The Kitchen Table walking festival visits Sittingbourne, Sheppey, and Medway

Published: 06:00, 01 June 2019

A walking festival is heading to Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Medway and you are invited to take part.

The Kitchen Table aims to connect communities of different people along the River Thames through walking and sharing food and recipes in their area.

The festival, now called T100, began in 2015 as the Thurrock 100 and originally consisted of 10 walks of 10 miles across 10 days.

The Kitchen Table festival is coming to Swale and Medway

Since then, it has grown into a walking, talking and making festival which stretches from the home of the business which runs the festival - Kinetika - in Purfleet.

It then runs across the Estuary to Canvey, Southend and across Sheppey and the Hoo Peninsula.

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This year it begins at the Grays Beach Riverside Park, near Tilbury Docks.

It runs from Saturday, July 6, to Saturday, July 20, and is sponsored by Arts Council England.

But it first arrives in Swale on Monday, July 15, with a walk from Sheerness Railway Station to Minster Abbey Gatehouse Museum, starting at 9.45am.

That evening, from 5.15pm people are also welcome to join on a march from The Spinney in Leysdown to The Ferry House Inn in Harty Ferry Road.

Sheppey will play host to the event for two weeks

Participants will then spend Tuesday, July 16, in Faversham before walking from Sittingbourne Railway Station in St Michael’s Road at 10.15am to Swale Railway Station in Sheppey Way, near the Kingsferry Bridge the following day.

The festival is then due to move into Medway.

The two-week festival will finally come to an end on Saturday, July 20, as participants join the carnival at Tilbury Cruise Terminal between 9.45am and 10.45am.

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All the walks are free and led by an experienced guide and stewards.

Spokesman Ali Pretty said: “We are looking forward to returning to Kent with more T100 walks this year.

“I’m very excited to explore new territory on the other side of the Estuary, I’ve heard that there’s a lot of fruit farms and I’m looking forward to hearing and capturing stories of communities who have come to live and work in the area.

“Everyone is welcome and we can’t wait to meet new walkers and old friends from last year.”