I have to apologise to Smarden. Back when I was a boy racer, I used to hare through the village at breakneck speed, tyres squealing as I rounded the sharp bends by the church.
Forty years on I finally took the time to stop and have a look round, and what a beautiful place it is.
For a start, it boasts around thirty listed buildings in the village centre alone. That's virtually every house. It is also relatively traffic free, and today's motorists are a good deal more considerate than I ever was.