In my most recent newsletter there was a glaring omission. I listed the best walks on this site for mud avoidance but forgot to mention Knole. This was particularly remiss of me because not only does it deserve a place in any list of non-muddy winter walks it should actually be top of the list.

A walk there last week revealed only one properly muddy bit, in the conifer woods in the south east of the park near the beginning of the route as you cross the little stream. The park is brilliant at all times of year but I particularly love it in late autumn as small flocks of migratory birds hide in hawthorn shrubs, buzzards float high above and the deer develop enormous antlers. Fungi is also better here than on any other of the walks I think. I’m no expert, but the amethyst deceiver is among the most colourful, and there are other great species here such as saffrondrop bonnets and fairy fingers. We saw devil’s fingers on our most recent walk, very weird looking stuff.

Knole in autumn, honey fungii, parasol, puffball, devils finger

Knole (click here for National Trust description) is quite a rare terrain: it sits just behind the Greensand Ridge and is mainly composed of acid grassland (click for Kent Wildlife Trust in-depth). In fact it contains about 35% of all the acid grassland in Kent, a terrain that provides habitat for lots of wildflowers and rare fauna including lizards and adders, and invertebrates such as deadwood beetles. The little hillocks in the grass are the nests of yellow meadow ants, and in turn their presence helps support a good green woodpecker population.

Knole House

Back to mud: I’d say the best routes for mud avoidance are:

1 Knole

2 Lullingstone – from the golf course entrance or from Eynsford station

3 Fackenden Down

4 Polhill and Shoreham

5 Ide Hill (now that the paths have been relaid – but can still get bad at points)

By and large the walks on the North Downs chalk are better for avoiding mud as water seeps through the thin soil into the porous walk quicker. Yet, to contradict this, Knole is sandstone and the worst spot for mud at KWNL is on the chalk Andrew’s Wood hillside on the way to Meenfield woods and Polhill/Pluto.

Mud, frost and snow at One Tree Hill, February 2021

Mostly, a pair of wellies and overtrousers will sort you out where things get really squelchy but I’ll be mostly avoiding Underriver (Ramshed Farm in particular), and the Low Weald walks at Hever and Chiddingstone for now. Where paths are hemmed in a bit and popular with walkers things also get very squelchy (like the path up into Lullingstone from the Roman Villa pictured in the leading image, for example). So ‘natural causes’ are not always responsible for mud, though I suspect the water table and a layer of clay might be responsible for Andrews Wood hillside. One Tree Hill is surprising to me – it’s not a place you’d think would get so bad. It could be footfall, or perhaps some water table-related reason is the reason. Another morass is on the popular Downe walk just before you re-emerge into the village right at the end. The popular Shoreham Circular is OK, though footfall on the path through the golf course can lead to horrendously swampy conditions!

So, worst for mud are:

One Tree Hill (at the top of the hill near the car park is horrendous if wet)

Underriver (aforementioned farm and waterlogged low weald fields)

Polhill/Pluto – Andrews Wood hillside and Polhill slope itself (too slippery in winter)

Hever – hemmed in paths create WW1-type conditions

Chiddingstone – waterlogged fields by River Eden

But you may disagree! Let me know your favourite and least favourite muddy zones at KWNL, email ammcculloch49@gmail.com