Shoreham Circular (Figure-of-8) Walk

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Walk Map

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Walk Options

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13. Main Walk (20 km)

1. Alternative Walk (15¼ km)
2. Short Walk (north) (10½ km)
3. Short Walk (south) (9½ km)

Walk Directions

Click on any section heading to switch between detailed directions and an outline, or the heading above to switch all sections.

If you are doing the Alternative Walk or the Short Walk (south), start at [?] in §F.

1. Shoreham Station to Shoreham High Street (1¼ km)
• Go out onto Station Road and under the railway bridge. Veer right into a large field and take a new permissive path parallel to the road. On the far side continue through the churchyard and down Church Street, joining the Darent Valley Path (DVP). At the river bridge keep ahead onto Darenth Way and follow the DVP as far as Mill Lane. Go up the lane and across the High Street onto a footpath.
1. From the platform do not go out along the station approach road, but turn right and go down a flight of steps near the footbridge. Go under the railway bridge on Station Road and veer right into a large field to take a new permissive path along its edge, parallel to the road.
2. In the next corner follow the field edge briefly round to the right, joining the Darent Valley Path? (DVP), then turn left through a kissing gate in a low flint wall into the churchyard, the starting point of the Samuel Palmer Trail? (SPT). Follow the tree-lined path past the church of Ss Peter and Paul?, which is well worth visiting.

   You will have another chance to visit this church later in the walk.

3. Go out through its lychgate, with The Samuel Palmer pub / restaurant opposite. Follow the road (now Church Street) gently downhill, passing a driveway leading to The Mount Vineyard? on the right. At the bottom the road bends right to run alongside a branch of the River Darent for a short distance.

For the next 2½ km you will be following the Walk 1–23 route.

4. Do not cross the river on the road bridge but keep ahead onto Darenth Way, passing the War Memorial? on the riverbank. Pass to the left of Water House? and follow the tree-lined riverside path.
5. After passing a few properties the vineyard is visible off to the right, beyond an orchard. At the far end cross the river on a footbridge and follow the path alongside the garden fence for Mill House.
6. After passing the entrance to the house leave the DVP & SPT (a footpath off to the right, which is the return route) and go up Mill Lane to its T-junction with the High Street. Cross the road carefully and go through a new wooden gate onto the footpath opposite.
2. Shoreham High Street to Upper Beechen Wood (2¼ km)
• Follow the footpath alongside the main road to the neighbouring hamlet of Darenthdale. Turn right onto Shacklands Road, then turn left at the second junction into Cockerhurst Road. In 350m take a footpath on the right leading past Homewood Farm to Redmans Lane. Turn left briefly onto the road, then take a footpath on the right along a field edge and into Upper Beechen Wood.
1. Follow the enclosed path alongside the main road. In 100m go through a metal kissing gate and turn right to follow a line of wooden posts curving round the edge of a large field, climbing steadily. At the top go through another kissing gate and keep ahead on a short track through a belt of trees.
2. Go past a vehicle barrier onto Shacklands Road and turn right to go downhill, taking care as there is no pavement. You will be turning left at the second road junction, into Cockerhurst Road.
   • On the left just before this junction, if you go up a few steps in the bank you will discover a curious memorial stone?.
3. Go along the tree-lined Cockerhurst Road for 350m, through a small dip and then steadily uphill. Opposite the first house on the left (Coombe Vale) turn right through a gap in the trees onto a signposted footpath, which winds through a scrubby area and then broadens out to continue climbing between a wire fence and shrubs.
4. At the top follow the path round to the right and go through a small metal gate to head N along the left-hand edge of a large field, towards the buildings of Homewood Farm. On the far side bear left onto a narrow path beside a wooden fence and continue along the farm's concrete driveway to a narrow road with high hedges (Redmans Lane).
5. Turn left onto the lane (leaving the Walk 1–23 route), taking care as there is no pavement. In 100m turn right up steps in the bank onto a signposted footpath. Go through a small metal gate and along the left-hand edge of a field, then through more gates and past farm sheds into Upper Beechen Wood, part of Lullingstone Country Park?. Almost immediately you come to a path crossing with a wooden signpost.
3. Upper Beechen Wood to Lullingstone Castle (3 km)
• Keep ahead at the crosspaths and follow the Lullingstone Loop northwards, then turn right onto a horse route heading east into a valley. Unless you prefer to stay on the horse route along the valley floor, fork left onto a path which swings round through the top of the golf course to Orchid Bank, then bears left down a slope to rejoin it. At the edge of the country park keep ahead on a permissive path leading down to Lullingstone Castle.

