It wasn't easy to count numbers accurately as a few sneaked off at the start to buy provisions, but I reckon about 15 on a partly sunny day, ideal for walking.

The Leicester Arms is yet another pub which sneakily adds 15% even when ordering and paying for food & drink at the bar, making it nearly £7 for a pint. Still, I suppose that's better than finding it closed and boarded up, and they were happy to serve half-price children's portion Sunday roasts to some distinctly unchildlike walkers.

A few then went off on other routes but the majority did the shorter afternoon, although that included a superfluous tour of the church and a loop past the manor house as the walk author had forgotten that he'd written up a short cut out of the village. But no harm done and when we reached Chiddingstone we were cordially invited into their village fête, enjoying some excellent tea'n'cake while watching the festivities.

There are a maze of possible routes between the village and Penshurst station but the footpaths are all rather neglected and not easy to follow. I wanted to get the 16:34 to Redhill and lost sight of the main group who were taking a more leisurely stroll for the 16:48 to Tonbridge, but I trust their gizmos got them to the station in time.

7 of us gathered on the platform of Tonbridge station, and all immediately agreed to do the Tonbridge circular. The day was hot hot hot . The group quickly split into two – the walk poster and two companions strolled well behind the others. We walked past cool looking ponds and the river where a few people were splashing about. One of our small band veered off towards Leigh shortly after Haysden Water to return to Tonbridge. Two of us walked on taking a couple of short rests, and arrived at the Leicester Arms, to be told by a guest that our companions had left about 20 minutes ago. After lunch and long cold drinks, we carried on through an eerily empty Penshurst estate, and stopped for another cooling drink at the Fleur de Lys pub in Leigh. Then a slow walk back to Tonbridge (slow being the order of the day for us) where I caught the train and my companion drove back to the south coast – hopefully for a lovely swim.

My cunning plan worked well - the trains were not crowded and appeared to be running smoothly and there was plenty of shade during the walk.

You might have to make a few detours to get through Haysden Country Park, near the start of this walk. Sharpe's Bridge (at the end of Barden Lake) was closed for repairs last year, and not much seemed to have happened when I was there a few weeks ago. Further on there are major works taking place on the Leigh Flood Relief Barrier, but at least one of the footpaths across it should be kept open.

NB. The Hastings trains are being diverted via East Croydon (10:08) and Redhill (10:23), which might benefit south Londoners.

By all means shoot me down in flames, but if the start of the walk is problematic why not do the back half of the Tonbridge circular version in reverse, then continue to Penshurst?

The walk notes also suggest an alternative start at Hildenborough, but train times don't look great for that option

I haven't worked out the distance but it must be similar

@Sandy: Twelve of us did the Hildenborough-Tonbridge variation of this walk three months ago, so it was sensible of Wanderer to post the main walk this time. I only found out about the works on the Flood Barrier two weeks ago and did put a warning about it in the Walk Notes, but I wasn't expecting the walk to get another posting quite so soon.

Perhaps Wanderer will post a clarification for the best route to take on the day.

Pending any further discussion, a couple of clarifications from me:

1. the distance for my suggestion would actually be a bit longer, just over 20km, but there are a couple of short cuts available later in the walk

2. There is in fact a perfectly reasonable train to Hildenborough, 0931 from Victoria arriving 1019, but it's not so convenient as the London Bridge start for me

Thanks Sean and Sandy for info and suggestions.

It seems it may be possible to do the main walk as posted but it might entail a taking a different path from that suggested in the directions to cross the Leigh Flood Relief Barrier. If people want to do this option, I would suggest asking local walkers what paths to Haysden Water are open. Best to ask before crossing Lucifer Bridge in case you're advised to stay on the north side of the river. You would rejoin the official route at Haysden Water. Alternatively, you could do the route suggested by Sandy following map or GPS. A discussion can be had before setting off from the station.

Unfortunately I'll be away and unable to do the walk. It would be nice to know what routes you decide to take and how they work out.

