Length: Main walk: 11.7km (7.3 miles).
With shorter extension: 14.2km (9.3 miles)
With longer extension: 17.7km (11 miles)
Toughness: 1 out of 10 for the main walk rising to 3 out
of 10 for the extensions.
Details: This is a gentle walk in a low lying area of Kent, made famous by the
writer H.E Bates, who lived in the village of Little Chart Forestal, passed on
this walk. This is quiet country: there are no great landscape features, no
grand houses, and yet this is a quintessentially English walk, with fields,
orchards, a couple of ancient pubs (one allegedly the most haunted in England),
and towards the end, a fine and unexpected view over the Kentish landscape.
Since the main walk is quite short, two options to extend it
are offered, one being a short cut of the other. The shorter version of the
extension adds 3.2km (2 miles) to the walk, making a total walk of 14.9km (9.3 miles), while the full version adds 6km (3.7 miles),
making a total walk of 17.7 km (11 miles). Both routes climb to a fine viewpoint on the
Greensand ridge, with the longer version following the crest of the ridge for a
short distance. The extensions also include pubs that are possible tea stops.
Trains:
9.29 from London Charing X; 9.32 W’loo East; 9.37 London Bridge
Return trains: xx:06 and xx:40
Note: there is a much more expensive ticket from London St Pancras which
requires a change at Ashford International
Ticket: Return to Pluckley
Lunch:
Swan Inn Little Chart, (01233 840011).
Located 5.8km (3.6 miles) into the walk is now the only pub lunch option on the
main walk (though there are other choices on the longer versions of the walk:
see below). It has a riverside garden and serves food from 12-3pm Tuesday to
Thursday and 6pm to 8pm Wednesday to Thursday: on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
food is served all afternoon, and the pub is open all afternoon daily for
drinks.
The Black Horse Pluckley, (01233
840380), located 7.8km (4.8 miles) into the walk, is now a restaurant (booking essential, and no drinks-only service), serving lunch
12-2pm and from 6pm Wednesday to Saturday, and offering roasts from 12-2pm on
Sunday.
The George Egerton (1233 756 599), 11.5km
(7.1 miles) into the walk via the longer version of the extension, is a smart
modern pub with plenty of space inside and a few tables outside, serving a
fairly classic pub menu. It is open all afternoon and evening Wednesday to
Sunday (its website says Monday and Tuesday also, but staff told me different
in March 2022, so check.)
The Rose and Crown in Mundy Bois (01233 840048),
is 14.4km (8.9 miles) into the walk via the longer version of the extension,
and 11.7km (7.2 miles) via the shorter version of the extension. It is also
reachable via a 1.5km (0.9 mile) diversion from the main walk route. This pub
has a delightful rural location, comfortable sofas, and a garden with charming
views of the fields. open and serving food all afternoon on Saturdays.
The Dering Arms (01233
840371) by Pluckley station is a former hunting lodge which is now an
award-winnning seafood restaurant. Booking is necessary to eat there, but you
can have drinks in its cosy bar area and also at a few outside tables. Open 12 - 3.30 and 6-11 on Saturdays,
Picnic : Just across the road from the Swan Inn
in Little Chart, there is a grassy field beside the church, which makes a good
picnic spot. The churchyard at St Nicholas in Pluckley village is another good
choice.
For full
details click here: https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/walk/pluckley-circular/
T=2.21
1 comment:
N=7 were soon joined by an n=8 th.
A surprisingly mud free morning, sunny with a chill wind.
All went in the Swan at lunchtime. Mr Tiger assumed his honorary position as “chip-taster to the gentry” and gave them a thumbs up. Dining could commence. The group were complimentary about the pies.
All wonderful, unless you looked out the window at the wrong time. Sun, rain, sun …. make your mind up, weather!!
We emerged under cloudier skies. With big black ones heading for us, the 100% cohesion began to falter. 3 opted for
the short walk and, later, 2 peeled off for what I assume was the short walk with added Rose and Crown. The remaining 3 stalwarts opted for the long walk. The route seemed a bit unclear at times and involved leaping across newly deepened ditches (off-piste, maybe?) It was also muddier (but kiddie’s stiff compared to some recent outings). And then the rain came, that hard, frozen rain that some call ‘hail’. How we laughed.
But then, readers, out came the sun again.
Approaching the station, one of our number, who shall remain nameless, had got into their head that there was only one train an hour and we were just going to miss it (there were, in fact, two - stick to tasting chips, Mr Tiger!) Another of the group kindly offered to drive us to Tonbridge, where there were more trains, so that’s what we did, passing through many quaint Kent villages in the way. Grand day out.
w=sun-rain-hail-sun-cold-wind
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