Hever to Leigh Walk
2 castles, a stately home, rivers, ponds, woods, undulating hills and three lovely villages
History
This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.
Date | Option | Post | # | Weather |
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Wed, 05-Feb-25 | Hever to Leigh | |||
Sat, 08-Apr-23 | Leigh to Hever (Hever to Leigh walk 1.19 in reverse) | 15 | Lovely calm mild day with sunshine | |
Sun, 12-Jun-22 | Late Start: Sunday Saunter Kent Castle Walk (Hever to Leigh) | 13 | beautiful warm sunny day | |
Wed, 16-Feb-22 | Hever to Leigh - a Kent Castles walk, plus Penshurst Place and the River Medway | 10 | sunny spells clouding over later | |
Sat, 13-Nov-21 | Hever to Leigh | 25 | fine overcast without rain | |
Sat, 06-Apr-19 | Hever to Leigh | 24 | grey but fresh | |
Wed, 05-Dec-18 | Hever to Leigh - Kent castles and the River Medway | 6 | mild | |
Sat, 23-Jun-18 | Hever to Leigh - a short, leisurely walk for (nearly) the longest day | 23 | sun and high cloud | |
Tue, 04-Apr-17 | Two Castles, a Stately Home and the Medway Valley | 2 | ||
Sat, 31-Oct-15 | 1 Hever to Leigh | 40 | sunny still calm day | |
Sat, 06-Dec-14 | Hever to Leigh Walk | 0 | ||
Sat, 24-May-14 | Hever to Leigh Walk | 12 | ||
Sat, 15-Mar-14 | Hever to Leigh Walk | 40 | ||
Sat, 07-Dec-13 | Hever to Leigh Walk | 23 | ||
Sat, 07-Sep-13 | Hever to Leigh Walk | 17 | ||
Sat, 17-Nov-12 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 07-Jan-12 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sun, 26-Jun-11 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 26-Feb-11 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Mon, 27-Dec-10 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 10-Apr-10 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 19-Dec-09 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sun, 31-May-09 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Mon, 29-Dec-08 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 09-Aug-08 | a | Hever to Leigh Walk | ||
Sun, 18-May-08 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 22-Dec-07 | a | Hever to Leigh Walk | ||
Sun, 24-Jun-07 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 12-May-07 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sun, 03-Dec-06 | Hever to Leigh Walk | |||
Sat, 11-Nov-06 | Hever to Leigh Walk |
Wednesday 05-Feb-25
Saturday 08-Apr-23
Length: Length: 14.2 km (8.8 miles). Toughness: 2/10
10:21 Thameslink Three Bridges train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10:36). Change at Redhill (arrive 10:52, and hop over to Platform 2 for the 11.10 Southern service to Tonbridge) arriving at Leigh at 11:36
If you miss the above train, you could take the 10.30 Thameslink Horsham train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10:47, Redhill 11:05). You'll have a tight 5 minute change at Redhill for the above connection.
Return trains from Hever are on the hour every hour
Buy a return to Leigh (kent). On the way back it is only valid as far as Edenbridge. In practice a Leigh ticket is usually accepted from Hever, the next stop, but you might be asked to pay a small supplement.
Today's walk follows a completely different walk to yesterday's Leigh to Tunbridge Wells walk (the routes just cross at Penshurst). The proposal today is to reverse route of Hever to Leigh for a change so you may find it easiest to use a map or GPS. The route passes two castles, a stately home, rivers, ponds, woods, undulating hills and three lovely villages: the National Trust village of Chiddingstone; Penshurst, with its half-timbered houses; and the historic village of Leigh
You'll reach Penshurst around 12.45-13.00 so you could have an early lunch there, and stop for tea later on at one of the two nice tea rooms in Chiddingstone. Or you could opt for a later lunch in Chiddingstone. In Hever, the garden of the King Henry VIII is a nice spot for a drink, if you have time to spare before the train. Note: It's 1½ km from this last pub to Hever station, so allow at least 20 minutes to reach it.