I didn't see anybody at the station so I'm sorry if I missed anyone or if you were put off by the discussion below. So1 in sunny weather with clouds gathering through the afternoon . I successfully undertook the plan to reverse the end of the circular walk from Tonbridge. Apart from a bit of a route-march between the A21 and Leigh I found the route very pleasant with the circuit of Tonbridge Castle a highlight.

On to Penshurst where I had a swift half at the Leicester Arms. They were keen for me to try the local ale (good but I've forgotten the name already); I found out later that they also offer no less than five English wines. There was plenty of room except in the back garden. I took the shorter route to the station, which I'm afraid means I didn't do very much of the Main Walk.

By the way, note that the Fleur de Lis in Leigh is "closed until further notice".

I may be wrong but I think the outbound train timetable has changed since this was posted? I can only see:

Cannon Street 10:26 arrives Hildenborough 11:07. Calling points London Bridge 10:29/10:30, Orpington 10:50/10:51, Sevenoaks 11:00/11:01

Thanks for spotting that, Daisy Roots. Yes, the Southeastern site says "urgent engineering work between Charing Cross and London Bridge...all day Sunday". Apologies in advance for anyone who doesn't spot this in time and misses out.

12 walkers, including 1 who took an earlier train and doing the walk independently and 2 on later trains who caught up with the main group in the garden of the Leicester Arms at lunchtime. A perfect day in many ways: gentle sunny weather, easy walking through quintessential Kent countryside, sheep and lambs resting under the trees, butterflies and birdsong.

19 on this walk, including 3 late starters (I am told). The weather was mainly sunny apart from one heavy shower late morning which was accompanied by the most savage squally wind I have ever experienced out walking: I really thought branches were going to come down, and indeed one fair-sized stick did hit one of the party.

The early part of the walk, as promised, had plenty of firm gravel paths, though not all of the lakes we passed are usually there. We got to Penshurst at 12.30, where after a bit of hemming and hawing by the management we were admitted to the dining room at two separate tables. Seven sandwichistas ate in Leicester Square and soon set off to do the main walk, but found their way blocked by floods around a footbridge and (we later learned) retreated to Penshurst to do the short walk.

Otherwise five of the pub lunchers set off to do the short walk, passing more pop-up lakes and enjoying fine views and more gravel tracks. Only towards Chiddingstone were things more gloopy. Arriving at Chiddingstone at 2.40pm, we briefly intersected with the sandwichistas, and then went for a leisurely tea at the Tulip Tree, with its monster-sized cakes. Crossing the swollen River Eden after tea we had one flooded field to contend with before a reasonably dry last stretch to Penshurst. Three caught the 16.09 to Redhill while two of us went to the Little Brown Jug to find the seven sandwichistas leaving for the 16.22 to Penshurst.

We there waited for the rest of the party - six pub lunchers who had decided to do the main walk. They navigated the flooded bridge by creating a causeway of sticks and then took off boots and socks to wade through the flooded path beyond. (It makes you proud to be British.) After more mud snorkelling adventures they got to the Little Brown Jug just before 5pm. All but one then had drinks and (in three cases) puddings (one of the puddings, a vegan one proving inedibly dry, alas), before getting the 6.22 to Tonbridge

I'm travelling from Clapham Junction directly to Tonbridge (not via London) and returning from Penshurst the same way. I think for this route a Tonbridge return ticket is needed as Penshurst is before Tonbridge on this line? Both Tonbridge and Penshurst tickets are the same price in any case so it may not matter.

25 on this walk including two who drove to Penshurst and then walked back to Tonbridge and vice versa. bright in the morning with intermittent rain in the afternoon . The rain did not start till the end of our al fresco lunch, vindicating my choice of a train a train half an hour earlier than specified. The Leicester Arms was not full, though allegedly had a wedding party coming. One of our party caught them adding a service charge to a meal order made at the bar. We hope this was an isolated error.

