Length: Length: 16½ km (10.3 miles) to Tonbridge. Toughness: 2/10
Take the 10:07Uckfield service from London Bridge (calls East Croydon 10:22) arriving Hever at 10:49
Return trains from Tonbridge to London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross are at xx:07, xx:13, xx:37, xx:44.
The suggested ticket is an “Any Permitted” return to Leigh (Kent). This will be accepted for the return leg on South Eastern services. In practice a Leigh ticket has always been accepted to Hever but you may be asked to pay a small supplement for a one-stop extension to Hever.
Lunch: In Penshurst village, there is The Leicester Arms Hotel (01892-871617) or the Porcupine Pantry (01892-871277) which is just outside the main entrance to Penshurst Place. For those having a picnic, the church grounds have some benches.
There are plenty of refreshment options in Tonbridge, with the direct route to the station passing several cafés and coffee shops on the High Street. Finch House Café and Bakery (01732-771775) at the front of the Pavilion Shopping Centre, is recommended and is open to 5pm. The High Street also has a few pubs and one with a beer garden overlooking the river is The Humphrey Bean (01732-773850), a JD Wetherspoon's pub in the old Post Office building.
An option to finish the walk after lunch in Penshurst Village - see this walk's web page for details.
Please remember that these walks are self led: for full details and to download your copy of the directions see the L=swc.345 page.
4 comments:
N=11 plus a dog assembled at the train station. Only two wanted pub lunch so we did not bother phoning the pub. The sun was out, we navigated through a few patches of muddy path in the morning but nothing too taxing. Two ate at Leicester Arms, we sat in the large garden at the back, both had excellent Fish & Chips. 6 picnickers then joined us for drinks, one of whom could not resist the temptation of delicious cake sitting on the bar counter….. Several robins paid visit to our table, they were rewarded with cake crumbs and chip pieces for their bravery...although a nut was left untouched, a bit too challenging perhaps?! The Rain God also heard our pleas, granted us a free pass to the sunny heaven in the afternoon. Eight of us walked together in the afternoon and passed the other three picnickers enRoute. Several different routes were taken for the last bit of walk into Tonbridge, 4 went to Wetherspoons and 3 to Basil Wholefoods – a nice café which can be used in future. They shut at 4:30pm on Saturdays. 4 of us then caught 5:07 train to Charing Cross. A nice walk in good company. Thanks for posting this.
PS: Three walkers were a little bothered by the dog running up and down the narrow path very close to people today. We do have a section about bringing a dog on club walks on our website under New Members FAQ . I cut and paste the relevant section below.
"Can I bring a dog?
Yes. It doesn't often happen, but dogs are welcome, and assistance dogs are very welcome. Please be aware that not all people are 'dog people' though, and wouldn't appreciate a dog running between their feet while walking. Please read the The Rambler's advice for taking dogs on a country walk beforehand, paying particular attention to 'sheep' and 'cows'.
You are welcome to use our website to organise 'dog-friendly' walks."
W=Sunny?
Unlike the weather forecast which indicated rain from 2pm. It was w=sunny!
And 99% firm paths underfoot. Some muddy patches along the bridleways in the area of Hever Castle but nothing major.
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