed footpaths of sand, stone, gravel and woodland trails.
- Access: This walk is not accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Fri 19th July 2.15 pm Higham to Gravesend
- Grading: Moderate
- Duration: 3.5 hrs
- Distance: Approx 6 miles
- Terrain: A flat walk using public footpaths that cross fields, uneven and potentially boggy in places. The walk also passes through open fields with horses and there are regular points where there is a need to use stiles to cross between fields.
- Access: This walk is not accessible to wheelchairs but could be picked up at Gravesend Riverside Leisure Area for the last 20 mins of the walk.
Difficult
None this year
T100 2019 Photo Gallery
A few photos of the workshops and walks from T100 2019 by Mike Johnston are below, see the whole gallery here
[flickr_set id=”72157709390766182″]
Thurrock 100 would like to extend a huge thank you to its funders and delivery partners.