November 10, 2025 by ammcculloch49

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 on the Hosey walk
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.
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, One Tree Hill figure of 8 walk, at dusk
Downe walk
A deer in Downe, autumn
Fackenden Down view
Start of Ide Hill walk. Autumn
Classic autumnal Kent view from Emmett’s Garden looking across Bough Beach to Chiddingstone and the Weald
Ide Hill field, dusk, autumn
Wilmot’s Hill, late October 2025. One Tree Hill – Ightham walks

October 13, 2025 by ammcculloch49

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 14, 2025 by ammcculloch49

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…

July 19, 2025 by ammcculloch49

A welcome rainy interlude

A torrentially rainy day is great for a reset. In my case this means playing music and doing indoor things that I’ve managed to avoid usually by going on Kent walks. It’s been a run of busy weekends: I’ve played gigs in the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire in addition to the usual local big bands; been to the north Norfolk coast for a reacquaintance with one of my favourite bits of coast (oh the bliss of the marshes of Holkham, Cley and Blakeney); spent time in East Sussex with family and at the Love Supreme festival (Jacob Collier, Chucho Valdes, Branford Marsalis and Stanley Clarke the main attractions for me). I also saw John Scofield’s great new quartet in London (this is all jazzy by the way, apols if it means zilch to you, dear reader). The sum result of all this, in addition to the 9 to 5, has been a dearth of Kent walks, Kent cycles, Kent photography. I’ve only managed three long cycles out to Knockholt and the Pilgrim’s Way since May – imagine!

Best rainy day walks at KWNL

The rain this weekend is of course a real blessing for the fauna and flora on the walks (the butterflies may feel a bit put out by me writing this of course), and will green things up for the next few weeks. NW Kent was looking a bit scratchy, dusty and arid after all. I usually associate that look with later in August when that ‘done with summer’ mood is afoot, not early July when people haven’t even gone on holiday (or booked holiday!). As it happens, I’m partial to a rainy walk as long as not too extreme, but I draw the line at lots of lightning close by! My rainy walk tip? I’d say woods are lovely in the rain and obviously provide cover – so Petts Wood and Oldbury iron age fort would be my choices today. Knole, while not particularly woody, has a damp appeal too – it’s an atmosphere thing possibly.

Rainy July day. Point 5, Chevening walk
Kettleshill Farm oast houses in the rain, Underriver
Rainy July day. Looking up at the scarp, Chevening walk
Top path in Meenfield wood in drizzle, Shoreham, Kent, August
Nr Romney Street, Round Hill, Austin Spring
September, rainy day looking out from Polhill Bank near Shoreham.
A squall approaches Kemsing from the Brasted direction

Still, so far this year I’ve covered all the routes with the exception of Heaverham to Otford and the Heaverham circular (no particular reason why). I’ve walked the ‘go-tos’ several times each: Polhill, Downe, Fackenden, Bough Beech and Hosey Hill; and done all of the ‘occasionals’ such as Oldbury, Hever, Chiddingstone. I do feel the need to add extra walks… I know I need to add Meopham, Cliffe, Bexley, and perhaps Goathurst Common. There’s also a lovely walk from Tunbridge Wells that I should add involving the High Rocks. I reckon train access is particularly important; I’m uncomfortable with the assumption that everyone has a car (I can barely afford my own!). I think I’ve done well to get to 30 walks on the site; after all they are really springboards for your own adventures and can be modified, extended, shortened as you see fit. Let’s see if I can add a couple more by early 2026.

June 20, 2025 by ammcculloch49

Not too hot to trot in Kent

When the temperature hits 30C a lot of us prefer to sit in the shade, sip a drink, maybe head to the park cafe, try to keep cool. But Kent Walkers Near London are rather like mad dogs and Englishmen – they go out in the midday sun and hit the trails of the North Downs and Greensand Ridge and anything in between. My cut off is closer to 35C when it comes to walking – I once did a few miles in Joshua Tree national park in the Mojave desert (not a Kent walk near London) at about 38C. It was great! No problemo. Just bring water and don’t get too lost and you’ll be fine! In fact doing the Kent walks are a better way of keeping cool than hanging in SE London – there’s usually a breeze on the downs and trees for shade. Plus they’ll be butterflies and wildflowers to enjoy. And unlike Joshua Tree there’s a decent pub never much more than a mile away. In terms of distance, as long as you’re feeling good there’s no problem with doing a walk up to 6 miles in high temperatures. One little tip though: if you do the Eastern Valleys route (quite taxing on a hot day as the valley kind of magnifies the heat) take secateurs as one of the paths gets overgrown a bit at this time of year and you don’t want want those pristine bare legs to be ripped to shreds! Enough. Enjoy!!

