Saturday Walk - Tonbridge Circular

Length: 18¼ km (11.3 miles). Four hours 5 minutes walking time. 3 out of 10.

This walk is usually posted as going to Penshurst, with this circular as an option. The decision point is after lunch.

"This walk provides a link from a major town with a frequent rail service to the rolling countryside around the villages of Penshurst and Chiddingstone. You are soon out of Tonbridge town centre and heading for Haysden Country Park, a popular recreational area of lakes and water meadows alongside the River Medway. The area's industrial past can be glimpsed in the many abandoned waterways and reclaimed gravel pits, while the modern Leigh Flood Relief Barrier is a reminder that this low-lying area is prone to flooding.

The remainder of the morning section follows the Eden Valley Walk, reversing part of the Hever to Leigh walk (1–19) to a choice of lunch places in Penshurst. This attractive village is dominated by Penshurst Place, a well-preserved medieval manor house with an attractive formal garden, the home of the Sidney family since the 16thC. It is open, admission is £15, or £13 for the gardens only (2024).

The Circular Walk back to Tonbridge, initially on a familiar path through Penshurst Park which reverses the start of the Leigh to Tunbridge Wells walk (1–15) and continues with a new route back to the town via the playing fields of Tonbridge School."

Trains: Get the 1004 Dover Priory train from Charing Cross (London Bridge 1013), arriving 1046. Frequent return trains. Buy a return to Tonbridge (or Penshurst if planning to end there).

Lunch: The suggested lunch place (after 8¼ km) is the refurbished Leicester Arms Hotel (01892-356141) in Penshurst. This up-market establishment has a large garden and serves good food until around 3pm. There is a churchyard nearby. On the way into the village the Porcupine Pantry (01892-871277) is just outside the main entrance to Penshurst Place. It serves light lunches but might struggle to cope with a large group.

Tea: the Fleur De Lis in Leigh is a possible mid-afternoon stop. The suggested tea place, serving good home-made cakes – the Finch House Café & Bakery (01732-771775; open to 5pm at the front of the Pavilion Shopping Centre. Also The Humphrey Bean a Weatherspoons, which means walking down the High Street.

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