Penshurst: Leicester Arms Hotel (01892 871617). Porcupine Pantry (outside Penshurst Place and Gardens 01892 870 307, 01892 871277)
Chiddingstone: Castle Inn Pub. (tel 01892 870 371). The Tulip Tree Tearoom. Chiddingstone Castle tearoom (01892 871504)
Hever: King Henry Ⅷ inn (01732-862457)
These walks are self led: for full details and to download your copy of the directions see the L=1.19 page.
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Wed, 05-Apr-23
Table for 6 has been reserved at Leicester Arms as it's Easter weekend. Can adjust on the day if needed.
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Thu, 06-Apr-23
See above my walk report on Leigh to Tunbridge Wells which follows similarly muddy terrain with fields waterlogged with cattle hooves. Please take note and take high cuff leather boots and poles.
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Thu, 06-Apr-23
This is an entirely different route to Friday's (other than that we go through Penshurst at lunchtime).
Most of the morning to Penshurst is along hard surfaces (apart from the initial stretch to and alongside the river. A quick look at the map shows it's possible to divert from the river section along hard surfaces, if needed, and there are similar diversions on the map for parts of the afternoon.
The next few days look dry (there's even some sun forecast) so hopefully it will be a bit drier underfoot by Saturday.
But, inevitably all walks will have mud after the recent heavy rain so come prepared. It's only mud!
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Thu, 06-Apr-23
Good to see that you have a map for possible alternative options. This is not just mud its major flooding possibilities.
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Thu, 06-Apr-23
I did a walk in the Weald this week from Battle to Robertsbridge. A bit of mud, but nothing excessive. I was actually surprised how dry the ground was.
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Thu, 06-Apr-23
It's the OS map for this walk on this website.
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Fri, 07-Apr-23
Pleased to report that mud on Good Friday walk was perfectly manageable.
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Sat, 08-Apr-23
I think we were15. A Lovely calm mild day with sunshine . I always enjoy this walk, even though I've done it countless times. Lots of birdsong, plenty of ransoms, a few bluebells starting to flower. The llamas are still there but there seem to be more of them and they've been joined by an alpaca. The paths were almost all dry, just the odd patch of mud but hardly enough to mention.
Sunday 12-Jun-22
Book 1/Walk 19: A Kent Castles Walk (Hever to Leigh) t=1.19
Distance: 8.8 Miles or 14.2 km for those more metrically minded
Difficulty: 2 out of 10
Train: Take the 10:51 AM East Grinstead train from London Victoria (stopping at Clapham Junction at 10:58 and East Croydon at 11.09) changing at Hurst Green (11:36 arrival; 11:41 departure) OR take the 10:39 AM Brighton Thameslink from London Bridge (changing onto the Victoria train at East Croydon arriving 10:52; departing 11:09), arriving at Hever at 11:51. Return trains from Leigh are on the hour or 31 minutes past with a change at either Tonbridge or Redhill. Buy a “any permitted” day return to Leigh.
This little gem packs a punch and passes by two castles and a stately home in the pretty undulating Kent countryside. The route passes Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and Penshurst Place, an impressive medieval manor house. You can find more information about the walk and download the walk instructions here.
The recommended lunch spot is the Castle Inn (01892 870 371) in Chiddingstone 3 miles/5 km into the walk). Please call ahead. An alternate early possibility would be the Leicester Arms Hotel (01892 871 617) in Penshurst. Tea and other late afternoon refreshments can be had at Fleur-de-lis in Leigh.
Enjoy the walk!
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Thu, 09-Jun-22
Some recent feedback on the Cowden-Hever walk said that the Castle Inn in Chiddingstone was covered in scaffolding. There's nothing on the pub's website to indicate that it's not open as normal, but you might have to look for another lunch place. There are a couple of tea rooms in the village or you could carry on for another hour or so to the Leicester Arms in Penshurst.
