10.1 miles / 16.3 km
A lovely walk not far from London, taking in Knole Park, Ightham Mote, and a stretch of the Greensand Way along the escarpment of the North Downs.
Trains: 10:08 Charing Cross, 10:17 London Bridge, 10:42 Sevenoaks. There is also a slow stopping service via Lewisham arriving at 10:39. Return trains are frequent.
Lunch: National Trust café at Ightham Mote (5.2 miles into the walk), or take the slightly longer option to reach the popular Chaser Inn at Shipbourne.
For refreshments near the end of the walk, the Brewhouse Café at Knole Park is open til 5pm.
T=swc.21
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N=8 gathered at the station. At the gates of Knole Park we picked up a n=9 th, a Capital Walker who had become separated from their group. (They were doing the same walk). 2 were lagging by Godden Green and were surprised to find the others sat outside the pub there. Assuming they were ‘organising’ themselves, the 2 pressed on. En route, they met walker number n=10 near where the Padwell used to be. Ightam Mote’s cafe was heaving, so any attempt to eat there was abandoned. We sat outside and let the others catch up.
The Chaser had become a reality. And it was there that lunch was consumed a balmy stay in their sunny garden.
Up to now, the walk had been firm underfoot no mud to speak of. I’m a cheerful soul, not given to complaining, readers, as you well know. But the route to and from Shipbourne was hell on earth. And if we thought ‘to’ was bad, just wait till we saw ‘from’. Mr Tiger slipped over twice and was soon coated in a generous layer of gloop.
There was worse to come. The climb up to the pig farm, to rejoin the proper route, was ankle deep boot-grabbing sludge that went on for ever. Mr Tiger’s cheery grin nearly gave way. At the top, the pigs trundled over, grunting happily. They knew a kindred spirit when they saw one.
Bits of rest of the route were muddy but not enough to warrant complaint, not now we’d seen real mud.
Elements of the, by now, disparate group had reconvened by the time we reached Sevenoaks. A quick restorative in the Chequers, where it was agreed the walk had been enjoyable, perhaps partly because it was w=sunny-all_day and, in Mr Tiger’s case,because his socks were still dry.
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