With a nervous look at the slightly cloudy skies, decided to brave the odd shower and rouse the good-web-developer-him-indoors from his Sunday morning slumber to take me over to Limpsfield Chart to take in the next stage of the GW (and as it turns out, pick me up from Shipbourne as well; no buses on a Sunday. He’s a good man).
In the bag:
Tea, earl grey, hot
Lunch (wrap and a banana)
A warm jumper (which I did not need)
1.5ltr water
The map: OS Explorer 147, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge
Starting again from St Andrew’s church in Limpsfield Chart, the GW heads east through the High Chart, crossing both the Vanguard Way and the Tandridge Border Path, onto Crockhamhill Common. In this short 1.5km distance I crossed from Surrey into Kent, a landmark moment in the over GW project! Also, it meant that I was in the Kent County Council jurisdiction when it came to footpath maintenance and signage. Any criticism I may have made of KCC with regard to the latter when I did the Eden Valley Walk was completely forgiven due to the excellent and comprehensive signage of the GW throughout the whole stage. Barely checked the OS app (it‘s still excellent though) and the map remained in the bag throughout the day. And believe me, there are lots of trails to choose from....
This first 7 or 8km of this section was almost entirely woodland paths, well maintained and very atmospheric. Recent rain had made the paths a bit muddy but the smell of damp earth and the sound of rustling trees added to the whole and gives a sense of peace. Which frankly I needed as I tackled some of the steepest hills experienced to date. Mercifully short, but very steep!
But!! It’s well worth the effort, because all those hills translate into the most remarkable views over the Kent Weald. It ain’t an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for nothing! My photos will not do justice the the views. But that won’t stop me putting lots of them on this blog page. You’ll just have to go see them for yourself....
Also in the first 8km you pass Chartwell, the former home of Winston Churchill. If you have time, and are so inclined, its well worth a visit. Even if you’re not a fan of the former PM, the house and gardens are spectacular. Sadly, you don’t get a view of the house, nestled behind trees, but the GW benefits from spending time on National Trust property, with well maintained and interesting paths steering clear of livestock.
This first wooded section comes to an end after traversing Toys Hill, where the above view was taken. Toy’s Hill (also National Trust, in fact in retrospect most of this section seems to be owned by the NT) is bisected by a road and there is decent parking and ample opportunity to explore the network of paths and cycle trails across the woodland. From Toy’s Hill the GW descends slightly before heading upwards again into Ide Hill, a picture postcard village which boasts an extensive village green, before precipitously descending towards Ide Hill Road and another great view.
The water you can see in the view above is Bough Beech reservoir to the south. Very pretty with little boats on it. From this point the GW enters Stubbs Wood and its an easy path for a while before the decent through a narrow and slightly overgrown path into Brockhill Wood. On emerging from the woodland, the GW crosses a series of fields, most of which had livestock (cows and sheep), passing through the farmyards of Dale Farm, Wickham Manor, and past the ubiquitous oast houses of the area (apparently called Hop Kilns in Surrey and Hampshire, but as a woman of Kent, I'm sticking with 'oast').
After all this bucolic beauty I stopped at St George’s church to the north of Sevenoaks Weald for a quick bite (quick being the operative word, it had just started to rain), before crossing the fabulously named Scabharbour Road and taking the narrow path through the hedgerow. In the distance the roar of the A21 Sevenoaks bypass. Skirting around Panthurst Farm there’s a tunnel under the A21 which brings the path out into a tuft-ridden field and a steep-ish climb up to Beechmont Bank, where the trail become closed in on both sides by overgrown trees and vegetation and the going underfoot is made tougher by ruts. All round, this 1.5-2km section of the path was not welcoming; paths poorly maintained, gates seemingly inaccessible (although a bit of prodding found a weakness) and a smattering of ‘trespassers will be shot’ type signs. Well, ok, not quite that strong, but definitely a landowner who does not support the right to roam. Popping out onto Riverhill, just across from the Himalayan Gardens was a relief.
A short bit of road walking (with pavement) brings the GW to the edge of Knole Park, a former medieval deer park (actually still populated by deer) and part of the Knole estate. The GW tracks down the Chestnut Walk, a huge avenue of seemingly ancient chestnut trees and every inch a place where you wouldn’t be shocked to find odd duchess out in a coach and four. The view down the length of the avenue is glorious. The GW cuts away to the right about two thirds of the way along its length and passes out of the park and into Redlands wood. A short distance through the wood and across an equestrian training field brings you back to the top of the greensand ridge and more fabulous views before tracking back into the woodland of One Tree Hill. Be prepared for some steep descents as you descend through Rooks Hill and Shingle Hill woods until you get to the base of Wilmot Hill.
It may be at the base of a hill but the views are still great and as the sun was making an appearance again at this point, made all the more lovely. Wilmot Hill is on the Ightham Mote estate, the walks and paths of which are open all year round. The estate is still, to some extent, a working farm and in previous years had hops as a crop; the GW in this section follows the same path as one of the estate walks and passes at least one ’hoppers cottage’, a small dwelling used to house the seasonal hop-picking labourers. Ightham Mote house is one of my all time favourite places in the south of England. It dates from the 14th century and, thanks to the relative wealth but modest ambitions of its owners, remains beautifully preserved and a standing testament to the social history of the area. Too small for kings and queens to visit (what with all those hangers on in attendance) it stayed largely protected from political upheaval and intrigue. I love it, and after glimpsing it on the trail will visit specially very soon.
From Ightham Mote house there is a short 20 minute jaunt through a large field, a short bit of woodland and another field to reach the outskirts of Shipbourne. Passing through the churchyard you come out onto the main road (Ightham Rd) next to The Chaser Inn, where they serve decent looking grub and have a large beer garden. I was sorely tempted to have a pint, but we live in an age where ‘popping in’ for a swift half is more complicated (in short, I couldn’t be bothered to socially distance queue, sign myself in, get a table, download the app to order, wait for service etc.), so sat on a bench and admired the view until Mr C rocked up in the Cheema-mobile to take me home.
All in a very pleasant way to spend the day and highly recommended as a standalone segment. On weekdays and Saturdays there is a bus to the The Chaser Inn from Tonbridge that has a direct (20 minute) connection with Redhill on the train, so you could start here and walk back to Limpsfield, or take advantage of the wider connected network of footpaths to track down to the Eden Valley walk. Either way, this is a fabulous part of Kent to explore, so much of it unspoiled and none of it very busy compared to some previous parts of the GW.
I’ll finish up with one last view of the Weald and then the map. Probably only two segments to go before this whole endeavour is complete!
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