There are many possible routes through this country park, although the waymarked trails through the woodland lead directly to the Visitor Centre rather than Lullingstone Castle. For a longer route you could follow the waymarked Lullingstone Loop in a clockwise direction all the way around the park's northern perimeter.

1. For the suggested route keep ahead at the crosspaths, initially following a black arrow waymarker for the Lullingstone Loop (LL). The woodland path winds downhill for 200m, turning right at a marker post near the bottom to come to a golf fairway. Cross this carefully, watching out for golfers playing from left to right. Head for a gap in the trees opposite and continue on a path climbing gently through a copse.
2. At the top keep to the left of a golf green and follow a line of tall trees to meet a surfaced path by a footpath signpost. Turn right onto the path, now also on a horse route (blue arrows). Follow the path round a left-hand bend and then keep right in front of a small wood, leaving the LL which enters the wood.
3. After another left-hand bend the horse route goes straight ahead down the valley, but for better views fork left to stay on the surfaced path alongside the wood.
   • The horse route goes all the way along the valley floor, with the main route rejoining from the left at an oblique path crossing near the far side of the country park. If you take this straightforward alternative route (saving 200m), resume the directions at [?].
4. On the suggested route the surfaced path curves round to the right and passes a maintenance area after 250m. It then turns half-left and becomes a broad grassy path. Ignore ways off and stay on the main path as it heads roughly E, with a belt of trees on the right after 250m.
5. Carry on alongside these trees, in a further 250m also with a wood on the left. Later the path turns half-right and gently descends through the golf course, heading SE with fine views across the Darent valley. Keep ahead at path crossings, with the path gradually curving left.
6. In 250m the path bears left around the back of a slightly elevated golf tee to head E again, with Orchid Bank sloping down to the right. Follow the path down a long gentle slope for 300m to an oblique path crossing, where you turn half-left to rejoin the horse route you were on earlier.
7. In 200m the horse route comes to a metal fieldgate on the edge of the country park, by the left-hand edge of some trees. Go past the gate onto a permissive path curving downhill alongside a farm field. At the bottom go through a gap in the hedge into a small parking area, where the route continues to the right.
   • It is worth detouring left to view the imposing entrance to Lullingstone Castle and going through its Tudor Gatehouse? to visit the unusual parish church of St Botolph?. This “Church on the Lawn” is open to the public at all times, even though you might have to unhook a chain before walking across the manor house's private lawn to reach it.
4. Lullingstone Castle to Shoreham (Mill Lane) (2½ km)
• Head south on the DVP alongside the River Darent. After passing (the back of) the Visitor Centre continue on a permissive path alongside Castle Road. Stay on the DVP as it goes across fields and then back alongside the river to Mill Lane on the outskirts of Shoreham.
1. At the back of the parking area go through a wooden kissing gate to continue on an attractive tree-lined path alongside the River Darent, with glimpses of a large fishing lake beyond it.
2. In 600m the DVP swings left to skirt around a building in the trees ahead. The straightforward route is to stay on the riverside path, passing a wooden sculpture? by a footbridge over the river and coming out onto Castle Road.
   • If you want to break for refreshment veer right onto one of the paths through the trees and go around a children's playground to the Visitor Centre, which has a café. Afterwards, go out on its short access drive to Castle Road.
3. Where the drive meets Castle Road go through a wooden kissing gate onto a signposted permissive footpath (not the path or horse ride coming down from the country park). This broad path runs parallel to Castle Road, with a large lavender field beyond the fence on your right. In 250m there is a wide gap in the hedge on your left.
   • You could detour through this gap and go across the road into Castle Farm, whose Hop Shop sells local farm produce and snacks.
4. At the end of the permissive path go down a few steps and cross the road carefully (slightly to the left) to pick up the continuation of the DVP, a broad path between farm fields (with hops on the left and more lavender fields behind them).
5. Follow this well-defined path across several fields, going through a line of poplars and over an access road along the way, to the corner of a field in front of a line of trees.
6. Go through a wooden kissing gate and continue along a fenced path, with glimpses of the river behind the trees. After another gate a tree-lined stretch alongside the river leads to Mill Lane on the outskirts of Shoreham.
5. Mill Lane to Shoreham Station (1½ km)
• Go up Mill Lane and turn left onto the High Street to go through the village. At the end of the High Street turn left onto Church Street. Follow the road across the river and retrace your outward route through the churchyard, along a field edge and up Station Road to the A225.
  • If finishing the walk here, go up steps on the left to the station.
1. Bear right to go up Mill Lane, briefly repeating a short section of your outward route. At the top turn left onto the High Street to come to the suggested lunch pub, The Crown. In a further 400m the tearoom for the Shoreham Aircraft Museum? is up a track on the right (The Landway).
2. Head S along the High Street from The Landway, soon passing another tearoom on the left, the Honey Pot Café. At the next junction turn left into Church Street, in 175m passing the Kings Arms? on the right. After crossing the River Darent stay on Church Street as it swings right, alongside a branch of the river.
3. You now retrace your outward route towards the station. You pass the driveway leading to The Mount Vineyard (which has a restaurant and a coffee shop) and The Samuel Palmer pub / restaurant, then go through the churchyard and along the right-hand field edge to return to the road by the railway bridge. Unless you are finishing a Short Walk here, go up to the T-junction with the A225.

