CONTENTS
Preface
Overview map
Map key
Introduction
The North Downs
The greensand hills
The Weald
Coastline
Rivers
When to go
What to take
Footpaths
Using this guide
The walks
West Kent and the Weald
1 Lullingstone Park to Shoreham
2 Shoreham to Romney Street
3 Westerham to French Street and Chartwell
4 Crockham Hill to Toys Hill and Obriss Farm
5 Toys Hill to Ide Hill, Crockham Hill and French Street
6 Ide Hill to Manor Farm
7 Sevenoaks Weald to Boarhill
8 Shipbourne to Underriver and Ightham Mote
9 Four Elms to Winkhurst Green and Bough Beech
10 Marsh Green to Crippenden Manor
11 Cowden to Horseshoe Green and Bassett’s Farm
12 Cowden to Hoath Corner
13 Chiddingstone to Penshurst
14 Penshurst to Salmans and Nashes Farm
15 Penshurst to Fordcombe
16 Groombridge to Speldhurst
17 Brenchley to Matfield
18 Yalding to Hunton and Buston Manor
19 Teston Bridge to Wateringbury and East Farleigh
20 Linton to Boughton Monchelsea Place
21 Ulcombe Church to Boughton Malherbe and Grafty Green
22 Pluckley to Little Chart and Egerton
23 Wittersham Road station to Small Hythe and Tenterden
24 Appledore to Stone-in-Oxney and Royal Military Canal
North and East Kent
25 Camer Country Park to Luddesdown and Great Buckland
26 Stansted to Fairseat, Hodsoll Street and Ridley
27 Trosley Country Park to Coldrum Stones and Ryarsh
28 Newington to Upchurch and Lower Halstow
29 Leysdown-on-Sea to Shellness and Harty
30 Faversham to Oare Creek, Uplees and Oare
31 Faversham to Ham Marshes and Oare Creek
32 Wye to Crundale and Coombe Manor
33 Wye to Wye Downs and Cold Blow
34 Chilham to Stour Valley
35 Stodmarsh Nature Reserve to Grove Ferry
36 St Nicholas at Wade to Chitty and Sarre
37 Bridge to Patrixbourne, Kingston and Bishopsbourne
38 Elham to Breach
39 Sandwich to Sandwich Bay
40 Dover (White Cliffs Picnic Site) to St Margaret’s at Cliffe
Longer walks
41 The Darent Valley Path
42 The Eden Valley Walk
43 The Elham Valley Way
44 The Greensand Way
45 The High Weald Walk
46 The Medway Valley Walk
47 The North Downs Way
48 The Royal Military Canal Path
49 The Saxon Shore Way
50 The Stour Valley Walk
51 The Wealdway
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Useful addresses
Appendix C Recommended reading
Good information, excellent maps and lovely photographs
This is the latest walking guide from Kev Reynolds, who has lived in Kent since the 1960s. The book mainly details 40 short (4-10 miles) circular walks in the Garden of England, taking in woodland, clifftops and riversides in a county rich in varied walking terrain.
It's fair to say that short walks like this are of limited interest to LDWA members, although the walk descriptions are very detailed, there is good information about points of interest, there are excellent maps and there are lots of lovely photographs. But what will interest LDWA members are the outlines of 11 longer routes which run through the county, including the 19-mile Darent Valley Path, the 22.5-mile Elham Valley Way (which l did for Elham Walking Festival this year, and have been asked to repeat next year), the High Weald Walk and the Medway Valley Walk, both 28 miles, and the Stour Valley Walk - which, at 51 miles, some Kent LDWA members have been known to complete in a day. There are also details of the 123-mile North Downs Way National Trail, the I I 0-mile Greensand Way and the 163-mile Saxon Shore Way, which all run through large parts of Kent.
There are brief descriptions of all these longer walks, plus details of guide books and/or websites where more information can be obtained. All in all, it's a nice little book, even if there is a far higher proportion of walks in the west of the county than there is in the east.
Graham Smith, the Long-Distance Walkers' Association