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Tue, 14-Jun-22
To be honest, I have no idea how many were on the platform -- completely forgot to count -- but will go with 13 including 2 special guests and 1 newcomer on a beautiful warm sunny day . The walk was lovely lush and green...saw several llamas, a dragon fly and nearly stepped on a pheasant resting next to the path...The grounds of Chiddingstone Castle were open and were very pleasant....the pond was scarily full of fish moving around the surface...The Castle Inn was closed...so on we went to Penshurst where most had lunch...the straggling group arrived at Leigh about 4.45 to find the 5pm train cancelled....so had a drink at the pub before catching the 5.30 train....All in all, a great day out much enjoyed by our special guests...
Wednesday 16-Feb-22
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Fri, 11-Feb-22
This walk is one of the most treacherous for mud due to the cattle hooves churning up the ground. I’ve only managed to keep my balance by using trekking poles and have had enough of this terrain so won’t be coming this week.
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Fri, 11-Feb-22
Recent reports on walks in this area - Leigh to Sevenoaks (5/2) and Hever to Tonbridge (22/1) - did not suggest ghastly levels of mud similar to our Otford Round walk last month. With very little (if any) rain in Kent for some weeks now I'm hoping conditions will be manageable underfoot today. The post walk report on this Saturday's walk Hever to Dormans (12/2) might give us a further clue on what we might expect on Wednesday 16/2.
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Mon, 14-Feb-22
The Hever to Dormans walk report is now in, and there is no mention of excessive mud.
However, since the walk on Saturday there has been an afternoon and night of very heavy rain in Kent, with more rain to come later this afternoon, so might I suggest we play safe this Wednesday and wear gaiters and bring along a trecking pole or pair of poles.
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Wed, 16-Feb-22
Nine walkers alighted from the train at Hever, and one more joined us outside Chiddingstone Castle, so that made 10 for today's adventure.
The sun shone as we left Hever in very mild conditions, unseasonably so. Later it clouded over, and the wind increased as Storm Dudley swept into Scotland and Northern England, with lesser impact on the south, so I will report sunny spells clouding over later . Infact, after lunch it briefly tried to rain but it passed over us. During the morning we had the company of a walk leader - first name John - a Scotsman from Ramblers, Westminster & Chelsea Group, and good company, too. He left us at Chiddingstone, where we found the Castle Inn closed, so on we continued to Penshurst.
Conditions under foot could be described, in horse racing parlance, as soft going. After seventy two hours of steady rain in this part of Kent, paths were muddy and waterlogged. The mud was slippery at times, but never as bad as we encountered last month in Otford. But muddy it was today.
Arriving in Penshurst we made for the Leicester Arms, where six of us enjoyed a good lunch, served efficiently and with a smile. The sandwiches were particularly good. The others all popped in for a drink. After settling up the bill I called in to the downstairs gents and on my return upstairs, to put my walking boots back on, I found the others had all buggered off, leaving me behind. All I will say is I would never be so inconsiderate on a SWC walk and I would never, ever dream of setting off without a full complement - but I'm afraid this is rather typical of the SWC - one of the unattractive sides to it. Fortunately, as the walk updater, I knew the route and all was well, but I'm not sure what would have happened if my companions had set off leaving a new walker behind.
Leaving the pub the wind increased and rain threatened for a while as I made my way to Leigh. Some of my erstwhile companions stopped for refreshments in the Fleur de Lis pub, under new management and open afternoons now for drinks - which is good news. I met up with some of them at the railway station and I believe I was remarkably polite to them, all considered. We only had a few minutes to wait before our trains arrived to take us back to town, some via Redhill and others via Tonbridge.
Today's walk is an excellent one, for its variety and interesting sites and sights and although it was muddy in places I believe we all enjoyed it.
But a shame about my companions behaviour.
Saturday 13-Nov-21
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Mon, 15-Nov-21
25 or so walkers set out on this well known but still lovely walk
fine overcast without rain was the weather for the day.
Lunch was taken at The Castle or the Leicester Arms or picnic or cafe.