4. Finishing at Shoreham Station

1. If finishing the walk here, go under the railway bridge and turn left up steps to the station forecourt. Cross the footbridge to Platform 1 for trains to London.
6. Shoreham Station to Fackenden Down (1½ • 2 km)
• • …
  Take the bridleway heading east from the A225, opposite Station Road. If possible, keep right on a permissive path along the side of White Hill and then Fackenden Down.
  • Alternatively, follow the bridleway up the hill to Fackenden Lane and turn right onto a footpath going past Warren Farm and along the hillside to Fackenden Down.

1. Starting from Shoreham Station

1. If starting the walk here, go out along the short station approach road to the main road.
2. Cross the A225 with great care and take the track to the right of the house opposite, signposted as a public bridleway and climbing gently. Shortly after the track bends right ignore a signposted footpath off to the left and continue briefly along the bridleway.
3. The next turning is easy to miss. In 50m there are paths off to both sides from the broad grassy path going straight up the hill ahead (which is not the route). The main route is a narrow unmarked path off to the right, but if access through this small nature reserve is not possible (eg. during conservation work), take the alternative route in [?] along rights of way.

4. Main route

1. Turn right onto the narrow path along the side of White Hill?, going through a belt of trees after 125m to continue along a broad grassy strip. After a further 200m the path curves left in front of a field and goes up the edge of the nature reserve.
2. At the top make your way out past a vehicle barrier and turn right onto Fackenden Lane. Where the road turns sharply right after 175m, go through a squeeze gate to the left of a metal fieldgate onto Fackenden Down?.
3. The straightforward route is to follow the broad grassy strip between hedges running along the bottom of this nature reserve for 500m, going over a slight rise along the way. Eventually you meet a broad grassy path between fences coming down from the left (the alternative route) and turn right.
   • For better views you could venture up the hillside at the entrance to Fackenden Down; there is a narrow permissive path along the top of this nature reserve which also leads into the alternative route.

5. Alternative route (+½ km)

1. Turn left onto the continuation of the bridleway (with a ground-level concrete marker) and follow it up the wooded White Hill for 400m, climbing quite steeply in places. At the top turn left onto Fackenden Lane.
2. In 250m turn right into the driveway to Warren Farm, signposted as a public footpath. Go over a stile to the right of a fieldgate and follow the long straight drive past farm buildings.
3. At the end of the drive go through a metal kissing gate (just off to the right) to follow a grassy path across a field, heading SSW towards a wooden fieldgate by the left-hand end of a line of trees.
4. Go through this fieldgate (or a side gate) to continue in much the same direction through another field, slanting slightly downhill. The grassy path stays just above the bushes and small trees dotted around the bottom of the field and leads to another kissing gate near the bottom corner.
5. Go through this gate onto a woodland path, slightly to the left. The path gradually approaches a wire fence on the right and after going alongside it for a short distance you emerge onto open access land by a wooden bench at a viewpoint overlooking Otford.
6. From the bench go straight downhill on a broad grassy path between wire fences (joining the Walk #59 route) and keep ahead at a crosspaths, where the main route joins from the right.
7. Fackenden Down to Otford High Street (1¼ km)
• Take the footpath going downhill to the A225. Turn left onto the main road for a short distance, then turn right onto a footpath which crosses the railway and goes along a field edge to a bridleway. Turn left and go through the large recreation ground on its right containing the Otford Solar System model to the High Street.

