Through
Haysden Country Park and along the Eden Valley Walk to Penshurst Place and
Chiddingstone Castle.
This walk
should provide us with some reprieve from the heat as we walk through woods and
along the river.
Several
options to shorten the walk are in the walk directions. If desired, can finish at Tonbridge where
there are many lovely tea rooms.
Length:
11.2 miles for main walk.
11.3 miles for finishing in
Tonbridge
Toughness: 3 out of 10
Trains: 9.59 from London Charing X calling
at: W’Loo East 10.02; London Bdge 10.06; Sevenoaks 10.31- arrives Tonbridge
10.40
Return
trains: xx.34 – need
to change at Tonbridge where trains depart for London Charing X at xx.07;
xx.11; xx.37; xx.44
Tickets: Any Permitted” return to Penshurst
is valid for all the walk options; a return to Tonbridge is slightly cheaper if
you will be finishing there.
Lunch: Leicester Arms Hotel (01892-871617) in Penshurst 12 to 3pm for lunch;
The Rock Inn (01892-870296) in Hoath Corner,
Tea: Little Brown Jug (01892-870318) in
Penshurst for tea and it is opposite the station so you don’t have far to go
for train.
Description:
Enjoy the
gentle rolling countryside around the villages of Penshurst and Chiddingstone.
You are soon out of Tonbridge town centre and heading for Haysden
Country Park, a popular recreational area of lakes and water meadows
alongside the River Medway. The area's industrial past can be
glimpsed in the many abandoned waterways and reclaimed gravel pits, while the
modern Leigh Flood Relief Barrier is a reminder that this
low-lying area is prone to flooding.
The remainder of the
morning section follows the Eden Valley Walk, to a choice of lunch
places in Penshurst. This attractive village is dominated by Penshurst Place, a
well-preserved medieval manor house with an attractive formal garden, the home
of the Sidney family since the 16thC. It is open weekends
from mid-February to March, and daily from April to October; admission is £14,
or £12 for the gardens only (2023).
The afternoon section
closely follows the route of the Leigh and Penshurst walk (#92), climbing
the low hills between the Medway and Eden rivers to Chiddingstone.
In this equally picturesque village Chiddingstone Castle is
a castellated manor house rebuilt in the 19thC, containing an
unusual collection of art and curiosities left behind by its late owner, Denys
Eyre Bower. It is currently open Sun–Wed from April to October; admission is
£11 (2023). The grounds are normally open daily (free entry but donations
welcome). A short final section takes you back over the River Eden and across
low-lying farmland to a station which calls itself Penshurst but is 3 km away
from that village.
Find further
information and directions here T=swc.235
1 comment:
#7 of us gathered on the platform of Tonbridge station, and all immediately agreed to do the Tonbridge circular. The day was #hot-hot-hot. The group quickly split into two – the walk poster and two companions strolled well behind the others. We walked past cool looking ponds and the river where a few people were splashing about. One of our small band veered off towards Leigh shortly after Haysden Water to return to Tonbridge. Two of us walked on taking a couple of short rests, and arrived at the Leicester Arms, to be told by a guest that our companions had left about 20 minutes ago. After lunch and long cold drinks, we carried on through an eerily empty Penshurst estate, and stopped for another cooling drink at the Fleur de Lys pub in Leigh. Then a slow walk back to Tonbridge (slow being the order of the day for us) where I caught the train and my companion drove back to the south coast – hopefully for a lovely swim.
My cunning plan worked well - the trains were not crowded and appeared to be running smoothly and there was plenty of shade during the walk.
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