Length: 16km (10m)
Toughness: 4 / 10
Transport: Take the 10:07 from London Bridge to Cowden, arriving at 10:53. Return trains from Hever at xx:05. Buy a day-return to Cowden.
An interesting walk through the high weald passing a number of historic houses and churches. Lunch is in Penshurst, either at the slightly upmarket Leicester Arms Hotel or at the down-to-earth Porcupine Pantry. Tea can be had in the Henry VIII pub near Hever castle. It is about 25mins from the pub to the station.
1 comment:
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We were 16 walkers in total, with 15 assembling at the designated station. One walker joined at Hever, while another got off the train there, but we all converged eventually in the middle for lunch and returned together.
The weather was glorious: sunshine, blue skies, and a scattering of white clouds resembling young lambs. This was a dramatic and deeply appreciated contrast to the previous three weeks of relentless rain.
The mud, happily, was less severe than your rapporteur had feared, and certainly less than one might expect for a Weald walk at this time of year. We did wonder whether the absent walk poster had absconded in anticipation of knee-deep sludge, but on this occasion, they would have been safe from both mud and the ire of their fellow walkers.
That said, a few patches remained impressively muddy, requiring judicious gymnastics and mild acrobatics to avoid the worst damage to our boots. Several walkers demonstrated unexpected climbing ability to secure drier paths on the other side of the fence.
We walked at a good pace as a group, but as usual, the lunch break created something of a chasm. One walker raced ahead to reunite with their beloved at home (it was Valentine’s Day, after all). Three enjoyed a picnic, three opted for coffee and sandwiches at the café, and the rest had lunch at the pub (reviews were positive).
We continued onwards in smaller groups, though many reconvened at the Henry VIII pub near Hever Castle, ancestral seat of the Boleyn (or Bullen) family, which we approached via a particularly muddy and narrow path along the castle grounds.
The pub desserts looked (and tasted) excellent, and beer and coffee were equally well received. Morale and sugar levels were restored before we headed for the station.
One of the well-seasoned walkers carried out a hopefully successful recruitment drive in the pub. Let’s see if they - and their cute dog - join a club walk soon.
Some walkers caught the 16:05, while the rest returned on the 17:05 back to London Bridge.
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