Through Haysden Country Park and along the Eden Valley Walk to Penshurst Place and Chiddingstone Castle.
This walk should provide us with some reprieve from the heat as we walk through woods and along the river.
Several options to shorten the walk are in the walk directions. If desired, can finish at Tonbridge where there are many lovely tea rooms.
Length: 11.2 miles for main walk.
11.3 miles for finishing in Tonbridge
Toughness: 3 out of 10
Trains: 9.59 from London Charing X calling at: W’Loo East 10.02; London Bdge 10.06; Sevenoaks 10.31- arrives Tonbridge 10.40
Return trains: xx.34 – need to change at Tonbridge where trains depart for London Charing X at xx.07; xx.11; xx.37; xx.44
Tickets: Any Permitted” return to Penshurst is valid for all the walk options; a return to Tonbridge is slightly cheaper if you will be finishing there.
Lunch: Leicester Arms Hotel (01892-871617) in Penshurst 12 to 3pm for lunch; The Rock Inn (01892-870296) in Hoath Corner,
Tea: Little Brown Jug (01892-870318) in Penshurst for tea and it is opposite the station so you don’t have far to go for train.
Description: Enjoy the gentle rolling countryside around the villages of Penshurst and Chiddingstone. You are soon out of Tonbridge town centre and heading for Haysden Country Park, a popular recreational area of lakes and water meadows alongside the River Medway. The area's industrial past can be glimpsed in the many abandoned waterways and reclaimed gravel pits, while the modern Leigh Flood Relief Barrier is a reminder that this low-lying area is prone to flooding.
The remainder of the morning section follows the Eden Valley Walk, to a choice of lunch places in Penshurst. This attractive village is dominated by Penshurst Place, a well-preserved medieval manor house with an attractive formal garden, the home of the Sidney family since the 16thC. It is open weekends from mid-February to March, and daily from April to October; admission is £14, or £12 for the gardens only (2023).
The afternoon section closely follows the route of the Leigh and Penshurst walk (#92), climbing the low hills between the Medway and Eden rivers to Chiddingstone. In this equally picturesque village Chiddingstone Castle is a castellated manor house rebuilt in the 19thC, containing an unusual collection of art and curiosities left behind by its late owner, Denys Eyre Bower. It is currently open Sun–Wed from April to October; admission is £11 (2023). The grounds are normally open daily (free entry but donations welcome). A short final section takes you back over the River Eden and across low-lying farmland to a station which calls itself Penshurst but is 3 km away from that village.
Find further information and directions here T=swc.235