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The North Downs Way

National Trail from Farnham to Dover

Guidebook to walking the North Downs Way National Trail, a 130 mile (208km) trail between Farnham and Dover, with an optional visit to Canterbury. Following the ancient Pilgrim's Way for much of the way, through pleasant countryside, this is one of the easier National Trails and the walk is described over 11 stages. With 1:25K OS map booklet.

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Quick facts

  • Trail name: Walking the North Downs Way
  • Location: South‑East England (Farnham, Hampshire to Dover, Kent)
  • Total distance: ~208 km / ~130 miles
  • Typical duration: ~11 days end‑to‑end (daily stages ~12–22 km / 8–14 miles)
  • Start / Finish: Farnham to Dover (with optional Canterbury loop)
  • Route type: Long‑distance waymarked National Trail described in 11 stages
  • Difficulty: Gentle long‑distance walk; suitable for first‑time long‑distance walkers
  • Terrain: Chalk downland ridge, rolling countryside and gentle ascents/descents
  • Navigation: Step‑by‑step descriptions with OS 1:50,000 maps and separate 1:25,000 map booklet available
  • Best season: Walkable year‑round; at its best April–October

Detailed overview

Walk the North Downs Way, one of England’s classic long-distance National Trails, stretching 208km (130 miles) from Farnham in Surrey to Dover on the Kent coast. Following the high chalk ridges of the North Downs, this waymarked route passes through rolling countryside, historic towns, picturesque villages, and the Surrey Hills and Kent Downs National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Whether tackling the full trail over 11–12 days or exploring it in sections, this Cicerone guidebook combines stage-by-stage route guidance, detailed mapping, practical planning advice, and cultural context to help you make the most of your walk. With gentle gradients and well-maintained paths, it is suitable for walkers of all levels, while panoramic views, historic sites, and cultural highlights ensure a rich and rewarding journey.

  • Step-by-step route descriptions are provided for all of the main 11 stages (12-22km), plus an optional detour to Canterbury, which continues along the ancient Pilgrim's Way trail
  • Suggestions on where you'll find accommodation along the route, along with public transport and refreshments, are included to help you plan your trip through the ‘garden of England’
  • A separate 1:25,000 map booklet with the route line for the North Downs Way clearly marked is the perfect navigational tool to keep you on track without the need for multiple maps
  • Heritage highlights of the route are described, such as Box Hill, Coldrum Stones, Thurnham Castle, Canterbury Cathedral and Shakespeare Cliff, to provide context as you walk
  • Advice from expert author Kev Reynolds on key decisions like when to go, how to get to the start, and which direction to walk is included

Perfect for April to October, when downland wildflowers bloom, this beginner-friendly trail passes Guildford, Otford, Wye, Chilham and Patrixbourne and is a gentler alternative to the South Downs Way, with fewer crowds and rich history from Neolithic tombs to Dickens' Kent. Your comprehensive Cicerone guidebook transforms planning into discovery across England's garden heartlands.

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, 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, Dover Castle, and across Shakespeare Cliff, one of the White Cliffs of Dover.

Table of contents

Introduction


The North Downs Way


Walking west to east


Where to stay


Waymarking and accessibility


When to go


Getting there – and back


Using this guide


Along the way

The North Downs Way


Stage 1 Farnham to Guildford


Stage 2 Guildford to the Mole Valley (A24)


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


Appendix A Useful contacts


Appendix B Recommended reading


Appendix C Route summary table

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.

ISBN9781852848613
AvailabilityPublished
Published2 September 2024
Reprinted31 May 2027
Weight 300g

eBook

The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.

Updates

  1. Updated

    Stage 8

    We have received the following information from reader, Michael King, to whom we are very grateful.

    Stage 8; p85 The waymark mentioned near the foot of page 85 has been removed and apparently burned!). Alternative instructions are "half way across the field, where a minor path joins from the left, turn right 60 degrees and aim for the bottom corner of the field". Incidentally, many of the stiles mentioned have been removed, so these are no longer points of note.

  2. Updated

    Stages 11a and 12a Canterbury to Dover

    Thank you to M Marsh for the following updates:

    There have been a number of new housing developments built along the route so some descriptions that describe following a path with houses on one side are now following a path *between* houses.

    Most of the stiles have been replaced with gates. The only stiles I can remember were one with no step up so it was just a drop in fence level to knee height - not a gate but only nominally a stile - and the 'high iron stile' on p131, which was still there but had an intentional!) person-sized gap in the hedge right next to it.

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.