Length: 16 km (9.9 miles). Toughness: 3/10
09:55 Ashford Int. train from Victoria (Bromley South 10:12), arriving East Malling at 10:49.
Trains back from East Malling are hourly at xx:38. If you take the longer ending to West Malling (see below), they call there two minutes later at xx:40. A return to East Malling covers both endings.
Although this has a new walk number it's really the result of an option-packed Medway valley walk being split into two, with Walk 337 retaining only the Maidstone endings. This one has a choice of three circular walks and I propose doing the mid-length ‘Alternative Circular Walk’ from East Malling, although at Well Street you could switch to the longer ending (adding 2¼ km) to finish in the larger town of West Malling.
The walk goes through typical Kent countryside of commercial orchards and coppiced woodlands on its way to the River Medway at Wateringbury. You could either investigate the refreshment stops here or cross the river and continue along the valley for another half hour to the up-market Tickled Trout in West Farleigh (where it would be advisable to book a table if you wanted to be sure of Sunday lunch).
If you finish as East Malling there would normally only be the King & Queen pub for refreshment, but there's a tempting alternative as the nearby parish church is advertising Afternoon Teas from 3–5pm on Sundays in June & July.
Please bring the directions from the L=swc.446.b page.
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N=8 congregated at the station. The day started w=cloudy-and-cooler-but-turned-sunnier-and-hotter
4 contenders for the Olympic Speed-walking Team had booked a table in the Tickled Trout and were not going to miss it. They sped ahead Fshoom! Meanwhile, the remaining Olympic Ambling Team did what thy did best. They ambled, maybe a little too fast for competition but a good effort. They stopped in the Railway, just to see what it was like. Ok I guess. We sat in their scruffy so-called garden. There, cider was drunk and banter exchanged with a rival waking group.
On the way to the ‘Trickled Tout’, walker no. N=9 caught us up, (missed the train).
We reached the ‘Tout’ in time to wave the fast 4 off and drank more cider. Someone got some chunky chips, 2 of which fell Mr Tiger’s way.
Then on, in baking heat, eschewing the charms of the North Pole (‘sigh’), on, on, until East Malling was reached. Here the back group headed for the church, where tea and homemade cakes were on offer, while a pianist tinkled the (hopefully imitation) ivories.
There was still a bit of time before the next train so we paid our respects to the King and Queen. (It’s a pub, innit).
Another GDO.
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