A break in the rain – quick, catch the train to Shoreham!
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A break in the rain – quick, catch the train to Shoreham!

The unrelenting rain so far this year has put a bit of a dampener on Kent walks. There has been the odd decent day; the Saturday just gone for example so all has not been lost. The increased rain is pretty much in line with what weather scientists have been predicting given the pace of climate warming – and who would be surprised if by June we are in a drought? It seems to be the way of it these days. Personally, I’d love a bit of snow before February is out, but it seems an unlikely prospect.

Shoreham winter february
The path by the white cross with a view of the Darent Valley

Taking advantage of the sun on Saturday and in need of Vitamin D I hastily organised a train walk with a friend. The Thameslink from Catford whisked us to Shoreham within about 30 minutes – so much better than driving. We put together a route that’s a kind of hybrid of Shoreham Circular mk1 and mk2… so let’s call it Shoreham mk3. Starting from the station we: headed up White Hill to Warren Farm; turned south to Fackenden Down; west down the hillside to the A225; crossed the railway line and headed north up the valley floor; turned left and headed west up Water Lane to Filston Lane – then straight up to hill; turned right and headed north along the path above the white cross, back down to Mill Lane and the riverside path to the Samuel Palmer and back up to the station along the field-edge path. 5.5 miles of bliss in the sunshine. Birds of prey were plentiful: kestrel, buzzard and the now commonly seen spiral of red kites close to the village.

Of course, the paths were quite busy once down in the valley – people knew it was the only day to get out before the rain returned. The mud wasn’t too bad apart from one area of the Filston Lane field where cattle and trodden it into a mire. Otherwise you could have done it in trainers… that chalk geology does drain so well and there are several stretches of hardened paths/tracks on the route in any case.

CLICK HERE FOR GPX INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THE MAP BELOW

OS map of walk
Map of Shoreham mk3 route
Winter magic in short supply
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Winter magic in short supply

An interesting month of weather so far! Initially there were some memorably crisp, clear conditions under the somewhat laughably named Wolf Supermoon. It couldn’t last and it didn’t. The past two weeks have seen intense rainfall with conditions on many of the walks becoming very muddy on popular paths. With a busy work schedule and limited daylight hours I’ve probably done less walking than at any time over the past 20 years, but I still managed a Fackenden Down foray, hoping for a bit of North Downs snow, and a dank, rapid ramble on the Downe loop. I can’t wait for a One Tree Hill foray and an early spring visit to Ide Hill – feels like an age since I was last there.

  • Canary Wharf seen from Fackenden Down at sunset
  • The Moon again. With trees this time.
  • The Wolf Supermoon – or, as it is better known, the Moon.
  • Sunset from Fackenden Down
  • A nicely positioned chair on Fackenden Down, lit by sunset rays
More wintry walking
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More wintry walking

There have not been much in the way of frost and crisp conditions as yet but things are going to change on Christmas Eve with some properly cold weather due to set in – hopefully perfect for a bit of nordic-style magic in the afternoons. Meanwhile, Knole was grey, dank and deeply atmospheric today with lots of birds darting around: treecreeper, goldcrest, song thrush and one large buzzard all showing well among the more usual suspects. The deer herds were in fine fettle, gracefully scooting through the trees as we approached.

The previous week’s walk was a splendid sunset affair under a blue sky at Fackenden Down. We stayed ‘at altitude’ by parking at the top of the hill and joining the route there. This gave us superb views from on-high near Warren Farm as we neared the end of our jaunt. Versions of this walk are describe under Shoreham Mk 2 and Shoreham and Fackenden Down.

Happy Christmas.

  • sunset
    Warren Farm/Fackenden sunset
  • Magpie Bottom, December
  • Knole pond in eastern corner
  • Knole view on a drizzly December day
  • Fackenden sunset, Warren Farm sector
  • Knole pond in forest
Wintry walking is upon us
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Wintry walking is upon us

I kicked off my season of winter walking with a wonderful jaunt down at Laugharne in west Wales with a university friend. It was easy to see how Dylan Thomas found so much inspiration there, especially given that his writing shed has a view of the Taf estuary every bit as stunning as the town’s imposing Norman castle. It’s not exactly a day trip from SE London – although I once climbed Pen-y-Fan near Brecon on a day trip whim – but I’m sure there’s plenty of places to stay overnight. Apparently it’s best to avoid the place in high summer, though us SE Londoners are used to rubbing shoulders with the ‘tourist hordes’, so it’d be no big deal.



Best winter routes

So, now winter is upon us. Some bemoan the dank days but they are probably doing too much shopping. Yes, Bromley or Croydon can be a bit dreary of December weekend. But not so the countryside. On cloudy, misty days the woods take on a mysterious atmosphere, while on clear days the sunsets and cloudscapes are remarkable. Birds are more active – look out for redwings, fieldfares and other thrushes – with goldcrests often turning up lower down in the tree canopy as their need for food becomes greater.

