Choosing a sunny day to walk this 11-12 miles circular route from Sandwich was a good idea, as most of it is off-path. It's split into three main sections - the first is cross-field, where the only thing you need to worry about is sheep and railway crossing. Continuing further west along the Stour Valley Walk brings a few miles of orchards, where the paths become a bit confusing in places - so a good sense of direction or a compass comes in handy.

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Turning north at Westmarsh brings problems if you don't follow the map rigorously, as a network of dykes cuts off most short-cuts you may try to take (as I found out a number of times....) Then begins the long slog back to Sandwich on the Saxon Shore Way, along the bank of the River Stour - which is where this walk goes really pear-shaped. The first mile or so involves fighting your way through brambles and undergrowth, as clearly no-one maintains this section of the footpath. After that is a few miles of walking along the bottom of farmers fields - with uninspiring views of flat grassland. About halfway along the eastward section, cows become a real issue. Unlike sheep they tend to run towards, rather than away from you. I found waving a big stick and shouting quite effective - until I was confronted by a rather large, angry loking bull, which resulted in me walking pretty much in the river for half a mile, with him following me. The one good feature of this final section is walking right next to the old power station (whilst still cow-dodging) with its impressive looking cooling towers.

If forced to do this walk again, I'd probably keep going west at Westmarsh, and aim for Fordwich or Upstreet, or south to Wingham. I certainly wouldn't be returning to this section of the Stour though...