Length: 18.5km (11.5 miles) 5 out of 10
T=swc.7
This walk has bluebells. It is also in Zone 6, so makes for an easy journey.
Trains: Get the 1010 Sevenoaks train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 1014, London Bridge 1020) arriving 1101. If you miss that, get the 1016 and change at Orpington. Return trains at xx14 and xx44.
Lunch: In Downe (7.7km from the start) The Queens Head (01689 852145). Food served all day is the suggested lunch stop. Also The George & Dragon (01689 889030). Food served noon-8.30pm
Tea: Arthur's Coffee Shop Coolings Nurseries, closes 4.30pm Located 2.6km from the end of the walk. The Rose and Crown Otford Lane, Halstead, 600 metres off route. The Cock Inn is closed.
3 comments:
When I last did this walk a few months ago, one of the end of walk refreshment places, the Cock Inn in Halstead, was closed, apparently permanently.
The Rose and Crown was open though and proved popular with real ale enthusiasts.
The best bluebells on this walk are in Newyears Wood in the afternoon. Follow the shortcut route to pass through this.
A small, but select group of #5 walkers alighted from the train on a #cool-breezy-and-intermittently-sunny day. Happily, there is still no sign of any housing development in the vicinity of the golf course. Long may that continue! The conditions underfoot were largely mud-free, apart from a short stretch immediately after Coolings Nurseries. The directions are generally easy to follow, helped by the fact that the author did the same walk less than a year ago. The one place, which still causes some confusion to walkers is the large field, at the bottom of which is some woodland with the remains of a tree, reportedly struck by lightning, visible on the ground. The path through the woodland is slightly to the right of said fallen tree, but is only visible from close by. It took a little under two hours to get to the George and Dragon in Downe. Three of the group had sandwiches, one had lunch at that ub, and the fifth walker, who had just arrived from far-flung places on a long-haul flight, dropped out at lunchtime and caught the 146 bus to Bromley. Incidentally, for those who want a gentler walk, the morning stretch followed by lunch in Downe makes for a very pleasant short excursion. The bluebells were out in force throughout the walk. The four remaining walkers stuck together after lunch. We stopped at Arthur's Coffee Shop for a refreshing break and comfortably made the 5.14 pm return train from Knockholt. A glorious day out!
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