As I always do when I’m leading a walk, I arrived early at the station (St Pancras) ready to meet my fellow walkers. For a long time I was the only Poly Rambler there as far as I could see and I feared my ‘big beautiful’ walk along the Kent coast may not be as appealing to others as it was to me. However, my fears proved unfounded as a flurry of walkers arrived before the high speed train departed and by the time we assembled at the other end outside Dover Priory station we were a very respectable group of 16 walkers.
It took us a while to get going as the train had been full and there was a very long queue for the ladies. But thanks to the generosity of a publican across the road, allowing us to use his toilets, we managed to ensure we were comfortable before we set out. Continue reading Dover to Deal walk – 16 August 2025 →

Nineteen, well initially seventeen ramblers, set off from Hildenborough to visit the kissing gate the club had donated with a now added inscribed plaque to former members of the Club. One member missed her train, so the leader remained at the station for the next train. The two of us eventually caught up with the main
group walking through open, tree lined, fields before they had reached the pleasant village of Leigh, ably led by Chris.
In the knowledge that a planned visit, later in the walk, to a pub was no longer an option, we headed to the Fleur de Lis pub in Leigh for early refreshment.

Refreshed we headed out to the watery surrounds of Haysden Country Park and the Medway River for picnicking, blackberry picking and baby fish feeding (unwanted Danish pastry)!
We then passed through part of the Eden Valley Walk, leafy lanes and footpaths lined by hedgerows (and blackberries!) back to Hildenborough station. With a wait of nearly an hour for a train a café at a nearby golf club came to our thirsty salvation.

Kim. Photos by Kim, Joyanna, Pam, Gillian

The week before my walk had been very hot and there were heat health warnings in the run-up to the date. According to the Met Office it was the fifth warmest July since records began in 1884 (i.e. above average)! I was worried participants might be affected or deterred! But it was Wimbledon Finals week so there was always a chance of rain! I was bitten by a wasp the day before (through my gardening glove!) while putting my compostables in my compost bin and my hand had swollen up and gone purple (It is still discoloured and causing occasional splurges of red blotches and agonising itching all over my body!).  What if I got anaphylactic shock and couldn’t lead the walk?!! There had been a shooting incident opposite the Park Gate Inn in Hollingbourne the Monday before (according to the Metro), including armed officers, life-changing injuries and a bomb disposal team! Would the whole village be cordoned off?!

As it turned out, the weather continued to be hot but as we walked up the slope from the village above the North Downs Way there was a pleasant, light breeze to keep us from boiling over. The village of Hollingbourne itself was quiet apart from pilgrims getting ready to continue on the Pilgrims’ Way towards Canterbury. We didn’t see the Park Gate Inn and the Dirty Habit pub is currently barricaded with builders’ scaffolding as it undergoes restoration.
We made our way up the hillside, pausing occasionally to admire the views and the wonderful countryside. After taking time to admire the wild boars and cooling shade of a wood, we carried on to the
highest point of the walk where we paused for our lunch break, either at a picnic table and bench or in the shade of some trees, after which we availed ourselves of the facilities at the Hook and Hatchet pub, Hucking, and slaked our thirst.
Suitably refreshed, we set off westwards and then down the hillside, now empty of sheep and lambs that we saw on our last visit two years ago, without incident this time. Our route took us under the highspeed and standard railway lines and the A20 and into Moore Meadow. Miss Pauline Moore lived in Bearsted all her life, running her own riding school, and donated the land to Bearsted Woodland Trust “for the recreation and enjoyment of everyone”, to prevent it falling into the hands of developers. Thank goodness the Kent International Gateway Group’s plans to build a large freight and logistics depot in the area were rejected by the local planning authority, following significant objections raised by local residents,
including Miss Moore!
On leaving the Woodland we passed the Holy Cross village church where I always pause to reflect on the stone in the churchyard in memory of a villager, John Dyke, the last person to be hanged at a public execution in Penenden Heath (in 1830), for burning a hayrick, of which it later emerged he was innocent!
And so to the village green, where cricket was in progress, and the White Horse pub where some of us paused for refreshment and others proceeded to the station for the train back to the heat and stress of London. What a lovely walk it turned out to be! I hope my eight walking companions enjoyed it as much as I did!