Someone recently mentioned that too many walk reports were too long if they weren't funny
I trust that this is not too long
Saturday 06-Apr-19
Getting there
Catch the 10:07 Uckfield train from London Bridge (10:22 East Croydon) to Hever arriving there at 10:49.Buy a return ticket to Leigh (Kent) pronounced Lie
Length: 14 km
Maps
Toughness 2/10
Getting Back
Catch a train at 26 minutes past the hour from Platform 2 at Leigh station changing at Tonbridge (8 minutes wait) . This service calls at Sevenoaks, London Bridge and Waterloo East arriving at Charing Cross at 22 minutes past the following hour.I don't advise catching trains back via Redhill (Platform 1) as there are engineering works on the London to Brighton Line which may affect journey times.
More Information
Walkers may take lunch at Chiddingstone where the Castle Inn and the Tulip Tree tearooms offer sustenance and drinks. Those with a packed lunch may eat in the Church grounds opposite, but bear in mind this is quite a popular venue for spring weddings.Further on there is the Leicester Arms and the Porcupine Cafe at Penshurst. At Leigh there's a village shop. There is also the Fleur De Lis pub which used to close in the afternoon. Feedback on it's current opening hours appreciated!
T=1.19
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Sat, 06-Apr-19
Will be going on this walk from London Bridge Marian
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Sun, 07-Apr-19
Hever to Leigh
6th April 2019
24 grey but fresh .
Hever to Leigh
6th April 2019
24 on this walk. The day was grey but fresh. This is a lovely walk and I think most of us did the traditional version. Lots of wild garlic which is not yet in flower, some wood anemonies towards the end, and even a faint scattering of bluebells.
We noticed that the chickens and pig had gone, but there were 5 alpacas in the adjoining field. We spoke to the owner who gave us information about benefits of keeping alpacas.
There is a slight change to the route – para 11 states ‘In 150 metres you cross a lane on a wooden bridge’ the wooden bridge has disappeared, and there is a slight diversion – we actually walk on the lane for a bit rather than crossing it but stay parallel to the original path.
Lunch at the Castle Inn (very nice) was had by 13 of us, and the others I believe had packed lunch in the Church grounds opposite. The group broke up somewhat after lunch. About 6 of us stopped at Leicester Arms for teas and coffees and then completed the walk back to Leigh.
A lovely walk as usual.
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Mon, 08-Apr-19
The owner said that Alpacas are very good at guarding chickens from foxes - they surround the intruder or chase it away. Also, if anyone is harrassing one of the alpacas, the rest of the alpacas will gang up on that person.
Alpacas are good for 'mowing'the grass; only cost about £150 a year in special diet, and their wool is better and more expensive than sheep's wool. However, you need more than 5 alpacas to make selling the woolen financially worthwhile.
Wednesday 05-Dec-18
Length: 14.2 km (8.8 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10
London Bridge: 10-07 hrs Uckfield service. East Croydon: 10-22 hrs
Arrive Hever: 10-49 hrs
Return
Leigh to London Bridge (changing trains at Tonbridge): 26 and 56 mins past the hour
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Leigh (Kent)
You should be back at London Bridge in good time to don the glad rags and hit the SWC Xmas party with a swagger
The introduction to this walk in the TO Book claims this walk is both fascinating and very beautiful through the Garden of England: I agree - but you can judge for yourself by coming along !
The walk may be short in length but you are spoilt for choice for sights along the way: two castles, a stately home, a proper water feature !, woods, farmland and undulating hills. I leave it to you to read the comprehensive notes in the Directions which contain opening times of the castles. Ditto, information on your lunch and tea options.
Recommended !
T=1.19
Your walk directions are here L=1.19
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Mon, 26-Nov-18
Hello MARCUS I HOPE YOU ARE BACK WALKING BY NOW .tHIS IS NOT the right place I know but Itried to do Walk 41 last week having missed the train by 2 minutes. I found that some of the identifying signs seemed to have been covered up and the path which led to the A5 had been completely blocked by brushwood.Of course you had probably already done an update but just in case anyone else ventures out with an old version of the walk
Best,
Jane
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Tue, 27-Nov-18
Hi Jane
Reference Book 1, Walk 41 - Bow Brickhill to Leighton Buzzard, please e-mail through to me the paras.in the Directions where you had difficulty following the route, due to missing signs, waymarks etc.and I will check the Directions, updating them where necessary.