Magpie Bottom in the August heat
Eastern Valleys walk
Cudham: looking back at Point 7, high summer
Magpie Bottom, early summer.
Lullingstone horse chestnut in flower
View from Polhill, July.
Cudham walk, July, between point 2 and 3, the field short cut
View from Chevening walk

May 10, 2025 by ammcculloch49

Bluebells 2025 – the winner!

The season is now over. It was as beautiful as ever at its peak, but this year the dry weather and maybe the cold wind, were not conducive to the bloom’s longevity. Last weekend at Ide Hill and Emmetts Garden the bluebells were gorgeous but already well on the wane. In fact at Ide Hill, brambles have taken over some of the areas where once bluebells thrived. Some of my favourites this year were at the top of Wilmot’s Hill near Ightham Mote; but what has struck me in recent weeks is how pretty bluebells are when mingled with other flowers – notably cuckoo flowers, red campion and stitchwort – at the foot of hedgerows. The Bough Beech walk has some of my favourite examples, Underriver too. Oh yes, and below Polhill Bank on the path to Sepham Farm, where you are likely to be serenaded by yellowhammers (that’s a bird by the way, not a construction tool).

New Year’s Wood, Cudham
New Year’s Wood, Cudham
Emmett Gardens
Wild garlic and bluebells, Emmett
Emmett Gardens
Scord Wood, near Ide Hill
Ide Hill 2025
Wilmott Hill bluebells
Cuckoo flowers and bluebells near Bore Place, Bough Beech
Wood anemones and early bluebells, Andrew’s Wood, near Shoreham
Lullingstone

So, to the winner and runners-up of the annual Kent Walks Near London bluebell competition:

New Year’s Wood, Cudham chalk paths walk
Hedgerow bluebells, Bough Beech walk
Top of Wilmot’s Hill, One Tree Hill figure of eight walk

Last year’s winner, the Blueberry Lane meadow, at Knockholt was obviously utterly stunning but the rules state that the same location can’t win the following year. I actually visited New Year’s Wood very early in the bluebell season, before they’d quite found their colour, but the seas of young flowers in the late afternoon sunlight were truly beguiling in that quiet, mysterious wood.

Please contact me with any omissions in my not particularly extensive bluebell research. The season only lasts a couple of weeks so it’s not always possible to get around all the walks to view them – I didn’t go to High Elms, Oldbury, Petts Wood, Meenfield Wood (recently scarred by timber work) or Lullingstone over the past month so no idea how good they were.

March 6, 2025 by ammcculloch49

Change is afoot, it’s time to March

Now that there’s some prolonged sunshine, some of the humungous amounts of mud from February are beginning to dry up. ‘Some‘ being the operative word. Still, let’s welcome the bright weather, which is set to continue this weekend. Saturday could be a bumper day for Kent Walks near London but wellies are definitely still needed – because shaded mud patches will not have dried as yet, not even close. Early spring can be an odd time of year – the trees still appear brown and grey from a distance, though close-up you can see buds. Soon the blackthorn will flower – that’s when spring has sprung for me. Early March in good weather is a very particular time of year – it’s as if spring caught the natural world asleep, and it takes a little time to wake up. But already there’s more birdsong and a bumblebee or two getting busy. I particularly like the Ide Hill, One Tree Hill, Bough Beech and Hever walks at this time of year, the south-facing slope of the Greensand Ridge focuses the warmth and is protected from any cold easterly or northerly winds. You can’t help but feel a bit of optimism, despite you know, everything. The pictures below are from the Bough Beech, Petts Wood, Chevening, Ide Hill and One Tree Hill routes. I love the blackthorn. The featured picture for this post is the woods at Hever in late March. There’s a sheen of primrose and celandine on the woodland floor; I really like the photograph, I can remember every detail of that day.