The route into and through Otford is essentially the same as Walk #59.

1. Go through a gate in the hedge and follow the broad grassy path downhill across a couple of wildflower meadows to the A225. Turn left and walk along the right-hand side of this busy road for 125m, taking care as there is no pavement. At “Stileways” turn right onto a signposted footpath to the left of its driveway. Follow this between garden fences to the railway line and cross the tracks carefully.
2. Go up to a new wooden gate and bear left as indicated to continue alongside a wire fence. At the far end go through a gate, across a farm track and through another gate to drop down onto a track between hedges. Turn left and go along this bridleway for 50m.
3. Opposite some stables turn right through a gap in the hedge into the corner of Otford's large recreation ground. Directly ahead there are four concrete pillars representing the sun and inner planets of the Otford Solar System?, with an information panel about the model ahead on the right.
4. Take any convenient route across the recreation ground to its large car park on the far side. Go through this to come out onto the High Street opposite one of the village's pubs, The Bull.

   While crossing the recreation ground you could try to find two more planets: Mars (a ground-level disc between two football pitches) and Jupiter (a pillar by the groundsman's hut on the left-hand boundary hedge).

8. Otford High Street to Millmead (1 • ¼ km)
• Head east along the High Street and skirt around the village pond onto a footpath going past the ruins of Otford Palace. Cross back over the A225 and take the footpath along the edge of water meadows back to the High Street. Turn left to come to the Darent Valley Path (DVP) at the driveway to Millmead.
  • Alternatively, head west along the High Street to reach Millmead directly.
    

If you do not want to try any of the other refreshment places and/or see more of the village, you could take the short cut in [?].

1. Main route (1 km)

1. Turn left to head E along the High Street (or right if coming out of The Bull). In 50m you pass The Olive Tree bistro and tearoom on the right (at the back of the Hospices of Hope charity shop), opposite Sally's Cake Emporium.
2. The High Street ends at a large roundabout encircling the village pond?. In the past there were other refreshment places here, but both the Pond View Café and The Woodman pub might have closed. Make your way to a footpath signpost on the far side of the pond.
3. Unless you want to visit the parish church of St Bartholomew? (via the set of modern doors on its north side) take the right-hand of the two signposted footpaths away from the pond, heading S towards the Archbishop's Palace.
   • If you want to abandon the walk and return from Otford station (500m away), take the left-hand footpath past the south side of the church and head E through the churchyard, with a high brick wall on your left. At the far end go through a wooden gate and follow the enclosed path to the station car park. Platform 1 on the near side is for trains to London.
4. After passing Chantry Cottage on the left and the elegant Holmesdale? off to the right you come to a row of cottages built into the walls of the old Otford Palace?. Turn right to go past the ruined north-west tower and an information panel about the palace.
5. Follow the tarmac path to the far corner of Palace Field and continue past a small parade of shops. Cross the A225 at a traffic island and take the footpath opposite, alongside extensive water meadows.
6. The path eventually leads into Pickmoss Lane and back to the High Street, where you turn left. In 75m you pass the timber-framed Pickmoss? on the left where the road narrows. A little further on there is a signpost for the Darent Valley Path? (DVP), with one arm pointing ahead and the other to the right, along the driveway to Millmead and several other properties.

2. Short cut (¼ km)

1. Turn right to head W along the High Street (or left if coming out of The Bull). In 200m …

If you are doing the Alternative Walk, go to §K.


9. Otford (Millmead) to Polhill Bank (2¼ km)
• Head west along the High Street and its continuation, Pilgrims Way West. Opposite Rye Lane turn right onto a footpath heading north-west across meadows and fields towards Sepham Farm. Turn right and left to continue past the farm buildings and across Filston Lane to Polhill Bank.

