Length: 13½ km (8.4 miles) to Wateringbury, or 16¼ km (10.1 miles) if continuing to Yalding. Toughness 2/10
10:29 Ramsgate train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 10:32, London Bridge 10:38, Sevenoaks 11:02), changing at Paddock Wood (arr 11:17, dep 11:25) for the Strood train, arriving East Farleigh at 11:41. Buy a return to East Farleigh.
Return trains are hourly at xx:08 from Wateringbury and xx:11 from Yalding, again changing at Paddock Wood (these branch line trains no longer run through to Tonbridge).
This is one of several options which were added to the Wateringbury Circular walk in 2022. Unlike the others, this one makes a loop to the north of the River Medway for a lunch stop at the intriguingly-named North Pole, which describes itself as a “traditional English freehouse pub and restaurant”. It's got a pleasant rear garden but you might need to call ahead if you want to be sure of a table inside.
The walk itself is a mix of riverside paths, woods and orchards, and should be good for bluebells and apple blossom. There's a small riverside café in the boatyard at Wateringbury for a tea stop, after which you can decide whether to head for the station (don't get caught out by the level crossing) or walk upstream to Yalding. This 3 km leg will take around 40 minutes and there's nothing near Yalding station, so time your departure carefully to avoid a long wait for the hourly train.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.336.d – if you're going to be relying on your GPS device, it would be worth glancing at this page and clicking the ‘Alternative Walk’ line in the list of Walk Options to clarify the route on the Walk Map.
1 comment:
#5 stayed together for the day, including for lunch at The North Pole.
A #warm-day-with-sun-through-thin-cloud
Dry with some patch's of mud. One patch was large and intimidating enough for the group to take an unsanctioned detour.
Some blue plants, some yellow plants, Tulips, and some birds of prey were seen along the way.
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