We put waterproofs on as we set off from lunch but they quickly came off again as it was too darned hot and sticky for extra layers. The weather did not detract from what is a very charming section between Penshurst and Chiddingstone: indeed, speaking personally the whole walk delighted me as much as it had done the first time I did it.

The rain was patchy, though paths were slippery and even a bit muddy from previous days' downpours. Some faster walkers stopped at the Hill Hoath pub for drinks and then caught us slowcoaches up, so we all got to tea in Chiddingstone together. Here there was a split between pub and tea room. The rain hammered down for a while at this point but those of us in the tea room still got to sit outside under an awning. Wasps kept us company, mysteriously preferring to fly around our mouths and eyes rather than eating the jam on offer.

The rest of the walk was without incident. The Little Brown Jug was as busy with screaming infants as usual. Some got the 5.27 train, others the 6.27. Six of us had complex negotiations over dinner options and finally ended up at that nice Thai place near Waterloo.

Hoping to attend. Not good with directions. Will assist. Anyone else comming can please post a comment. Thank you

Does anyone know the lunch/afternoon tea arrangements/location?

I am going to give this a try in the morning but will catch an hour earlier from London Brigdge.Seems a shame not to get an earlier start on what promises to be a beautiful day.

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A couple of us are on a train from LB to East Croydon to see if we can get another connection.Will keep you posted.

- Candy

Hello, heading to east Croydon to pick up train to Penshurst but unfortunately it isn't until 11.21... does anyone have any suggestion of another walk we can do where we can pick up another train from east Croydon? Thanks

2 waiting for 11.21 at east Croydon. 3 others have diverted to do coulsdon south circular

Oh no, I came by car but no one is here.. Any suggestions where I could go from here?

Another day, another Southern train cancellation. Spotting this in advance I switched to Plan B, driving to Chiddingstone and setting off from there at 1130. I was eventually joined by three more who'd persevered and got to Penshurst by various means, up to an hour later than scheduled. A report elsewhere says that two more drove and did the walk at the appointed time, so at least 6 walkers completed the course on a hot and humid day.

In contrast to other walks recently there were no problems with overgrown footpaths. The Leicester Arms was predictably busy at 1pm and the expensive (but good quality) lunches took a while to arrive, but it wasn't a day for rushing. It's hard to choose between the two excellent tea places in Chiddingstone but as the Castle grounds are open on Sundays we went to its tearoom, in a nice courtyard. A quick check revealed that Southern had still not managed to persuade a replacement crew to turn up on the Tonbridge line and the 1702 & 1744 were cancelled, so I expect the Little Brown Jug got some extra custom as the others waited for the 1802. A long day out for an 8½ mile walk...

The engineering works actually provide an alternative outward route which may be more convenient for some. The 09:23 Hastings service from London Bridge is diverted through East Croydon (09:41) and Redhill (09:58), arriving Tonbridge two minutes before the train from Victoria, at 10:18. If you take this route, get a return to Tonbridge.

10 on this walk, a heavenly day out in warm spring sunshine . Birds sang, shrubs were budding leaves, and later in the walk there was a field of lambs. We ate lunch outside the pub (which was remarkably empty: not sure why as the food was generally good and quickly served) and had tea outside at the Tulip Tree in Chiddingstone. I walked without pullover or jacket all afternoon and even rolled up my sleeves for a time. You could feel that vitamin D flooding in.

Though I say so myself as the walk poster, the walk perfectly fitted the day too. This was a very scenic walk through a lovely gentle corner of Kent. Though I know the area well, there were many parts of the route - including all of it between Penshurst and Hill Hoath - that I did not know at all and was delighted to be introduced to.

As for mud, yes there was quite a bit in a few places - mainly one 100 metre stretch along one of the lakes in the morning and a section across Yewtree Wood. Plus a few bits by gates and so on. But generally the ground was pretty firm underfoot. I stand by my comment in the walk post about the mud starting to dry out now.