For the next 4 km you will be following the longer afternoon route of Walk #59, as well as weaving in and out of the Walk 1–23 route.

1. Continue along the High Street (which becomes Pilgrims Way West) for a further 250m, crossing several branches of the River Darent and passing Broughton Manor? on the left. Just past a bus shelter (and a Solar System pillar representing the planet Uranus) turn right onto a signposted public footpath, going through a metal gate into a meadow.
2. For the next 1¼ km you will be heading NW on this footpath towards the oast houses of Sepham Farm, initially across the meadow and then on enclosed paths. In 750m the path swerves left and right and crosses a brook on a concrete slab; keep right as indicated to stay on the public footpath.
3. In a further 200m ignore a footpath off to the right (which leads to a Solar System pillar representing the minor planet Pluto). Continue on a broad grassy track towards the farm buildings, which comes to a T-junction in front of an enclosure.
4. Turn right onto another broad grassy track between fences. In 100m turn left onto a narrow path with a footpath waymarker, leaving the Walk 1–23 route and heading NW again. Follow the path alongside several enclosures, passing the farm buildings off to the left.
5. At the far end take great care as the path comes out directly onto a narrow winding lane with limited visibility for drivers. Cross Filston Lane carefully and go up a few steps onto the continuation of the footpath, climbing steadily. In 250m go through a wooden kissing gate onto Polhill Bank?.
10. Polhill Bank to Shoreham High Street (2½ km)
• Either climb the bank and turn right onto a path along the top of this small nature reserve, or simply take the path along its bottom edge. At the far end turn left into Pilots Wood, staying near its eastern boundary. Go across an open patch of grassland and along the bottom of Meenfield Wood. At the Shoreham Cross turn sharp right onto a new footpath slanting down the hillside, which joins the main path into Shoreham. Turn right onto its High Street.
1. You will be leaving this small nature reserve in its right-hand corner, and there are grassy paths along both its top and bottom edges. For the best views, climb steeply up the hillside in front of you to the bench at the top and then descend gently on the upper path; alternatively, simply turn right onto the lower path.
2. The two paths merge at the far end where you leave the reserve through a wooden kissing gate. Go down a slope towards a second gate but turn left before reaching it onto an unmarked path into Pilots Wood.
3. The path meanders along the bottom edge of the wood, passing a picnic table as it curves left. After a right-hand bend the path straightens out to head N, climbing gently with a field behind the fence on your right.
4. The next turning is easy to miss. Where the main path bears slightly left away from the fence and before it starts to climb more steeply, veer right onto a side path to stay alongside the fence. Follow this narrow path to the edge of the wood, still climbing gently.
5. Leave the wood via a stile and keep ahead on a grassy path across a steeply-sloping field. On the far side go through a metal kissing gate to the right of a fieldgate onto a broad woodland path, briefly rejoining the Walk 1–23 route. After a while there are views on the right of Shoreham in the Darent valley below.
6. In 600m you come to a path crossing by a sign for Meenfield Wood, where the suggested route is to continue a little further along the hillside before descending into Shoreham.
   • You could head directly for the village (as per the Walk 1–23 route) by turning right at the path crossing, although you would have to descend a potentially slippery flight of steps at the top of this path into Shoreham. If you take this short cut (saving 300m) resume the directions at [?].
7. On the main route carry on along the broad path for a further 200m, then turn right through a gap in the hedge into a small enclosure. There is an information panel about the Shoreham Cross? on the hillside below, and benches to enjoy the view.
8. Leave this enclosure via a gate on the right, taking a new footpath slanting down the hillside past an isolated tree. At the bottom of the field it merges with the main path into the village, coming straight down the hillside from Meenfield Wood.
9. Go through a wooden kissing gate onto a narrow path between hedges. As you descend you pass the entrance to a new Centenary Wood and then a recreation ground on the left, now on a narrow tree-lined track (The Landway). The entrance to the Shoreham Aircraft Museum? (which has a tearoom) is on the right shortly before you reach the bottom of The Landway, where you turn right onto the High Street.

Complete the directions at §P.

