Length: 14.5km
(9.0 miles),
Difficulty:
5 out of 10
The walk
starts in the picturesque village of
Leigh (pronounced 'Lie' ) through the churchyard, past the parkland of Hall
Place, and carries on through fields, farms, oast houses, and finally through
the grounds of Knole park with it’s magnificent trees (and deer). Appropriate footwear for this time of year is recommended.
Trains Take the 9:21 from London Bridge; Norwood Junction 9.32; East Croydon 9.36;
arriving Redhill at 9.52 where you CHANGE onto the train departing at 10am to
Leigh arriving there at 10.26.
Trains back from Sevenoaks to London Charing Cross, London Bridge or
Blackfriars are frequent.
Ticket: Get
a return to Leigh, Kent
Lunch: The White Rock pub
(tel 01732 833 112), Underriver, some 9 km into the walk. Phoning ahead is
advised.
Tea: Knole Park's Brewhouse Tearoom is open till 5. There are more places in Sevenoaks, such as the Malabar Coffee House (01732 743055) at 81 High Street, and Gails in the shopping centre is open till 6.30.
Walk
directions here
L=1.21
9 comments:
Table booked for 4 at the White Rock Inn tomorrow.
9.21 train cancelled - suggest get 9.30 to Redhill.
9.13 LBG to Tonbridge, platform 8. Change there for Leigh
Three of us on this train
Three of us have started the walk from Leigh at 10.05
At Leigh 10.26 now 10.42 starting walk see you at lunch
Took a short cut at the Rock Inn
Four of us now in pub having lunch
Man proposes, Thameslink disposes. Who knows how many teeming millions would have turned up on this walk had the outward train to Redhill not been cancelled? As it was, just three of us managed to reposition to the 9.13 from London Bridge to Tonbridge, connecting there to the 10.01 to Leigh. We thus started the walk about 20 minutes early, figuring that if any had managed to get the specified train at Redhill, they would catch us up.
Off we set at a rather dawdling pace across the sometimes gloopy fields. The rain was at first light, then persistent for a time, but stopped as we approached the lunch pub (so w=rain-in-the-morning). We did the slightly tedious road route mid morning, not sure if the rail crossing on the alternative route had been restored. (Note to whoever maintains the walk directions: they seem to contradict the GPX about which is the main route…)
At the pub, which was not at all busy, we met walker number four, who had driven to Leigh at the specified time, met no one off the train, and set off in hot pursuit of the three of us. His pursuit was so hot he somehow managed to overtake us without us noticing, getting to the pub first. The four of us had a pleasant lunch.
After lunch there was no more rain. We met walker number n=5, who had walked from Sevenoaks and now accompanied us on the way back. We climbed the muddy bridleway, which was not as muddy as I remembered it.
By common consent we bypassed the Knole House tea room and headed for Sevenoaks, which turned out to be en fete. Apparently it was the festival of the turning on of the Christmas lights (though some back streets seemed to have jumped the gun). We went to the Malabar Cafe and had a cosy and sociable tea.
After this the two car drivers set off to rescue their steeds and the original threesome went to get a train at around 4.50pm. On the train regret was expressed that we had not gone to a pub: so we ended up in the fifth floor bar of the Royal Festival Hall where we had a thorough three hour session as concertgoers ebbed and flowed around us.
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