13 on this walk, a very creditable turnout given the train-plus-bus outward journey (which all worked fine). We decided from the get-go that the lunch pub was a non-starter (of which more anon…) so we lost a couple of people to sandwich shops in Tenterden. But they caught up later. In general there was “variable geometry” on this walk, people we lost track of reappearing, others never seen again after the first five minutes. I hope everyone had a nice day.

Someone nicked the promised weather. Instead of sunny and warm but windy, it was grey and later a bit drizzly . Another “nul points” for BBC Weather. Most of the woods were invested in Battle of the Somme-style mud, at times with added fallen trees, like being on an SAS training course. Fortunately there were large field sections which were just a bit squelchy.

Some stopped to taste wine at Chapel Down. Others had picnics and tea at the well-hidden cafe at Smallhythe Place. (Some did both.) Two of us had tried ringing the Swan Inn in Wittersham the day before, but got a generic BT answering message. The pub’s Facebook page says nothing about food. So we gave it up for lost. When we got to it, it was open with a couple of locals at the bar. If that is all the business they want, good luck to them.

Spring is coming on like a truck. The wood anemones that should be a key feature of this walk were more than half over. Bluebells and wild garlic were more than half out. I saw other flowers I would not expect to see till mid month. None of this is good news from a climate change perspective.

In Peasmarsh my group split 3:3 between supermarket cafe and pub. But the cafe had closed at 4pm, 10 minutes earlier, so it was 6:0 for the pub in the end. Afterwards we set off to wade and plod towards Rye.

En route we saw a ewe that had just given birth, the afterbirth still hanging off her, the two bedraggled lambs wondering if being born was such a great idea. Most of the ewes we saw today were undelivered, however. Spring is early but lambs seem late.

Arriving in Rye we summoned our last ounce of energy to climb to the Ypres Arms - now only a drinks pub, but who was complaining? One or two stragglers caught us there, including one who had caught the bus from Peasmarsh. After discussing food options we opted to stink out the 7.48pm train with fish and chips. Many then caught the party train to London Bridge, while two abstemious types (all right, one abstemious type and me) gratefully sunk into the comfortable high speed to lovely St P.

I guess no one saw Paul McCartney who I understand is a Peasemarsh resident.

A select 4 on this fine outing in mostly bright sunshine with a few spots of rain in the afternoon . As advertised the wood anemones were out in full force cheerfully widely open for most of the day welcoming the warming sun...towards the end of the walk, though, we noticed some small patches had started tucking in for bed...letting us know it was growing late into the afternoon....Also, as advertised, we had a good long stop at Chapel Down where 3 indulged in the wine tasting -- you now need to pay 5 pounds and are then entitled to three samples -- but also get a 5 pound credit if you buy a bottle of wine.....(our tasting host gave us a few extra tastes -- including some vodka made using the grape residue after pressing the wine...our vodka expert -- declared it a fine, smooth product...) We decided to buy a bottle of rose wine to accompany our picnics and inquired if we could have our lunches on the tables outside which was fine -- so we had a lovely and very stylish picnic in the sun on the outdoor tables at the vineyard accompanied with our dry rose in proper glasses...truly delightful! Later we passed the rather sad still closed pub...but...we peeked in the windows and it does look like some refurbishment is ongoing....so perhaps one day it will reopen....Since it had a been a long stretch since our lunch, we opted for a short break and late afternoon drinks (some hot and some cold) in the garden at the Cock Inn before the final push into Rye where we had just enough time to get some fish and chips before catching the 18:48.....on the way home one graciously shared a still chilled bottle of Flint Dry acquired from Chapel Down which washed the fish and chips down quite nicely...the long train journey was over before we knew it.....a fine day out in good company! Group cohesion factor 100%!

Train calls Stratford I'nal 09.41.

£28 return, as far as I can see.

This was always a guaranteed muddy walk, what with the route leading (after a quick tourist sojourn through lovely Rye) through the low-lying marshes of the Tillingham valley, later through plenty of woods, then across the Rother Levels and along the bottoms of beautiful shallow valleys (not forgetting the cattle and sheep churned areas around field gates and otherwise muddy fenced paths and tracks, and all this in the High Weald, famous for winter mud), yet with some fine-tuned routing around the worst bits, it was very enjoyable despite that: the beauty of the scenery and the very fine views from the many (modest) heights more than compensated for the extra effort needed to negotiate the course today.

Walking in reverse and starting in Rye has the benefit of everyone being happy to look at the attractions there with a bit more enthusiasm, so for the first time (in my Rye history) we actually went into the church (a very fine example) and then also on to the lookout in Gun Gardens. With the only pub, The Cock Inn, coming after just 6 km, I had feared me might get there too early for them to be open, but - fear ye not - the sightseeing and the mud delays saw us arriving way after noon. A pleasant pub (although clearly a 'locals' pub, seeing how everyone stared at us upon arrival), with faultless food. After more than an hour, we moved on (the 1 picnicker had joined us lunchers for a tea).