11. Otford (Millmead) to Shoreham Bridge (3 km)
• Turn right off Otford's High Street onto the DVP and follow it across fields and then a golf course. At a T-junction turn right onto a driveway for 250m, then left at the next path junction. At the end of the golf course turn left briefly onto Station Road, then zig-zag right and left onto a path through the churchyard. Go down Church Street to the bridge across the River Darent.

You will be following the shorter afternoon route of Walk #59 into Shoreham and then on to Lullingstone Park.

1. Turn right off the High Street onto the driveway, joining the DVP as it runs alongside an old mill-stream. At the end keep to the right of “The Chalet” to go past allotments and continue through a wooden swing gate into a meadow.
2. Follow a grassy path alongside the tree-lined river for 300m, then go through a metal kissing gate to continue alongside a fence. Go through more kissing gates on either side of the track to Lower Barn Farm and head N for a further 1 km, at first along the right-hand edge of a field and then on an enclosed path through a golf course.
3. At a major path junction go past a metal fieldgate and turn right onto a driveway. At the next path crossing in 250m, turn left onto a path and head N again for a further 700m, passing a cricket pitch on your left and continuing across the golf course. The path eventually comes out onto Station Road on the outskirts of Shoreham.
   • If you want to abandon the walk, Shoreham station is 200m off to the right.
4. Turn left briefly onto the road, then in 75m turn right up a slope into the corner of a large field. Go along the field edge for just 50m, …
5. … (which has a restaurant and a coffee shop) …
12. Shoreham Bridge to Mill Lane (1 • ½ km)
• For a choice of refreshment places follow Church Street across the river and up to a T-junction. Turn right and go along the High Street to its junction with Mill Lane. Turn right down Mill Lane to return to the DVP.
  • Alternatively, simply follow the riverside path directly to the bottom of Mill Lane.

If you do not want to visit any of the other refreshment places in the village you can take the more attractive riverside route in [?].

1. Main route (1 km)

1. Follow Church Street across the river (leaving the DVP & SPT) to come to the Kings Arms? on the left. At the T-junction at the top turn right onto the High Street.
2. The Honey Pot Café is on the right and a little further on the small Shoreham Aircraft Museum? (which has a tearoom) is on the left.
3. The Crown is near the far end of the village. In a further 100m turn right down Mill Lane, back towards the river.
4. In 125m (where the lane turns half-right towards the entrance to Mill House) bear left onto a footpath, rejoining the waymarked routes.