Many thanks
marcusDOTperryATbtinternetDOTcom
Marcus
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Fri, 07-Dec-18
Six off the train in Hever 6 dressed for a walk in the rain. As it turned out the rain held off until we got back to London so the muddy fields weren’t as bad as they might have been. Only one slipped in the mud but managed not to break a wrist or a leg or dislocate a shoulder or end up in A&E with a black eye – have I missed anyone ?
We reached the first pub, the Castle Inn in Chiddingstone, at 12.00 but, however enticing the interior, it was just too early for all but one to stop for lunch.
The mild weather conditions mild and- overcast caused one to top up her water supplies in the oldest shop in the country (fact check needed) and then we pressed on to Penshurst. Three had an excellent leisurely lunch in the Leicester Arms and failed to catch up with the two picnickers but not because we found the one hill on the walk too challenging.
Back in Leigh everywhere was shut apart from a shop which sold hot drinks to take away.
A short but pretty walk which curiously failed to entice those who prefer short walks.
Saturday 23-Jun-18
Toughness: None (all right, 2 out of 10)
10.07 train from London Bridge (10.22 East Croydon) to Hever, arriving 10.49
Buy a day return to Leigh ("Lie"), Kent. Our train ticket boffins tell us that this is valid to Edenbridge Town, the stop before Hever, because Edenbridge station (nearby but on a different line) is a possible route to Leigh and tickets to Edenbridge are valid to either Edenbridge station. Hever is one stop beyond Edenbridge Town, but Leigh is several stops beyond Edenbridge, so going one extra stop to Hever should be OK.....Alternatively, you might reverse this logic and buy a day return to Hever: this by definition is valid via Edenbridge Town, and so also via Edenbridge station. A valid route from Edenbridge station to London is via Leigh and Tonbridge, so a Hever return should one theory work on that route too. (Good luck explaining any of this to a bolshie train manager, however...)
For directions click here. For GPX click here.
Oh, how fashions change!! Once this walk was posted so often we could have changed our names to "The Hever to Leigh Walking Club". Its popularity was undoubted and unassailable. But now like a child that becomes a teenager, the SWC has moved on to longer, more adventurous walks. Would you believe that dear old "H2L" has not had a Saturday posting for two and a half years, nor a spring or summer one for four?
My other reason for picking it is that I hear the mutterings from the "Left Behinds", from the ones who do the short option, take the bus from the lunch pub, watch sadly as the group races off into the distance. "Why do we never have any walks under ten miles anymore?" they cry. So here is my response.
Also not incidentally, today is the longest Saturday of the year. No doubt other posters will wish to celebrate that fact by posting long expeditions to far-flung places. Well, this is a short expedition to a near-flung place and one well worth dawdling over. You might decide to visit Hever Castle or Penshurst Place (not, alas, Chiddingstone Castle, which perversely does not open on Saturdays) You might want to linger over tea in the Fir House Tearoom (if it still exists or deigns to open) or stop in one of the four pubs en route for a summery drink. This is a walk to savour, not to gulp. It is light till 10pm: take your time.
Trains back from Leigh are at 26 past (until 22.26, if you want to make the most of the daylight...) changing at Tonbridge for a train back to London Bridge or Charing Cross. T=1.19
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Thu, 21-Jun-18
You can indeed extend this walk to Tonbridge using the morning of the Tonbridge to Penshurst walk in reverse: a pleasant evening stroll
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Sat, 23-Jun-18
23 on this walk on a day of sun and high cloud .
