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North Downs Way Map Booklet

Map of the 130 mile (208km) North Downs Way National Trail, between Farnham and Dover, including an optional visit to Canterbury. This booklet is included with the Cicerone guidebook to the trail and shows the full route on OS 1:25,000 maps. One of the easier National Trails, it can be comfortably walked in 11-12 days.

Detailed overview

Stretching 130 miles (208km) across southern England, the North Downs Way National Trail runs from Farnham to Dover through the rolling chalk landscapes of Surrey and Kent. This beginner-friendly long-distance trail typically takes 11–12 days and offers a classic journey through the English countryside, historic routes and far-reaching viewpoints.

The North Downs Way Map Booklet is a compact, lightweight walking map and navigation companion featuring the entire route on detailed OS mapping. Designed for use on the move, it provides clear, reliable mapping in a convenient pocket-sized format.

  • Full North Downs Way route shown on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 mapping for precise navigation whilst walking from Farnham to Dover
  • Clearly marked trail line across Surrey Hills and Kent Downs, including key junctions and an alternative route via Canterbury, should you wish to explore this historic city
  • Continuous mapping format in a compact, pocket-sized booklet, eliminating the need for multiple separate map sheets
  • Plan daily distances with ease and track your progress along the trail through southern England with the stage-friendly layout
  • For step-by-step route descriptions and planning advice, an accompanying Cicerone guidebook, ‘Walking the North Downs Way’, is also available

Whether you’re planning your first long-distance walk or returning to explore new sections, the North Downs Way Map Booklet keeps navigation simple and stress-free.

Where and when to go

Seasons

The North Downs Way can be walked at any time of the year, but is seen at its best between April and October

Centres

Beginning in Farnham, the North Downs Way passes close to or through Guildford, Otford, Wrotham, Detling, Charing, Wye, Chilham, Canterbury and Patrixbourne and ends in Dover

Difficulty

Despite some reasonably short steep ascents and descents, the North Downs Way is one of the more gentle of National Trails and is suitable for first-time long-distance walkers.

Must See

Passing through the Surrey and Kent Downs Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the North Downs Way crosses Box Hill, visits Neolithic sites like the Coldrum Stones and Kits Coty House, passes below the remains of Thurnham Castle, visits Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle, and wanders across Shakespeare Cliff, one of the White Cliffs of Dover.

Table of contents

CONTENTS

This booklet of Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps has been designed for convenient use on the trail and includes:

  • a key to map pages showing where to find the maps for each stage.
  • the full and up-to-date line of the National Trail
  • an extract from the OS Explorer map legend.

In addition, the North Downs Way guidebook describes the full route from west to east and contains all you need to plan a successful trip.

THE NORTH DOWNS WAY

Stage 1 Farnham to Guildford

Stage 2 Guildford to the Mole Valley

Stage 3 Mole Valley to Merstham

Stage 4 Merstham to Westerham Hill

Stage 5 Westerham Hill to Wrotham

Stage 6 Wrotham to the Medway

Stage 7 The Medway to Detling

Stage 8 Detling to Harrietsham

Stage 9 Harrietsham to Boughton Lees

DIRECT ROUTE TO DOVER VIA WYE

Stage 10 Boughton Lees to Etchinghill

Stage 11 Etchinghill to Dover

THE CANTERBURY LOOP

Stage 10a Boughton Lees to Canterbury

Stage 11a Canterbury to Shepherdswell

Stage 12a Shepherdswell to Dover

Which format is best for me?

Printed book

A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps — everything you need on the trail.

ISBN9781852849559
AvailabilityPublished
Published2 September 2024
Reprinted31 May 2028
Weight 110g

Updates

Currently there are no updates for this book.

Meet the author

A lifelong passion for the countryside in general, and mountains in particular, drove Kev's desire to share his sense of wonder and delight in the natural world through his writing, guiding, photography and lecturing. Spending several months every year in various high-mountain regions researching guidebooks made him The Man with the World's Best Job.

Kev enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Cicerone from the 1970s, producing 50 books, including guides to five major trekking regions of Nepal and to numerous routes in the European Alps and Pyrenees, as well as walking guides for Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds. 'A Walk in the Clouds' is a collection of autobiographical short stories recording 50 years of mountain travel and adventures. He was also the contributing editor of the collaborative guide 'Trekking in the Himalaya' and Cicerone's celebratory anniversary compilation 'Fifty Years of Adventure'.

A frequent contributor to outdoor magazines, Kev also wrote and illustrated brochures for national tourist authorities and travel companies. When not away in the mountains, Kev lived with his wife in a small cottage among what he called 'the Kentish Alps', with unrestricted walking country on the doorstep. But he also travelled throughout Britain during the winter months to share his love of the places he wrote about through a series of lectures.

Sadly, Kev passed away in 2021. He will be remembered fondly by all who knew him and by many more he inspired through his writing and talks.