2. Riverside route (½ km)

1. …
2. …
3. Shortly after passing its entrance, ignore Mill Lane up to the left and turn right at a footpath signpost to continue on the DVP & SPT.
13. Mill Lane to Beechen Wood (2½ km)
• Follow the DVP beside the river, through fields and alongside Castle Road to Lullingstone Park Visitor Centre. Go all the way up the left-hand side of the broad grassy slope in front of it to Lower Beechen Wood at the top.
1. Go along the footpath, with a mill-stream and then the river on your right. In 150m go through a wooden kissing gate and continue on a fenced path along the right-hand edge of several fields. The path leads into the corner of another field and bears left to go diagonally across it, towards the centre of a line of poplars 400m away.
2. Go across an access road, up a slope and through the line of trees to continue on a broad grassy path, later with a hop field on your right. The path comes out onto a lane (Castle Road) at a bend. Cross the road carefully (slightly to the left) and go up a few steps onto a permissive path running alongside it, with a large lavender field beyond the fence on your left. In 250m there is a wide gap in the hedge on your right.
   ?
3. At the end of the permissive path go through a gate to return to Castle Road by the entrance to Lullingstone Country Park?, where you will be leaving the DVP but continuing on the SPT. Veer left into the car park for the Visitor Centre (which has a café).
4. Go all the way up the left-hand side of the broad grassy slope in front of the Visitor Centre, with increasingly fine views along the Darent valley towards Eynsford, 2 km away to the right. At the top veer left to go through a wide gap in the corner into Lower Beechen Wood.
14. Beechen Wood to Darenthdale (3 km)
• Follow the Lullingstone Loop and Woodland Walk through the southern edge of Beechen Wood, then turn left to come out onto Redmans Lane. Turn right briefly onto the road, then take a footpath on the left leading past Homewood Farm to Cockerhurst Road. Turn left onto the road, then right at a T-junction onto Castle Farm Road. Shortly after passing a road on the left leading into Shoreham, turn left onto a footpath.
1. Follow the waymarkers for the Lullingstone Loop (black arrows) and Woodland Walk (white arrows) through the wood, briefly overlapping with a horse route (blue arrows). There are several metal kissing gates to negotiate before the woodland path drops down to cross a small open valley, where you pass a wooden post identifying an instance of Phoenix Regeneration? on the right.
2. Follow the path back uphill into Upper Beechen Wood. In 200m keep ahead where the Woodland Walk branches off to the right. In a further 50m turn left at another path junction, staying on the SPT but leaving the Lullingstone Loop.
3. Follow the path through a hazel coppice for 300m, forking right as indicated halfway along. At the end of the wood go over a stile to emerge onto a minor road (Redmans Lane). Turn right and go along this narrow road with high hedges, taking care as there is no pavement.
4. In 125m turn left onto the driveway to Homewood Farm, signposted as a public footpath. At the end of the drive continue on a narrow path beside a wooden fence, which comes out into the corner of a large field.
5. Bear right to go along its edge, heading S with a hedge on your right. On the far side go through a gate and round to the left on a broad grassy path descending between a wire fence and shrubs. At the bottom follow the path through a scrubby area and out to a lane (Cockerhurst Road).
6. Turn left and follow this quiet tree-lined lane for 350m, steadily downhill and then up a short rise. At a T-junction turn right onto Castle Farm Road, taking care as there is no pavement and rather more traffic.
   • On the right just beyond …
7. Go uphill on Castle Farm Road and its continuation (Shacklands Road). 100m after the junction with Shoreham's High Street, turn left past a metal vehicle barrier onto a short track through a belt of trees (not the sunken path on its left). There is a tree-lined path leading off to the right, just before the track drops down to a metal fieldgate leading into a large field.
15. Darenthdale to Shoreham High Street (1 • ¾ km)
• For the suggested route turn right onto the footpath which runs along the bottom of Meenfield Wood. At the Shoreham Cross bear left …
  • Alternatively, go round the left-hand edge of the field ahead and turn right onto the High Street at the bottom.

The main route climbs gently along the hillside to the Shoreham Cross before descending into the village, but for a slightly easier route you can take the short cut in [?].

1. Main route (1 km)

1. For the suggested route turn right onto the tree-lined path, which soon starts to climb gently. In 200m keep left at a sign for Meenfield Wood, ignoring a bridleway going up into the wood. Go past a metal vehicle barrier and continue along a broad path between a hedge and the wood, with views on the left of Shoreham in the Darent valley below.
2. In 300m turn left …
3. …
4. …

2. Short cut (¾ km)

1. Go through a metal kissing gate to the left of the fieldgate ahead and follow a line of wooden posts curving round the edge of the field, gently downhill. At the end go through another kissing gate and along an enclosed footpath to come out onto the High Street, opposite Mill Lane.
2. Turn right onto the road through the village, retracing the main outward route and soon passing …
16. Shoreham High Street to Shoreham Station (1 km)
• At the end of the High Street turn left onto Church Street. Follow the road across the river and continue through the churchyard and along a field edge before returning to Station Road for the station.
  

1. …
2. Shortly after the road has curved round to the left and started to climb, there is a driveway on the left leading to The Mount Vineyard? (which has a restaurant and a coffee shop). At the top of the slope the road turns sharply right by The Samuel Palmer pub / restaurant.
3. Instead of following this street (now Station Road) all the way to the station, go through the lychgate ahead. Follow the tree-lined path past the church of Ss Peter and Paul?, which is well worth visiting. At the far end go out through a wooden swing gate and turn right to go along the edge of a large field.
4. In the field corner veer left onto a new permissive path alongside the boundary hedge, parallel to Station Road. In the next corner rejoin the road to go under the railway bridge and turn left up steps to the station forecourt. Cross the footbridge to Platform 1 for trains to London.
   