Flooded woods, Bough Beech, March
March view over Brasted and Sundridge
Blackthorn blossom on One Tree Hill, Sevenoaks, Kent

February 5, 2025 by ammcculloch49

Hosey heights

Three weeks after the previous perfect winter’s day – and another grey, wet interlude – another stupendous afternoon drew me out of SE London for a walk. I resisted the winter allure of Fackenden Down and chose Hosey Common for my pre-football walk. The early morning frost had gone, leaving the ground horrendously squelchy in places – many places – but the cloudless sky and sharp light were dazzling. The temperature was around 7C but somehow felt warmer; the lack of breeze meant you felt the sun and I reckoned a t-shirt was all I needed, though I had committed to a puffa jacket. As you can see from the photos, in this kind of light even the skeletal trees of February in England lose their bleakness; colour came back in to the countryside.

Using the OS Map app on my phone I came across OS Locate Me which displays a digital compass and an altitude reading. I’d never have guessed the Hosey walk reaches 715 feet above sea level (just after crossing Hosey Common Lane before the descent into Chartwell) making it probably the most lofty route at Kent Walks Near London (maybe the Ide Hill route near Emmett’s Garden pips it, as do routes starting from nearby Toys Hill). The OS site is great, not just for pinpointing your location but for lots of other stuff – if you pay, you get the 3-D ‘fly through’ feature, which is really great for getting a sense of the terrain and slopes you’ll encounter on the walk.

With my boys I once did the Hosey/Westerham walk in rather different winter weather. It was early 2018 and the Mini-Beast from the East was about to strike in earnest, but we didn’t realise this having not watched a weather forecast. The photo below reveals the conditions we faced near the end of the walk.

snow in Kent — *Nearing the end of the Westerham walk in snow, 3 March 2018*

January 12, 2025 by ammcculloch49

Wintry weekend in west Kent

At last, sharp sunny days with frost. Walkers in the North Downs were rewarded at the weekend by a cobalt sky, heavy frost, colourful sunsets and perhaps the remnants of snow from the previous Wednesday night – it was hard to tell where the frost stopped and the snow started. I walked at Beckenham Place Park on Saturday morning before taking the Fackenden Down walk in the afternoon. As soon as we got a bit higher in the hills, the conditions became increasingly picturesque. Magpie Bottom, a hollow that faces north, was a picture, but unfortunately my camera battery had died and we resorted to phone camera images. The last time I saw similar conditions was in January 2022 but on that occasion the temperature must have been even lower because the frost remained glued to the trees even in mid afternoon whereas on Saturday there was some kind of thaw happening where the sun was felt. A sublime, memorable walk.

Please contact me at ammcculloch49@gmail.com with comments about the walks.

Pictured below: sunset from the top of Fackenden Down; moonshine at Fackendon Down; Adam (the author) and Bonny (Photo by S. Hart); looking east into Magpie Bottom; looking along the little valley north from Dunstall Farm; Dunstall Farm; ice on Beckenham Place Park’s lake; swimmers in the lake; looking east along the lake; the lake amid frosty reedbeds

October 27, 2024 by ammcculloch49

Weald of wonder near Westerham

An El Classico of an autumn day. And about time too. We decided that the Hosey walk on the Greensand ridge route at Westerham was the one for us, given the foliage, and views of the Weald from Mariner’s Hill. This time last year the Heaverham circular walk at Kemsing provided something very similar but the warmth of that late October 2023 day seemed freakish at the time. Today was more normal, just a lovely day – neither warm nor cool. The leaf colours, especially in the little valley of the infant River Darent, were superb as hopefully the photos below show, and the vista across the roof of Churchill’s Chartwell gaff as magnificent as ever. I was expecting to see redwings recently arrived from the Netherlands and generally more birds flocking together. But nothing much happened on that front, although mistle thrush were heard and a large buzzard lifted off close to us in one meadow. A pint at the Westerham Brewery place on the way back was an outstanding finale. However, the effect wore off as my football team lost.