  • Deer cross one of the main paths at Knole in a January storm
  • Lullingstone, 17 December, 2022
    Lullingstone, 17 December, 2022
  • Downe walk in winter
    Sunshine on beech trees, Downe, January
  • Westerham walk looking back to North Downs
  • Fackenden Down hilltop at Warren Farm in winter
  • North Downs Way on the scarp, Chevening walk, January
  • Blue hour at Knole
  • Lullingstone, December 27
    Twilight at Lullingstone, December, 2018
  • path, mid-winter
    Browns and greys are more common than brilliant white in a Kent winter. High Elms path, mid-winter

On a clear, cold afternoon the Fackenden Down walk can be a cracker. Its exposure to the east lends for frost and a brushing of snow while the view of the setting sun is fantastic, often accompanied by mist in the Darent valley just adding to the drama. The Shoreham circular mk2, taking in the high up views from Warren Farm (actually also on Fackenden Down) has some of the best views. Any variation of the Lullingstone walk (from Eysford or from the Lullingstone visitor centre or golf club car park) is terrific in winter. A particular winter favourite of mine is a little bit further out on the Hoo peninsular at Cliffe. The marshes, wildfowl, huge skies and the widening Thames here lend a Norfolk atmosphere to proceedings that’s almost otherworldly on a cold crisp day. I haven’t listed the walk as I have the others but you can find details of it here.

All the walks listed at KWNL are great in winter – the Greensand Ridge views from Ide Hill, Hosey, One Tree Hill; the skeletal woods of Petts Wood, Oldbury and Hever … all take on a special atmosphere. And Knole too, the huge medieval house looks terrific as the sun goes down in winter – perhaps it’s my favourite Christmas walk.

Photography of winter walks can be misleading – we tend to go heavy on the snow, frost and colourful dusks because they are the most photogenic. But of course, such spectacular conditions can be rare and most of the time actually the colours don’t go beyond brown and grey, with hopefully a bit of blue above. However, please indulge me showing off my winter wonderland photos above at this point – such conditions don’t come around so often and we have to make the best of them. And it’s worth noting that even if dank and dull in south-east London it can be sparkling on the higher downs where snow may have fallen.

I’ll bid you farewell for now until the New Year – enjoy the walks and come along to the big band gig on 5 January at the Sundridge Park club, 134 Burnt Ash Lane, Bromley, 8.30-10.30, £12 (cash only).

Happy Christmas.

A sparrowhawk sits for me
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A sparrowhawk sits for me

Working from home has its benefits. A glance out of the kitchen window one grey Thursday recently brought rich dividends. There in the cherry plum tree was a bird. Usually it would be a pigeon, a robin, a great tit or goldfinch. This was larger and was clearly eating something it had pinned to a branch. It was a sight I’ve never seen before – almost a bucketlist scenario in fact, a sparrowhawk in my garden. I’ve had the odd sparrowhawk encounter in my pocket of south-east London before – soaring over Cator park, racing down Perry Vale, zipping low through Mayow Park and most vividly nearly taking my ear off while chasing sparrows in Bell Green. Yes, Bell Green, that hitherto unnoticed wildlife haven. I’ve seen one try to eat a pigeon at Beckenham Cricket Club while out running. It was chased away by crows and the pigeon flew off unimpressed by its brief ordeal.

  • Male sparrowhawk
    Male sparrowhawk notices a crow eyeballing it from across the garden. Not bothered.
  • Don’t look too closely if you’re squeamish. Nature is red in claw …
  • What a privilege to receive a visit from this superb bird

But this was new to me. A sparrowhawk having lunch (a poor little long-tailed tit I believe) for about 10 minutes, unhindered, just a few feet from me. I had to take photos through the kitchen window so as not to disturb him (it was def a male) so the quality isn’t great but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m still rather excited by the whole thing truth be told.

Autumnal tones on the Kent walks
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Autumnal tones on the Kent walks

Autumn in these parts is spectacular. I know people talk in hushed tones about the colours of New England, Canada and Italy’s Apennines in the fall, but really the effect is pretty similar wherever there are trees! Once again, don’t overlook what’s on one’s doorstep in favour of an expensive and laborious trip. The November views of the Weald from Wilmot’s or Mariner’s Hill, or across the Darent Valley and the beech woods of Lullingstone are undeniably amazing. The ever-changing wide skies of Kent are a big factor in teasing out colours and optimising certain tones with the lower sun offering saturated reds, yellows and pinks. And greys, let’s not gloss over.

What’s surprising to me looking at the photos below is how green the countryside is in the Penshurst photo compared with those from elsewhere, yet it was taken on 1 November one week before this weekend’s Hosey walk, and a week after the trip to Shoreham represented here. Strange… could be sunshine and time of day I suppose.

I have lots of great autumn photos from over the past nine years of operating this website. But a selection from the past two weeks (mostly – the Downe and Ide Hill photos are from previous years) is enough to make the point – autumn is a terrific time for a hike on any of the routes at KWNL.