Walk Notes

1. The Darent Valley Path follows the course of the river for 31 km, from Sevenoaks (near its source in the Greensand Hills) to the River Thames at Dartford.
2. The Samuel Palmer Trail is an 8½ km circular walk around Shoreham and Lullingstone Park, exploring the landscapes of this “valley of vision” painted by the artist. A free audio-visual guide is available from the Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme.
3. Ss Peter and Paul, Shoreham dates from Norman times and has many interesting features, all described in an informative Visitor's Guide. They include an outstanding wooden rood screen spanning the width of the building and some fine stained glass windows, including one by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Burne-Jones.
4. The Mount Vineyard was planted in 2004 and produced its first harvest in 2008. Eight grape varieties are now grown on the 10 acre site, producing award-winning red, white, rosé and sparkling wines.
5. The War Memorial in Darenth Way is inscribed Remember as you look at the cross on the hill those who gave their lives for their country 1914-1919.
6. Water House is associated with Samuel Palmer (1805-1881), one of the group of artists influenced by William Blake who called themselves The Ancients. He lived in the village from 1826 to 1835, for some of the time with his father (also called Samuel) who had rented Water House.
7. The memorial stone was erected in 1928 by a local Catholic woman (Miss Maud Berkeley) in memory of her late father, Dr EJG Berkeley; she also erected a large crucifix but this was vandalised and later removed to a monastery. The inscription Behold therefore I will allure her and will lead her into the Wilderness and there I will speak to her heart is from Hosea 2:14.
8. Lullingstone Country Park was a medieval deer park in the estate of Lullingstone Castle. Some of its veteran trees (notably oak, hornbeam, beech and sweet chestnut) are over 500 years old. The park was used as a decoy airfield in World War Ⅱ and as a result Shoreham was dubbed “the most heavily bombed village in Britain”.
9. The Tudor Gatehouse of Lullingstone Castle was one of the earliest all-brick buildings in Britain.
10. St Botolph, Lullingstone dates from the 14^thC and contains some impressive memorials to ancestors of the Hart Dyke family, the owners of Lullingstone Castle. It also has an elaborately carved wooden rood screen and some particularly fine stained glass windows, the oldest dating back to the 14^thC.
11. The wooden fish sculpture was unveiled in 2004 “to celebrate the restoration of the River Darent”.
12. The Shoreham Aircraft Museum was founded by volunteers in 1978 and holds donated items and aviation relics from the crash sites of local British and German aircraft in World War Ⅱ.
13. The Kings Arms still has its ostler box, a shelter at the front of the pub for the person who used to attend to horses at coaching inns.
14. White Hill Nature Reserve is one of 36 sites in the UK managed by Butterfly Conservation. An observation on its web site (“…frequented by dog walkers”) implies that this small area of scrub and chalk grassland is open access but there is no information panel at the site to confirm this.
15. Fackenden Down and Polhill Bank are Local Nature Reserves managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. These areas of chalk grassland support many varieties of orchid.
16. The Otford Solar System is a scale model showing the relative position of the sun and planets at the start of the millennium. The pillars representing the outer planets are scattered around the village, the furthest over 1 km away at the 1:5 billion scale used.
17. Otford Pond is one of many protected structures in the village, which has led to claims that its duckhouse is Britain's smallest listed building.
18. St Bartholomew, Otford dates from the 11^thC; construction began in 1060 with the tower added in around 1185. It contains a large marble memorial to Charles and David Polhill, descendants of Oliver Cromwell.
19. Holmesdale was converted to a pair of semi-detached homes in the 1720s. The original property was built in the 1600s and its large width suggests that it might have had some industrial purpose.
20. Otford Palace was created by Archbishop Warham in 1514, a year before Cardinal Wolsey (his rival and successor as Lord Chancellor) began the construction of Hampton Court Palace. Both were subsequently taken over by Henry Ⅷ but Otford (in its unfavourable marshy location) fell into ruins while Hampton Court expanded into a major royal palace.
21. Pickmoss resembles a genuine medieval hall house but is actually the result of an extensive refurbishment in the 1950s. A small Elizabethan house and a pair of unrelated cottages were amalgamated and a typical Elizabethan frontage added to give the appearance of a single large property.
22. The 16^thC Broughton Manor was originally a Crown property housing part of the retinue at Otford Palace.
23. The Shoreham Cross was cut into the chalk hillside above the village in 1920, to commemorate those who lost their lives in World War Ⅰ.
24. Phoenix Regeneration is a process whereby a fallen tree is able to regrow from roots formed where its trunk touches the ground. The hazel tree on the right of the path fell in the 1987 storm.

» Last updated: November 27, 2024

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