Length: 14.5 km (9 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10
London Victoria: 10-25 hrs Southeastern service to Ramsgate Bromley South: 10-42 hrs
Arrive Lenham: 11-45 hrs
Return
Hollingbourne to Victoria: Southeastern services at 15-52, 16-17, 16-52, 17-17, 17-47 and 18-17 hrs
Rail ticket: Buy a day return to Lenham
Today's tranquil walk takes you through some pretty Kentish hamlets and villages. Your recommended lunch stop is in the village of Harrietsham at the Ringlestone Inn, some 6 km into the walk. Lunch should be served today if power has been restored to the pub after last weekends storms. You might wish to check by 'phoning the pub ahead: 01622 859900.
After lunch it's more of the same as you head towards Hollingbourne. For walk-end refreshments please refer to the Walk Directions.
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Walk Directions are here: L=swc.1.a
14 comments:
The Blacksmiths Arms at Wormshill is only open in the evenings, according to its website. The Ringlestone Inn opens at midday.
After yesterday's Wednesday walk I believe I need a short break from the routine of both posting and attending the weekly Wednesday walks. So you are on your own today.
Next week is Ash Wednesday (02 March) and Mr M Tiger is kindly posting a walk for you. The week after (09 March) will be Book 1 Walk 8 - Bures to Sudbury - and you can do that one without me. The following week (16 March) it will be Book 1 Walk 16 - Balcombe Circular - and you are on your own for that one, too. I expect to reappear - if so inclined - on Wednesday 23 March for Book 1 Walk 39 - Manningtree Circular. I will be book checking and keeping a healthy distance from others attending the walk, which will suit me dandy.
My heart went out to you, Marcus – and you of all people, who does so much for the club. Our club’s founder Nicholas would have been most upset that you were left behind as his whole ethos was to be community-minded and inclusive.
People are splitting into factions more and more on walks, which is okay, I suppose, if you belong to a faction but if you don’t… Well, frankly, it doesn’t feel good to be left behind and no one noticing.
This ‘every man for himself’ attitude that sometimes happens on group walks simply won’t do, and Marcus’s unfortunate incident has hopefully reminded us that while of course we can do our own thing on walks, we should also be looking out for one another and being kind.
Come back soon, Marcus!
Sally
For those of you who like to plan in advance, please note the walk planned for Wednesday 16 March will no longer be the Book 1 Balcombe Circular but the SWC 174 Balcombe Circular via Ardingley. A closed footbridge by Lord Snowdon's lake on the Book 1 route makes the Book 1 walk undoable until the footbridge is repaired (expected by this summer). But you should enjoy Sean's SWC walk.
I completely agree with Anonymous that "it doesn’t feel good to be left behind and no one noticing." One of the joys of walking with the SWC, for me, is its total lack of regimentation, but I have sometimes been surprised to see one member of a group pause to e.g. retie a bootlace and be completely left behind by his/her erstwhile companions. I hope I have not been guilty of this, although I suspect I may have been on occasion. So, yes, let's, in a light-touch kind of way, look out for each other and, especially, be kind.
Following my rather acerbic comment below and my walk report on last Wednesday's walk a number of you have kindly sent private e-mails to me expressing concern that I am walking away from the SWC. Please be rest assured I am not - I am just taking a three week break from attending our mid-week walks during which time I hope to catch-up with my Book One walk checks. During my brief absence Mr M Tiger and I will be posting some good walks for our mid-week walk clientele to enjoy.
I'm still smiling ! See you all soon !
For the Hollingbourne ending the lunch stop is either The Ringlestone Inn or The Blacksmith Arms. (The Plough is for the Charing ending.)
As Brian previously noted: The Blacksmith Arms is not open for lunch. So it's The Ringlestone. This pub was shut for a few months a year or so back and is no doubt now under new management. Their website is encouraging; it'd be best to check beforehand if they are serving food this Wednesday lunchtime.
Rang the pub this morning and spoke to the landlord. Sadly they are still without power so it’s a picnic today folks.
How about a late lunch at The Dirty Habit, Hollingbourne.
The Plough however is open if taking the route to Charing which I would certainly go for if anyone else would like this option
As far as I know the numbers were not counted, and I would guestimate about 20 walked today. We decided to stick to the planned walk and had sandwiches. Lenham is a lovely village, known also to me as where the Marley Tiles factory site used to be and some relatives of mine used to work there.
It was a pretty lovely walk I had not done before on a changeable weather day. Little signs of budding or flowering, and the birds could be heard at times. Bluebell plants beginning to grow in the woods. A lot of fields and woods, and some good views, however we passed though little habited land as we began in one village and ended in another.
We sandwiched outside the Ringlestone Inn in the hamlet where the power had been cut for about five days. A large tree had fallen on a farm roof over the road from the pub.
It was very muddy in places, and some slopes were not easy, and I did feel the need for company at that time. Appreciating the tricky dynamics of there being no leader to wait to see if people were ok.
Some of us had a lovely beer or cider in the Hollingbourne, either at The Dirty Habit (me), or The Windmill (others). Gavin
I think we counted n=17
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Good thanks Sandy
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