We walked map-and-compass led of course, while reverse-reading the pdf directions, so - combined with the walk author's trademark scarcity of bearings - this led us astray one-and-a-half times (thankfully without major consequences, the 'alternative' fields weren't any muddier than the route we should have taken and the route itself not much longer).

Midway through the distance it was becoming clear that one or other walker not used to mudfests were flagging a bit, so they and their friends dropped out in Wittersham, where conveniently the next (and last) bus back to Rye was due in 12 minutes (we hope it turned up). Us remaining 4 eventually reached Tenterden (lastly through a brand-new housing estate) in the dusk (in reality it was dark to the east but still with some residual light in the far distant west), and with plenty of stars out, at 17.35.

3 went straight into the first pub on the left (I forgot its name), 1 checked the bus times (they were indeed as per the walk post). 2, having just bought a drink, then changed their minds and hastily gulped it down to catch the 17.52, while the other two enjoyed the extra 54 minutes to the next bus in the busy but cosy pub, and then had a pretty decent connection to the HS train at Ashford.

8 off the mega-busy train (Southern, go sort yourself out, crowded trains even in deep winter!!!! what's it going to be like in summer?) notionally cold but very sunny and no wind

Oh, the wassailing: 2 had indeed booked up for the experience, but they were amongst the 4 that bailed out in Wittersham, so nothing to report...

Wonderful scenic walk on a beautiful sunny day. The mud made it tougher and it must have slowed us down because it was quite dark for the last half hour or more. But that gave us the benefit of seeing the bright planet Venus, helpfully identified by one of the remaining four, and then lots more stars come out. Thanks for the help through the muddy darkness, and apologies for leaving abruptly for the bus at the end after the nice companionship....

Is there a llama farm on the walk? I see some in the pictures!

There were some camelids (alpacas I think) in a field opposite Smallhythe Place in 2011. Things change, though. Some splendid apple orchards in Wittersham had all gone a few years later. Do let us know if the alpacas are still there!

After an ominous start with the bus engine overheating and the bus driver having had to stop the bus repeatedly to allow the engine to cool down 4 walkers arrived in Tenterden when one of them decided that this wasn't the type of group he wanted to walk with and stayed in Tenterden while the other 3 set off after having stocked up on "provisions" in a tempting bakery. Not long into the walk a longish delay was caused by Chapel Down vinery where several local wines were sampled. Fortunately, the knowledgable presenter told us that the burger bar in Wittersham has closed so we had lunch in the garden of the tea shop at Smallhythe Place. Later intelligence revealed that the community is exploring ways to reopen the burger bar as a community pub. Onwards we walked staying on the High Weald Lanscape Trail, bypassing Wttersham, through the varied landscape of the isle of Oxney through drained marshes, copses on elevated grounds passing bluebell and wood anemone woods, apple orchards in bloom and several fascinating churches (a round sandstone arch with leopard carvings separating chancel and nave ? Why ? The leaflet in the church did not explain.) Some places required careful navigation. But our eagle-eyed spotter saw the distant trail markers long before the man with the map could figure out where north is. After a quick drink in the Cock Inn in Peasmarsh we descended into Rye, enjoying fish & chips at the harbour before taking the 19:47 back to Ashford. Since the 18:47 had been canceled and it having been a warm and sunny Easter Saturday the platform was packed with visitors to Rye who barely squeezed into the small two carriage train. With only one passenger fainting we all made it to Ashford for the onwards journey to London. A great day out in great company.

The cafe in Jempsons supermarket is the best place for tea

I am thinking of doing this work arriving on the no 2 bus from Hastings getting to Tenterden at 1110.

15 on this walk. The weather started cloudy and at the very end turned rainy but late morning and for a chunk of the afternoon was fairly sunny , which made a nice change.

The train-bus connection at Headcorn was very smooth: the kind of joined up public transport this country does not usually have. But the £4.50 fare was a bit steep. Tenterden was a lovely place to start the walk and the wild garlic wood in the early stages was coming on nicely. There was some cherry plum blossom and just before Wittersham the excitement of seeing a few wood anemones in flower. A few stopped at the vineyard in Smallhythe for what the French call a "degustation libre".

The dowdy Swan is now a trendy gourmet and pie place. Super friendly staff and the food was certainly pleasant, though personally I think "gourmet" is overstating it. In the afternoon after crossing another former seabed two of us were surprised to be the only ones going to Jempsons in Peasmarsh for tea. I understand other would be tea-ers were shanghaied by other walkers keen to get to Rye earlier. Some also went to the pub in Peasmarsh.

Sadly after we left Peasmarsh the weather went downhill: it was a bit wet and rather gloomy for the otherwise lovely descent to Rye. Eight of us had a quick drink in the Wipers Castle and got an 18.56 train.

The walk notes say that on this walk you tend to be walking towards the sun throughout most of the day. For this reason I suggest packing a pair of sunglasses. However, this might not be necessary as the forecast isn't too promising.