HEALTH UPDATE: We Take The Kingdom!

Seven Sisters: The largest living tree in the British Isles

After last week's wash-out, we were able to get out for another healthy walk and tree safari this weekend, visiting Kingdom in Penshurst, a 13-acre woodland created in the wake of 1987's Great Storm.

I can't believe I've lived around here all my life (and covered the aftermath of The Great Storm as a cub reporter for the local press) and this is the first I've heard of the place.

It turned out to be rather impressive, and popular with fellow dog walkers on a Sunday lunchtime, probably because the recent persistent rain held off all day.

Kingdom is home to The Seven Sisters Chestnut, which, has six trunks (two forking) growing in a close circle that creates a girth of more than 50 feet. It's so large that you can now get married inside the heart of the tree, where a "roof" has been installed to meet the legal requirements of the wedding ceremony (that it has be conducted in a covered space).

There's a nice looping track through the surrounding trees, which we managed most of (I was walking for over half-an-hour this week).

It led us past the outdoor sauna and spa (which was smoking nicely, wafting a lovely aroma into the air) and opened up to some gorgeous vistas across the Kent countryside. 

Oooh, random Georgian mansion in the middle of nowhere... so Bridgerton

I managed to get some more tree pictures for my portfolio, but, unfortunately (for me) there were a few too many signs of modernity and man's influence (e.g. wire and plastic fencing of various types) to get that proper Shire vibe that I'm trying to collate with my pictures.

The trail loop then guided Rachel, Alice, and I back to Kingdom's delightful, elevated café where we decided to have brunch.

Given that I was awoken at 6am by our smoke alarm going off (the batteries were dead... it wasn't a fire) and then I was rather traumatised by the live coverage of poor Lindsey Vonn's career-ending crash during the women's downhill ski competition at the Olympics  (you could hear her screaming out in pain, the commentator was crying, it was not Lindsey's hoped-for fairy-tale return to the sport), I have to admit that I feel better for the brisk walk, fresh air and protein-packed "hearty all-day breakfast".

And we were home in time to see Chelsea beat Spurs two-nil in the Women's Super League.

So, that was good!