Length: 21.5km (13.4 miles), but shorter options after lunch of 15.8km (9.8 miles) or 18.8km (11.7 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10 T=3.59
9.45 train from Blackfriars (9.50 Elephant & Castle) to Eysnford, arriving 10.41. This train also calls at Denmark Hill 9.58, Peckham Rye 10.01....and lots of other places in south east London.
Alternatively get the 9.55 (Ashford-bound) train from Victoria and change at Bromley South, arriving 10.11, departing 10.23, for the above train.
Buy a day return to Eynsford ("Ains-fud") if you intend to do the whole walk, or Shoreham (Kent) if you want the option of finishing there. Cheaper Thameslink only tickets would be valid, if such are offered, and since lots of the train journey is inside London, boundary zone six tickets give you a huge discount.
For walk directions click here. To save on paper, click the Main link just below the map, or select the individual option that you plan to do. For GPX click here.
We have a lot of walks in the Otford/Shoreham/Eysnford area, but this particular one has rather surprisingly not had a Saturday outing since 2016. It offers lots of options - and I know how some of you love them!! - but for simplicity today I suggest you ignore the shorter ones lunching in Shoreham and do the main walk, which for all walks means an 8km/5 mile morning up over the hills to Otford, where there are two pubs and also a couple of tea rooms (the one by the pond and the one in the Hospices of Hope shop).
After lunch you can either do the main walk (the 13.4 mile option), or curtail it at Shoreham (9.8 miles), or take a flatter route, more directly along the Darent Valley (11.7 miles).
Eysnford has plenty of refreshment opportunities as outlined in the walk directions.
Trains back from Eysnford are at 05 and 35 past. (Allow 15 minutes or so to walk up to the station from the village - it is a bit further than you remember...)
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There are now 3 tea rooms in Otford, the 3rd being opposite the Hospices of Hope.
Soon it will be spring. Very very soon. Today it was w=drizzly-and-windy, but nicer weather is coming. Nature is on the rise. There are lots of leaf shoots appearing in the hedgerow and we saw plenty of wood anemones and primroses. Larks sang bravely against the grey skies.
There were n=21 of us and as far as I aware we all kept pretty much together until lunch in Otford. There we split a bit. Many went to the largely empty Bull where chain pub meals (perhaps a bit skimpy on the portions) were dispensed speedily by staff in ludicrous St Patrick’s Day hats. Two at least went to the Woodman and we did not see them again (alas). At least two went to the Hospices of Hope tea room.
After lunch two set off to walk to Sevenoaks, one went off to do her own thing, four or five continued on the main 13 mile walk and nine of us chose the alternative afternoon along the Darent Valley, hoping thus to be somewhat out of the wind. This route was perhaps a bit too easy because we got to the deserted Lullingstone cafe at 3pm. We drank tea, ate cake, added lots more mud to the considerable amount already on their floor, and generally dawdled a bit so as not to finish the walk too early. To salve our honour we climbed up onto the hill before the Roman villa to rejoin the main walk route with its fine view of the railway viaduct.
After a cosy drink in the Malthouse pub (much smartened up since I last was in it) we got the....whatever train it was we got. It was getting dark anyway so I guess we made full use of the day.
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