  • Mariners Hill view across the Weald
    Mariners Hill view across the Weald on the Hosey walk
  • Sunbeams and silhouettes
    Sunbeams and silhouettes looking west from Mariner’s Hill on the Hosey/Westerham walks
  • Tower Hill, near Westerham, on the Hosey/Westerham walks
  • A view across the Darent Valley looking east from between Eynsford and Shoreham.
  • trees and river
    Infant Darent River from the Hosey path
  • Near Penshurst on the Chiddingstone walk
  • Mariners Hill
  • Country lane near Romney Street
  • View from Shoreham station bridge
  • Mariners Hill view again
  • Wilmot's Hill
    Wilmot’s Hill, One Tree Hill figure of 8 walk, at dusk
  • Downe walk
  • A deer in Downe, autumn
  • Fackenden Down view
  • Start of Ide Hill walk in fog, autumn
    Start of Ide Hill walk. Autumn
  • Classic autumnal Kent view from Emmett's Garden
    Classic autumnal Kent view from Emmett’s Garden looking across Bough Beach to Chiddingstone and the Weald
  • Ide Hill field, dusk, autumn
    Ide Hill field, dusk, autumn
  • Wilmot’s Hill, late October 2025. One Tree Hill – Ightham walks
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The autumn rush and a Tudor epic
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The autumn rush and a Tudor epic

Despite recent heavyish bursts of rain the walks here are still relatively mud-free. With friends I wielded together two Kent Weald walks on Saturday, the Chiddingstone and Hever circulars, making a pleasing figure-of-8 route of about 11 miles throughout the heart of Tudor Boleyn country. We stopped at two pubs, the Leicester Arms in Penshurst, a really lovely place I hadn’t been to for ages, and the good ol’ Castle Inn in Chiddingstone. The original plan was to include the excellent Henry VIII too, at Hever, but we needed to make up time for a rendezvous in Penshurst. But we did manage to pop in to St Peters church for a look at the wonderful medieval effigy of Margaret Cheyne. Larkins beer was served at both pubs and we tucked into a superb chilli con carne at the Castle Inn. Autumn colours were exceptional and the paths still very solid, with a few decent puddles dotted around. Rain slashed down towards the end of the walk but there were still plenty of leaves still attached to branches to help keep us dry. There were a few buzzards and red kites around but we didn’t see any redwings which we had hoped had arrived from the near continent by now. And yes, I still can’t believe Penshurst Place hasn’t set up a footpath along its southern edge to meet the Eden Valley Path and so avoid hikers having to walk up/down that terrible road.

Hever church (St Peters)

Things will get muddier fairly quickly once we get to the end of the month so it will be wellies before long, or stout waterproof hiking shoes.

Here is the GPX map of the Hever/Chiddingstone/Penshurst figure of 8 – I’ll give it its own page soon.

GPX maps

I’ve updated all the URLs of the OS GPX maps listed for the walks for easier access (somehow the OS had sort of rerouted them or altered the hyperlinks). They should all work much better now.

A very summery type of autumn
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A very summery type of autumn

High pressure is dominating the weather and the near-drought continues. There is no mud on any of the walks, which once would have been unheard of for mid-October. For the past week it’s felt as if summer’s lease has no intention of expiring anytime soon. Amid mild temperatures and cerulean skies we enjoy the spectacles of the season as the greens of September become more mottled and varied as they meld into the yellows, oranges and reds of November. Rosehips, elderberry and sloes decorate the hedgerows and fungi mystically appear in woodland and grassy fringes. I’m not one for foraging; I much prefer to look and leave well alone (apart from blackberries).

Birdlife still seems somnambulant: I’ve been hoping for migrations but in this still weather nothing much seems to stir. A week ago, in the wake of Storm Amy, hundreds of house martins passed overhead heading east with the wind, as a full moon rose in a purple sky. But this was in Lower Sydenham not on the Kent walks. My only notable sightings have been a kingfisher on River Eden on the Chiddingstone walk; red kites over Lullingstone and Downe; grey plover and lapwings on the ever-expanding shoreline at Bough Beech reservoir (I’ve never seen the water so low); and buzzards at Polhill.

My walk at Fackenden Down today (pictured) was serene, colourful and wonderfully warm. But this isn’t autumn, surely. Lovely though it was, I would quite like to feel a fresher breeze, walk with the threat of a squall, squish through a puddle and ponder whether to wear wellies or trainers. That time will come I guess, I’ll enjoy summer’s lease while it lasts.

September walks
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September walks

September and October are two of my favourite months for a stroll. Somehow the light seems sharper, the cloudscapes change more quickly, birds and other creatures are on the move and colourful, mysterious fungi appears. There may be mud to contend with of course so a comfortable pair of wellies may come into their own before too long. I wouldn’t rule out a return of summer yet though, just because it’s raining ferociously as I write. All of the walks sparkle at this time of year but I particularly enjoy the woody One Tree Hill routes, Oldbury and Petts Wood in September. Just an atmosphere thing really.

Talking of cloudscapes, my walk at Downe on Saturday was set to a backdrop of dramatic shower clouds. I was happy to see the worst of them pass to the north, only to discover with some alarm that it had grown a nasty looking limb that was heading my way. My alarm doubled on seeing three forks of lightning flicker to earth. Amid hailstones the size of… er… dried lentils, my swift walk turned into an undignified dash across the final field back to the car in fear of a big flash.

  • 1 Looks far away…
  • 2 Something coming…
  • 3 Oh my gawd…