North Downs Way 07 - Hollingbourne to Charing

Kent Tuesday 14-March-2017.

Rather than heading home after reaching Hollingbourne, we stayed over at Leeds Castle to make it a 2 day walk. Very pleasant accommodation in the stable yard. We dined in the Castle View Restaurant and were very impressed with the quality of the food and the service.

Part of the deal with staying in the castle B & B was free entry into the castle. In the morning we were able to wander the grounds before the crowds arrived which was very delightful.

Once the castle opened we did the full tour, for free. A fascinating castle.

After lunch we took a taxi back to The Dirty Habit for an afternoon's half day walk. It being spring there were flowers. No idea what these are.

But I'm pretty sure these yellow chaps are primrose.

At this point the NDW joins the Pilgrim's Way for the nine mile walk to Charing. Much easier going which was a relief after the day before but downside was that the scenery was much less stunning than previous sections.

Not for the first time a bit of a brisk walk towards the end to catch an imminent train and avoid a long wait.

This leg: 8 miles
Total so far:104 miles

North Downs Way 06 - Cuxton to Hollingbourne

Kent. Monday 13-March-2017

As we get further from London the longer the train journey to our start point. By this stage it made more sense to make it a two day trip. We chose the B & B at Leeds Castle as the venue for our overnight stop.

We were due to take the train to Cuxton. That involved a change at Strood (Kent) for a 4 minute train journey and a 1.5 mile walk. So we jumped ship at Strood into a taxi that took us to the point on the NDW where we had finished the previous leg, all of which gave us at last a 30 minute advantage. Just as well given the day we had ahead.

Almost immediately we crossed the Medway Viaducts with a fine view of Baty's Marsh, shortly followed by Fort Borstal  -  part of the original young offenders institute.

Another lovely sunken lane.

This is an ancient landscape. We passed Kit's Coty House - the remains of a Neolithic chambered long barrow constructed 3500-2800 BC.

The White Horse Stone - another neolithic relic.

A long day through varied scenery with lots of ups and downs. The last stretch was especially hard work as the ups and downs continued which put the pressure on.

We were glad we started early otherwise we would have been stumbling downhill through woods in the dark.

We made it to at The Dirty Habit in Hollingbourne at 6:30 for a well earned pint. Our destination was off-path to Leeds Castle for our overnight stay so having done 18 miles already, and it being dark, we summoned a taxi to take us to the castle.

This leg: 18 miles
Total so far: 96 miles

North Downs Way 05 - Otford to Cuxton

Kent Tuesday 28-February-2017.

Over a year since our last leg of the North Downs Way! An early start to catch the train down to Otford. First step was in fact backwards. We had to make a detour to see England's only Grade II listed pond.

Otford Pond

It was a glorious day for walking archtypical chalk downland and deservedly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

We walked along several sunken lanes, not just on this day but on other legs of the walk. I love them, they speak to me of maybe Roman or prehistoric times and our ancestors crossing the ancient landscape. To walk in the footsteps of our predecessors is a real thrill.

Sometimes it is not such a thrill. Mostly the NDW follows the ridge but sometimes it dropped down to the bottom of the escarpment and then, of course, back up again. Here is a sight to make the heart sink.

We passed some lovely old timber-framed cottages.

The second of two milestones we passed on this day. "Farnham 71 miles, Dover 54 miles". So we are well over half way. I am not planning to do the Canterbury loop. The NDW intersects or runs concurrent with the Pilgrims' Way at several points but we are doing the NDW not the PW.

The last stretch was a mile and a half off the NDW to get to the nearest train station at Cuxton and a well earned snooze on the train home.

This leg: 17 miles
Total so far: 78 miles

North Downs Way 04 - Oxted to Otford

Surrey / Kent. Sunday 07-February-2016

Continuing our relentless if sporadic march across the English countryside with episode four of the long distance path that is the North Downs way with friends Kate and John.

The recent rain made for some very muddy paths. Chalk-land mud is different to clay soil mud but it still sticks to the boots and weighs you down. Trying to go round the margins bring you in conflict with branches and brambles as John here illustrates.

I have a soft spot for the Greenwich Meridian partly through being born nearby in Greenwich Memorial Hospital and, like many small boys, going through an astronomy phase. So it was nice to come across this plaque.

Perfect walking weather i.e. not raining. The sun shone and it was all rather lovely.

Our route did not provide any convenient hostelries so we had our contingency packed lunch on a log.

There is a huge discrepancy between our mileage as recorded by my Garmin Montana 300 and this milepost. I'm going with the Garmin on this one.