I have since been reminded that on the North Downs Way we met a solitary man coming the other way. He was walking the whole NDW which apparently takes about two weeks. We wished him well and continued on our way. It made me think of the pilgrims who, over the centuries, have trodden the same path on their way to Canterbury and also that I prefer walking with friends, rather than alone!

Pam

15 Polyramblers assembled at Henley station at 10.27. Unfortunately, the leader and 3 others did not arrive until 10.57 due to delays on the Elizabeth Line.  They say that every cloud has a silver lining and, in this case, at least the rain had stopped by the time we eventually set off.

We started walking by the Thames in Henley then the path took us out into a broad valley, to the church at Rotherfield Greys, followed soon after by the church at Rotherfield Peppard.  The rest of the walk was through fields, beech woods and small villages, with a few stretches of road and lane walking.  We stopped for lunch at the Unicorn Pub in the village of Kingwood and many were able to sit outside in the sunshine.

A few miles further on, 4 Polyramblers decided to take advantage of the opportunity to pick up the bus to Reading from Cane End. Alas, they were not able to avoid the sudden downpour which struck at that precise moment and the whole group were briefly drenched! Fortunately, it did not persist and by the time the remaining hikers reached the Bozedown Alpaca farm most of us had dried off, although there were not very many alpacas to be seen.  

On the final leg the walk then carried on to the Whitchurch parish church beside the Thames, from there to the toll bridge over the Thames, and finally into Pangbourne where most of us took the train and a few decided to stop for a cup of tea at The Swan Pub on the river.

On the train we reflected that it had been a lovely walk but had felt quite long and after comparing various phone step counters we concluded that it was at least 13 miles, rather than the 11.9 miles in the walk description.

Rochelle

Photos by Jo, Gillian and Chris

I was delighted to find there were 19 of us assembling for this adventure in Kent.  We got a fast train from London Bridge to Tonbridge and then had to wait for a local train which took us the one stop onwards to Leigh.   The village name is pronounced ‘Lie’ locally by the way.

Passing through the churchyard we were soon in the midst of fields and saw the first of several oasthouses built for drying hops in times now past. The weather was overcast and it looked like rain but happily the rain held off except for the odd spattering of raindrops every now and then.

This walk does have a fair bit of minor road walking and in spite of doing several walkovers I still took us down the wrong road at one point until Geoffrey realised my mistake (thanks Geoffrey!) and alerted me.  We also had a rather tricky crossing of a busy road approaching our lunch stop near Hildenborough but we all got across safely.  Lunch was in a small paddock before a large field which normally has horses in it.   There were no horses to begin with but by the time we had finished our lunch a posse of them arrived!

We crossed this field and then negotiated several more all with horses in abundance.   There is a large riding school here.   We left the fields passing a barn with one horse looking forelornly out of a stable.  I wondered why it was being kept indoors. Then after a little more minor road walking we were back in the fields and woodland again.    The countryside around here is lovely.   At one point we passed through a field where I had been briefly chased by a black dog on a walkover and I could hear it barking from within the grounds of a large house!

We arrived about 3pm at the White Rock pub in Underriver and had a refreshing drink.  One of our party took a taxi to Sevenoaks after that.  We then embarked on a rather steep path up the wooded hill that takes us near to Knole.  There are beautiful views from the top of this hill across the valley. We passed through a wood and then crossed a minor road to enter Knole Park through a deer-proof gate.   The park is proper deer country, with lots of ferns and dotted with ancient oak trees extending across a wide landscape.  At one point we disturbed a white stag which broke cover and ran away from us into yet more ferns!   A beautiful sight.

In half an hour or so we passed the impressive mid-15^th Century Knole house.  We felt we would like to have visited it but that would have to be a day trip for another time.   It was gone 4pm so we were too late for tea there and we pressed on to the old town of Sevenoaks which is up another steep hill!

A few went for tea in the town and the rest of us headed for the station passing a large Ferrari dealership on the way.

It was about 5pm when we arrived at the station just in time for a train heading back to London.  Everyone seemed happy and said it had been a great day out which made me happy too.

Chris

Photos by Ida and Joyanna