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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Sunday 2 August 2015

Sunday walk 1 – Yalding to Sevenoaks

Yalding to Sevenoaks SWC Walk 41, switching to Book 1 walk 36
Length 13 miles, 20.9 km.
Difficulty 5/10

The published walk follows the Greensand Way all the way through orchards and woods, passing Ightham Mote and crossing Knole Park.
Nothing to stop you doing the main version, but here's a suggestion. After Ightham Mote, switch to the ending of the Borough Green to Sevenoaks walk. This will take you through the lavender fields near Stone Street where the orchards were. The lavender could already have been harvested so don’t get too excited.
Trains
Take the 09:10 Ramsgate train from Charing Cross to Paddock Wood and wait on the platform for the 10:21 Maidstone West Train (arr. 10:01 dep 10:21)
If you miss the 9:10 or its just too plain early, take the 09:25 Hastings train from Charing Cross, sit at the front of the train (but not the driver's seat) and dash across the footbridge at Tonbridge to platform 1 for the same Maidstone West train (arr. 10:10 platform 3, dep 10:14 platform 1). This is the officially advertised connection but it's a bit tight. Note that the 9:25 does not go via Paddock Wood. Either way you get to Yalding for 10:29.
Several trains an hour back from Sevenoaks. The fastest are at xx:00 and xx:30.
Get a return to Yalding.
Lunch etc.
The earliest pub, perhaps a little too early, is the Swan in West Peckham 01622 812271, 3.4 miles into the walk. It is ‘festooned with plaudits’. Lunch here (served from 12) would leave you with a long afternoon but there are convenient refreshment stops to break your journey. Pudding perhaps? Then tea?
The recommended stop, the Kentish Rifleman in Dunks Green 01732 810727 is 6 miles into the walk . It serves food till 3.
The Chaser Inn in Shipbourne is a little further than the Rifleman.
Further still, the National Trust Restaurant at Ightham Mote is open till 5
After Ightham, if you are on the lavender route, it’s also possible to divert to the the Padwell 01732 761532 for a quick snifter.
Nearer the end, at Knole House there's a kiosk and seating area open till 5 (the Brewhouse tea-room is closed at present) and there are numerous tea places (eg Caffe Nero) and pubs (eg the Black Boy) in Sevenoaks.
Directions
Main Walk,
Alternative ending (from Ightham Mote)