I was asked to call this report “Three Weddings and No Funeral” but I personally only saw two weddings, one in Chiddingstone and the other in Penshurst. The former almost put us off going to the pub as they were all drinking outside it. But in fact the pub itself was empty and positively begged for our custom. The fact that they only had four mains - they were working up a new menu, apparently - might have been one reason. We nearly all had fish and chips. It was grand sitting out in the very picturesque garden with the church spire behind.
In the afternoon the countryside looked parched: it will be time to break out the desert kit soon. Coming into Penshurst we passed wedding number two (or three) and found a small queue outside the Fir Tree tea room waiting for it to open at 2.30pm. We turned this into a big queue and I was all ready for grumbles from the proprietress as it became clear we wanted a table for fifteen or so. But in fact she could not have been nicer. Tables were moved, chairs were moved and we all sat in the delightful shade of a willow tree in the garden and were royally served. The tea - in pots so big they were heavy to lift - seemed inexhaustible. The cakes were gorgeous and all was dished up on proper china. There was even soy milk. We all agreed that this was the best SWC tea ever.
Passing the happy couple being photographed drinking a freshly opened bottle of champagne in the back of their chauffeured Aston Martin (I wonder how much all that cost) we carried on. Always nice to have a walk with a good stretch after tea to work the cake off. Most finished at Leigh but four of us went on to Tonbridge (one more having started with us but then changed her mind), adding 2.5 miles or so to the walk. In Tonbridge we rehydrated in Weatherspoons and went to a nice Nepalese curry house. There are worse ways to spend a day.
Tuesday 04-Apr-17
Length: 14.2 km (8.8 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10
London Bridge: 10-08 hrs Uckfield service. East Croydon 10-23 hrs
Arrive Hever: 10-49 hrs
Leigh (Kent) to London Victoria: direct - 16-23, 16-44 and 17-25 hrs. Changing at Redhill - 17-53 and 18-27 hrs.
Leigh to Charing Cross: 16-35 and 17-28 hrs changing at Tonbridge
Rail ticket: suggest a day return to Leigh (Kent). This is usually accepted on your outward journey although tehnically you might have to pay a small supplement from Edenbridge Town.
This lovely walk through Kent's Garden of England packs a punch way above its weight for a short(ish) walk, as it fits in lots of places to visit along the route whilst you progress through Kent's lovely countryside. Depending on how much time you wish to set aside for sightseeing, you are spoilt for choice: in order along the route, you have Hever Castle, St Peter's Church, Chiddingstone Castle, St Mary's Church, Penshurst Place and John the Baptist Church. Add in the Medway River as your water feature for the day, and you have the ingredients for more than a half decent walk.
Your lunch stop depends on whether you wish to stop in Chiddingstone or press on to Penshurst. Your only option today in Chiddingstone (as the Castle Inn has yet to re-open) is the Tulip Tree Tea Rooms - perfectly pleasant for light fare. If you think you can make Penshurst by 2-30 pm, then your option here is the Leicester Arms , an atmospheric hotel-pub-restaurant, serving good food. This pub also acts as a tea stop if you luncheoned in Chiddingstone. Your alternative tea stop in Penshurst is the cafe within Penshurst Place - the Porcupine Pantry. On arriving in Leigh you will find the Fleur-de-Lis pub closed for the afternoon, not re-opening until 6 pm. Just up the road is the Village Stores, which sells cold drinks, cakes and provisions.
If the weather is nice today you should enjoy this walk, with Spring flowers in abundance along the way, new-born lambs in the fields early on in the walk and in Penshurst Place, plus all the sights and places to visit.
T=1.19
Newly updated Walk Directions here: L=1.19
Saturday 31-Oct-15
Tea
There are tea shops in Penshurst closing at 5pm, or the Fleurs-deLis pub in Leigh near the station.
L=1.19
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40
sunny still calm day
I'm not sure if anyone actually counted how many but I'd say we were around 40. A lovely, pleasant walk in fabulous weather. Some lunched in the Castle pub or The Tulip Tree cafe in Chiddingstone, others went on the Leicester Arms or Porcupine Pantry in Penshurst and a few stopped to watch the rugby at the Fleur de Lys in Leigh.