It was a good walk for flora. First up some lovely Turkey Tail fungus.

Then keen-eyed John spotted some Daldinia concentrica, better known as King Alfred's Cake.

Spring flowers are out early: wild Primrose.

Then snowdrops:

Not just the odd bunch of snowdrops but a full carpet under the trees.

As with previous legs, we had a brisk last mile to catch a train from Otford thus avoiding a half hour cooling our heels in the station waiting room.

This leg gets us out of Surrey and we are now in Kent.

This leg: 14 miles
Total so far: 61 miles

North Downs Way 03 - Dorking to Oxted

Saturday 18-July-2015

Another weekend, another section of the NDW. A train down to Dorking and a mile walk to pick up where we finished off last time where the NDW crosses the A24.

First highlight: stepping stones across the River Mole.

Classic chalk landscape reminiscent of last weekend on the Isle of Wight.

A bit of industrial archaeology - an old lime kiln chimney.

This folly is the Inglis Memorial was donated to the Borough of Reigate in 1909, by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Robert William Inglis VC. It was built as a drinking fountain for horses on the original main route over Reigate Hill.

The interior has a lovely starscape zodiac painted on the underside of the roof.

Reigate Fort (NT) and various outbuildings were built in 1898 as part of a 72-mile defence line to protect London whilst a huge ship-building programme was initiated by the British government. The fort held vital tools and ammunition to supply soldiers and artillery at short notice.

Village cricket - it doesn't get more English than that.

Lunch at The Feathers Hotel, Merstham. A healthy salad but only a half of Proper Job otherwise the afternoon stretch would have been a lot harder.

A fair sized fungus; not sure what it is as I couldn't find it in our mushroom books but I wouldn't eat it unless an expert told me it was OK.

As seems to be the case on every stage start and end so far, we had a mile to walk to or from the station. Including the extra mile from NDW to Oxted station the distance just nudged over the 21 miles.

The route involved two motorway crossing (M25, M23) but bridges and overpasses paved the way with nothing more than the drowsy hum of traffic to disturb us.

I just hope the Hadrian's Wall walk is as sunny and delightful in a couple of weeks time.

This leg: 21 miles
Total so far: 47 miles

North Downs Way 02 - Guildford to Dorking

Saturday 20-June-2015

We haven't done a "Challenge" this year Mary said so she signed us up for a 23 mile charity walk along Hadrian's Wall for The Alzheimer Society. I like the idea of Hadrian's Wall as the Romano-British period was always my scene but I'm not so sure about the 23 miles "extremely tough one-day event over hilly landscapes".

So, of course, that means we have to get in some training to get a little fitter. So that Saturday morning over breakfast Mary proposed we do the second section of the North Downs Way from Guildford to Dorking.

Heigh-ho! Off to Guildford by train and a one mile walk to pick up where we left off from the first leg.

This is pretty walking country with what I call "proper woods" deciduous of tree with ferns and leaves underfoot. None of this coniferous Forestry Commission rubbish. Now this is what I call gnarly.

At several points there were pillboxes from a time in the second world war when an imminent invasion was feared and lookout posts were required.

The last stretch heading down to the A24 at Dorking gave us a good view over the vineyards of Denbies wine estate.

The end of this stage is where we hit the A24 and then had another mile to the train station and home. So, although this stage was only 13 miles, we actually walked 15 miles what with the train connections at each end. Only nine more stages to go!

This leg: 15 miles
Total so far: 26 miles

North Downs Way 01 - Farnham to Guildford

Sunday 19-October-2014

We decided to get out about about and get some exercise. My suggestion was to walk the first leg of the North Downs Way - a long-distance path that runs from Farnham to Dover and is 153 miles long.

We caught the train down to Farnham where my parents live; we decided not to drop in but, instead crack on from the station. We quickly met the River Wey which, at the very start of the walk, is little more than a ditch but soon expands to a stream.

We crossed a small tributary of the Wey with a cute folly in the shape of a bridge.

By half way through the walk the Wey looked like a proper river.

The route is gently undulating with no real ups and downs. In theory an easy navigate but I did miss one turning as you can see on the map.

A good part of this stage runs parallel to the Hogs Back along country lanes and through lovely deciduous woodland.

The last mile was a bit of a forced match to catch the train and avoid an hour's wait for the next. We made it with about 45 seconds to spare.

I am guessing that we will eventually do the complete walk.

Map courtesy of http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/north-downs-way

Watch this space...

This leg: 11 miles
Total so far: 11 miles