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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.

Saturday 27 April 2019

Saturday Walk: Yalding to Harrietsham

full walk: 15.1 miles / 24.3 km
shorter version: 9.5 miles / 15.3 km

A spring walk along the Greensand Way in Kent.

Trains: 9:10 from London Charing Cross (London Bridge 9:19), change at Paddock Wood (arr 9:58) for the 10:11 to Yalding, arriving at 10:18.  If you just miss the 9:10, take the 9:15 and change at Tonbridge (you have 6 minutes to make it across to platform 1).
Return trains from Harrietsham go to London Victoria at xx:50.
Yalding and Harrietsham are on different lines, a return to Maidstone or Yalding with single from Harrietsham to Maidstone seems to be the best advice.

Shorter version:  The walk can be shortened to 9.5 miles / 15.3 km by ending in Sutton Valence and taking a no 12 bus to Headcorn or Maidstone (hourly service).  The journey to Headcorn is quicker and drops you off at the very nice George & Dragon or the station -  you will need a return to Headcorn if travelling this way.

Lunch: An early lunch 5.5 miles into the walk at The Bull, Linton (01622 743612).  Great views from the terrace.

Sutton Valence has several pubs for a mid afternoon stop - The Kings Head serves food all day so also a possible late lunch stop.  The Pepper Box Inn at Ulcombe would be another great stop further on, but shut from 3-6pm.

Full details and directions here

T=swc.150

4 comments:

Walker said...

It is worth mentioning, I think, that this is an excellent apple blossom walk, passing through a number of commercial apple orchards, which should be in full bloom. It also passes a series of ancient churches in the afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the apple blossom will make a difference, but the Sutton Valence to Harrietsham stretch is largely dull, aside from one yew.

Walker said...

I have to disagree with the last comment. You may have done the walk before when it took another route to Harrietsham. I changed it last year to follow the very pretty Greensand Way route to the Pepper Box Inn (a lovely pub if you get to it after 6pm). Only after that is the route slightly less charming - a big area of coppiced woodland and then some arable fields. Harrietsham itself is a bit dull, though the pub there is pleasant enough.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone do this walk on Saturday?