Length: 16 km (9.9 miles). Toughness: 3/10
Through Kent orchards and coppiced woodlands to the River Medway at
Wateringbury, further to Teston Bridge, and then back again.
At Well Street, energetic types could switch to a longer ending and finish in
West Malling (adds 2¼ km).
Trains: Get the 09:55 Ashford Int. train from Victoria (Bromley
South 10:12), arriving East Malling at 10:49.
Return from East Malling xx:38. Trains leave West Malling two minutes later at
xx:40. A return to East Malling covers both stations.
Lunch: First up, in Wateringbury, the Railway pub (01622-812911), the
River Kitchen (07983-577102) or, across the river, the Ramblers Rest Café
(07736-990485). Half an hour later, there's the up-market Tickled Trout
(01622-814717) in West Farleigh (advisable to book).
Tea:
You could stop early at the North Pole (sounds chilly but it’s a pub) +44 1622
812721
Or you could wait and go for a drink with the King & Queen back in East
Malling, …er ..that's IN the King & Queen (01732-842752).
West Malling finishers have more choice - the Five Pointed Star
(01732-842192),the Joiners Arms (01732-840723) ,The Swan (01732-521910) or a
micropub the Malling Jug (01732-667832).
Directions:
here
click on option b "Alternative Circular Walk, from East Malling" T=swc.446.b
3 comments:
Fantastic varied walk in excellent company. Thank you
I'm not sure whether Wendy's comment relates to the East Malling walk since Network Rail were digging up the level crossing at Wateringbury and blocking all access to the Medway. I'd started the walk a few minutes late and never managed to catch up with anyone, so unless someone cares to reveal how they evaded me it was just n=1 on a day of w=hazy-sunshine. Apple blossom and a smattering of blue flowers in the coppiced woodland were never going to compete with the Knebworth walk in the bluebell stakes, and the roadblock at Wateringbury meant that I skipped the entire stretch around the Medway.
As it happens I was able to take a timely No.7 bus to Teston and resume the walk there. After a brief pit stop at the North Pole it seemed defeatist to finish before 2pm so I tacked on an extra loop around Manor Park before returning to East Malling. The number of tea places for this ending might soon be doubled as there were signs of a new artisan coffee shop taking shape opposite the King & Queen pub.
Sorry we missed you, Sean. 5 of us got off the train at East Malling so #6 people in this walk today.
When we got to Wateringbury, of of the Network Rail workers (later identified as "Oh, it was Steve...") sent us on a non-existent diversion. You might have hopped on the bus before we arrived back at Wateringbury crossing about 10 minutes later. The "no pedestrian" sign had given us the wrong impression - they were letting people through at intervals when it was safe (or providing free taxis to take people the long way round).
We stopped for lunch at outdoor tables by the river at the Ramblers Rest then continued along the route to Teston through fields of buttercups, horses and sheep. At Teston, we were directed to an alternative pedestrian level crossing about 100m to the east, accessed via a footpath through the field).
Along the afternoon stretch, most of us stopped in the rear garden of the North Pole for a leisurely drink and 2 later stopped for dinner at the King and Queen.
I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed the walk. The woodlands are lightly dotted with bluebells, the orchards are in flower, and buttercups in the fields by the river.
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