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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 17 October 2018

Wednesday Walk Wye to Chilham - The Crundale Downs, Sole Street, Godmersham Park and Chilham Castle

Wye to Chilham  Morning leg of  Book 1 Walk 53, and afternoon leg of SWC 138

Length: 17.7 km (11 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10

Either
London St Pancras: 10-08 hrs  Margate service
Arrive Ashford International: 10-46 hrs. Change trains
Leave Ashford International: 11-05 hrs  Canterbury West service
Arrive Wye: 11-11 hrs

or - for South Londoners
London Victoria: 09-25 hrs   Canterbury West service (as above)   Bromley South: 09-42 hrs
Arrive Wye: 11-11 hrs

Return

Chilham to St Pancras: 17-13 (change at Ashford International -AI), 18-13 (AI), 18-44 (AI), 18-46 hrs (change at Canterbury West)
Chilham to Victoria:  16-13, 17-13 and 18-13 hrs

Rail ticket: buy a day return to Chilham


This mix-and-match walk takes - arguably - the best legs of two walks which, when put together,  should give you a delightful walk.

The morning leg is the Book 1, Walk 53 - Wye Circular walk, which takes you up onto the Crundale Downs, then down to the Church of St Mary in the village of Crundale, before you head back uphill,  steeply, on quiet roads to the village of Sole Street. You might be lucky and manage to obtain lunch at the gourmet lunch pub, the Compasses Inn (01227-700300) but you usually have to book in advance. Best bring a picnic, and have a beer in the pub.

The afternoon leg follows the homeward leg of SWC 138 through woods and valleys - with some stunning views - then through Godmersham Park and on to Chilham, for tea at cosy Shelly's Tea Room.  It's then a fifteen  minute walk to Chilham railway station for your journey home.
T=1.53

Walk Directions: here for the Book One walk.   L=1.53

Here for the afternoon leg of your walk



10 comments:

Brian Ferris said...

I am hoping to come on this walk, but will drive to Chilham and leave my car there, taking train to Wye, arriving about 8 minutes after the train from Ashford. Is anyone willing to ring me (07973 139358) to confirm I'm coming and persuade the group to dally for a few minutes? In return, I can offer lift for up to 4 from Chilham (best cream tea in Kent) to Wye or Ashford stations. (Chilham only has 1 train an hour.)

Walker said...

If you can resist having a beer in the pub, the best place for your picnic is about 15 minutes into the Chilham afternoon where you come out onto a beautiful downland escarpment with fine views. Another nice spot is at the church three quarters of the way through the morning.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if we will have the pleasure of Marcus's company on one of these walks
jfk

Anonymous said...

Dear Brian

If i manage to get the right train I would be happy to ring you and try to hold the party back

Best,

Jane

Marcus said...

In reply to Jane, I hope to be back walking with SWC mid-week walkers "soon", when my health permits - but not quite yet. I hope you all enjoy what is one of my favourite mix and match walks.

Anonymous said...

Given that Marcus is sadly not intending to come on this walk I may bring a canine friend with me. Any objections? speak now or forever hold your peace. thanks

Thomas G said...

...as it says on this very website in the 'New Members FAQ' section: "Please read The Rambler's advice for taking dogs on a country walk beforehand, paying particular attention to 'sheep' and 'cows'." There is a link there to a pdf.

Anonymous said...

Can't come now anyway- commitment, happy walking!

Brian said...

Apologies, I wasn't able to make this walk after all, but thanks to Jane for offering to ring. Hope you all have a good day.

Walker said...

N=11 on this lovely outing. It is a pity its poster could not join us: we hope to see him back on the trail soon.

It was grey and drizzly in London, but sunny when we arrived at Wye. There was a line of cloud to the north west but it did not reach us till around 1pm. Even then the sun reappeared as we got to Chilham village. So w=sun-then-cloud-then-sun.

Everyone, I think, was on the high speed train apart from two who came from Tonbridge. Nearly all of us brought picnic lunches, several of us eating by the church late morning. Two ate in the pub, which was decently busy but not booked out. The two lunchers only had starters, however, which were little more than canapés. The rest of us had drinks.

In the afternoon a nice walk along a scenic ridge, then down to Godmersham and along to Chilham. There was a 50/50 split here between pub and tea room, with outside tables being put to good use in both places. The ones outside the tea room, sadly, were by an insignificant lane that turned out to be a regular M1, with one car passing every 30 seconds or so, blowing hot exhaust straight into our nostrils. The scones were huge, however and the cream proper clotted.

5.13 train home, mixing with the workers. Remember work?