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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.

Saturday 21 January 2017

Saturday Walk - Borough Green to Sevenoaks

Borough Green to Sevenoaks T=1.36

Length: 9.3 miles (15km) approx 4 hours walking

This walk passes Igtham Mote and  Knole Palace (both National Trust). The walk start in Borough Green, and goes south through woods and along streams to the old village of Plaxtol with its Cromwellian church. Then through the park of Fairlawne House to Ightham Mote, a beautiful moated medieval manor. You could probably manage a quick visit, aiming to leave by 14:30.

The route onwards is up a potentially muddy bridleway (hopefully the cold weather will help), through orchards and along shaded woodland paths leading to the 1,000-acre Knole Park, then up by footpaths to tea in Sevenoaks, with the station some way downhill from the centre.

Trains: Get the 0952 Southeast train to Ashford from Victoria, arriving 1037. Return to Borough Green & Wrotham. Sevenoaks has frequent trains to London Bridge & Charing Cross, some much faster than others.

Lunch: National Trust at Ightham Mote (open 10:00 to 15:30). You do not need to pay the entrance fee to use the restaurant. You could also divert to the Chaser Inn, Shipbourne (tel 01732 811 168) for a 'gastro' pub lunch.

Tea: There are various options, but there doesn't seem to be a recommended pub, Two possibilities are The Anchor in London Road, on the most direct route to the station, or at the end of the High Street is The Sennockian (Wetherspoons) just before you turn down pembrooke Road.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The refurbished NT cafe at Knole is on route but it closes at 4pm in winter...
Rich

Anonymous said...

n=12 I think, including 1 on a later train. The weather was w=very_calm_and_sunny. The group split for lunch, with 4 going to Shipbourne and the rest to Ightam Mote. Ground and foliage had a light dusting of frost and would be muddy patches were also frozen making for easy walking. Nice day out as always in this neck of the woods.

Kate H said...

This was a beautiful walk - could be muddy but better on a day of deep frost. I was glad I was part of a breakaway group (led by Maggie) who had lunch at the Chasers pub at Shipbourne, quite pricey but delicious and in front of an open fire. Good varied walking across open fields and through woodland.