Toughness: 4 out of 10
10.10 train from Charing Cross (10.13 Waterloo East, 10.19 London Bridge) to Paddock Wood, arriving 10.58, changing there (same platform) for the 11.11 to Yalding, arriving 11.18
If you just miss the train from London, get the 10.15 Hastings train from Charing Cross (10.18 Waterloo East, 10.24 London Bridge) to Tonbridge, arriving 10.00. Travel in the very front of the train so you can zip over the footbridge to get the Yalding train at 10.04.
Buy a day return to Yalding (which is valid for return from Sevenoaks)
For walk directions click here, for GPX click here and for a map of the route click here. You are following the Greensand Way throughout, which is usually well waymarked (though signs can be missing).
This walk tends to be done in spring, for the bluebells, but it has never been done in October (and only once in September, ten years ago). It contains its share of woods, should they be deigning to show any autumn tints yet, but also has lots of open views, apple orchards, pretty villages and ancient houses, the usual Garden of England stuff, in other words. This is a walk to saunter and savour while you still have daylight to do so: there are plenty of cruelly short winter days ahead when you can rush for the 3.30pm train,
There is an almost embarassing choice of lunch pubs. The Swan in West Peckham is (or was when I last looked) quite foodie and also quite early in the walk at 3.5 miles. The Kentish Rifleman is your good honest traditional pub, 6 miles into the walk, and serving food till 2pm (though open for drinks all afternoon). Finally, your backstop, your lunch pub of last resort, is the fine Chaser Inn in Shipbourne after 7.5 miles, which serves food all afternoon (always popular, so it might be no bad thing to arrive a bit after the main lunchtime rush).
For tea, you can stop at the National Trust tea room at Ightham Mote 8.4 miles into the walk, or hold out till the National Trust tea room at Knole House near the end of the walk - if you think you can get there in time (it shuts at 5pm, but "last entry" is 4.30pm). Otherwise, Sevenoaks is adequately supplied with hostelries and coffee shops.
Trains back from Sevenoaks are every ten minutes or so. T=swc.41
10 comments:
Sounds great. Typo:should be 11.11 to Yalding.
Thanks. Corrected
If 13 miles sounds too much, there are usually buses from Shipbourne at to Tonbridge railway station or Borough Green railway station. Your Yalding return would be valid from either station.
I am thinking of taking the 09.10 getting on at London Bridge.
Austen
10.10 is perfect, as is the 13 miles. Soon 13 miles in daylight will be impossible. Thanks for scheduling.
13 miles is NOT perfect for some of us. I'm going to be doing the shortcut and expect there will be others👍
Thank you walk poster, the shortcut on this walk is quite clear, great to catch the bus
N=12 on this walk, including one newcomer, on a day of w=gloomy-clouds. Five of us stopped at the Swan Inn in West Peckham, which seems to be less lauded by food guides than it used to be, but also less busy. Four of us ate there and the food was very nice.
One solitary diner, I understand, stopped at the Kentish Rifleman for lunch, while others had sandwiches and then went to the Chaser Inn for drinks and puddings. The four of us who had lunched at the Swan caught up with them there.
At least three then caught the bus from Shipbourne, leaving six of us to carry on along the rest of the route. It was a pleasant walk with nice chat, but I was a bit haunted by the lack of bluebells, wild garlic and the other spring delights this walk is known for.
There were some seasonal treats, however. Apples in the commercial orchards looked luscious (I don’t think there was any scrumping, but perhaps it happened when my back was turned…), and near the start we saw the tail end of the red deer rut in a deer park - still some roaring but a sense that things were winding down.
But in Knole Park, in the gathering dusk, a real treat. On the hill by the car park several fallow deer stags were in full voice, each trying to out-roar the others. The effect was a bit like being in a pool of very vocal frogs. The females treated this display with glorious indifference, placidly grazing.
In Sevenoaks we found a cosy table in the Chequers pub and had wine, beer and chips. Then the train home, with a sense of having made good use of the day.
Two found themselves in Borough Green, via a detour to Scotland. The Plough Inn provided fine coffee and, while bar staff were dubious about dessert being available,the exuberant Scots chef (Falkirk-born,48 years down here but with a rich, resonant accent undiluted) assured us he could 'rustle up' an apple crumble. He did, and it was good. We met the three bussers at Borough Green Station and got the 4.45ish train to Victoria.
Two more to add to this count since I joined Austen in representing the contingent that prefers as much walking before the solar noon (ie 1pm in summer time) as after it, and finds no attraction in coming home in the dark earlier in the year than is unavoidable.
Lunch in the Kentish Rifleman was served with warmth and humour and straightforward of quality. Tea and cakes at a branch of Gails in Sevenoaks, which was pricey but very good. With only a couple of not particularly long unintended detours, we logged 14.3 miles before taking the 17:19 home, delayed to 17:29, and were back at London Bridge within 22 minutes.
There are points in the GPX file where the tracking of the directions is rather approximate.
N=14 then
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