High Weald Landscape Trail Day 7 Tenterden - Rye

Tenterden

There is something satisfying and yet sad about completing a walk. So it proved today when I bade farewell to the High Weald Landscape Trail. Amazingly, although completely unplanned it was a year to the day since I started the walk! The weather conditions were remarkably similar to the first day in that it had been a damp day the day before and the weather was still recovering a bit from the rain. The morning was quite steamy and resolutely overcast, although the forecast was for warm sun later.

Tilder Gill

I had a remarkably early start and got to Rye approximately 8.15am, in plenty of time to find somewhere to park (not easy in this tourist honeypot) and catch the first bus of the day to Tenterden at 8.40am. I had really hoped to make this bus for there are only a few each way on a Saturday and the next wouldn’t be for two long hours. I did have a problem though in that I only had a little change and a £20 note. I would not be popular with the bus driver! However, We managed a little ‘deal’ when I got on and for a few stops I was the only passenger. In fact the journey only got busy when we arrived in Smallhythe and a dishevelled bunch of teenagers got on, looking like death warmed up and I suspect having been to an all night party at somebody’s house.

Hammer Pond

Anyhow I got to Tenterden at a respectable starting time of 9.15am and took advantage of a very attractive looking bakery before I started walking. I felt sorted straight away! All I had to worry about now was getting myself the twelve miles back to Rye.

Unemployed

Almost immediately the path left the built up area of Tenterden. I was really surprised how quickly the path took me out into the countryside, although I found the path slightly curious as it was tarmacked for some distance. It was only when I reached the B2082 Rye Road that I realised why. This was the main walking route from the town to the cricket ground and I imagine that someone had decided this was too important a route to have an unmade surface.

Sitting on the Job

A little further on past the cricket ground and yet another pond, I entered the strangely mysterious world of Tilder Gill. To be honest I smelled what was coming long before I reached the wood. This magical place was not what I expected at all. The path led down a narrow stream valley through thick woodland carpeted with wild garlic and the remnants of this year’s bluebells. The woods were alive with the sounds of all manner of birdsongs including a few distinctive ones like the cuckoo (the first I had heard this year) and the green woodpecker (which sounds like it’s cackling!). This was easily the best part of the path of the whole day and I could have spent a few happy hours there just listening to my surroundings and sniffing wild garlic! Further down the valley and the sound of birdsong was joined by the sound of mating frogs from yet another hammer pond. This little section of countryside was very reminiscent of the first day of the hike, even though the rest of this part of Sussex is very different to the area around Horsham.

Smallhythe Place

I passed a farm known as Dumbourne, which seemed to be owned by people who liked collecting old machinery and vehicles around them. The view ahead was across what was once an inlet of the sea and across to the Isle of Oxney. I had been this way once before when I completed the Saxon Shore Way some years ago, although I was now at the other end of the old channel and island. I reunited with the Rye road approximately where the youngsters had got on the bus. The way ahead was along what could have been quite a busy road for about half a mile although luckily still being fairly early on a Saturday, few people were about. It gave me the opportunity to take a good look at the hamlet of Smallhythe. The main points of interest were a small chapel built in a Dutch style and a couple of half timbered houses, one of which was a National Trust owned property (Smallhythe Place), where the famous Victorian actress Ellen Terry once lived.

Reading Sewer

I crossed the Reading Sewer and then across some drained marshland before climbing up through a couple of fields of loudmouthed sheep to the top of the Isle of Oxney. As I looked back across the valley I tried to imagine what it once looked like when it was a sea inlet, with coastal boats bringing cargo to the port at Smallhythe (for Tenterden). At the top I joined a farm track and enjoyed the extensive views across towards the North Downs some way distant. By now the sun was starting to make some headway with the clouds and I could feel some warmth creeping into the day. This helped bring out the smells of the flowers and the verge of the track was a riot of colours. What really caught my attention were some purple flowers that stood out from the crowd. Upon closer inspection I could see that these were common spotted orchids, a slightly surprising find for me as I thought these were restricted to limy soils.

Wittersham Church

I crossed the Rye Road for the last time and then headed across more fields, all the time by-passing the village of Wittersham. In the very distance I could hear the sound of one of the steam trains from the Kent and East Sussex Railway and was reminded that Wittersham had a station, albeit two miles from the village! I can’t imagine this was very useful for the villagers at all.

Wittersham Village

By now my stomach was rumbling and the roll I had bought earlier was starting to call my name out very loudly! I sat upon a stile and consumed it with relish. The view from my lunch spot was typically Kentish although I was by now almost at the next county border with East Sussex. Just after lunch I met the first walker I had seen today and we engaged in conversation. He was a veteran of the walk, having completed it a couple of times and was now heading in the opposite direction to complete that way. Ironically he was from Arundel and had completed many of the same walks as me.

Wittersham Oast

I soon approached another valley, this time for the River Rother and as I crossed the river I also made my way into my home county of East Sussex (being from Lewes originally). I also met with the Sussex Border Path, which I followed for a short way up to Decoy Wood. In the woodland the paths diverged and I headed down towards yet another hammer pond, this one having a new lease of life as a private fishing ground.

Decoy Wood

For the next half mile or so I passed through a couple more woods and the bluebells were still in full bloom, making for that wonderful bluish haze through the woodland floor that is unique to these few short weeks of the year. As I passed through the wood I met another chap who stopped to chat. He was the owner of the wood and was taking advantage of the glorious spring weather to look out for the abundant wildlife living here. He explained to me how he had coppiced his wood over winter to open up some areas to sunlight and increase the biodiversity. His wife was looking for more man-made treasures with her metal detector a little further on. She asked whether I had any treasure that I wanted finding!

Orchard Blossom

It was quite a shock to leave the wood and find myself on the main A268 road to Rye at Peasmarsh. Although the traffic wasn’t pleasant I did admire the rhododendrons that adorned the gardens along the road. Luckily I was able to disappear around the back of the village quite quickly and headed out behind a very large village shop called Jempson’s, which I later learned is the largest independent supermarket in Britain (see http://www.jempsons.com/). I climbed out of Peasmarsh via Peasmarsh Park and headed out on the last leg of the walk into Rye through some orchards and eventually onto a track through Clayton Farm. As I wandered down past the farm I met a very old fashioned looking farmer, complete with trousers done up with string and the kind of person that you don’t think exists in this modern world of ours. I passed the time of day with him and shortly after I was greeted with my first view of Rye. The town is dominated by the church at the pinnacle of the island like hill that the town sits on. It makes for a very distinctive view, quite unlike any other that I know in Britain.

River Tillingham

I descended into the small valley of the River Tillingham and although the edge of Rye was tantalisingly close I had to follow the meander of the river around to a bridge quite close to the Railway Station where the trail officially ended. By now the weather was very warm and I could see that the crowds had finally come out to enjoy the sunshine. I spent some time admiring the windmill at the end of the trail, which you can stay in if you are so inclined (book at http://www.ryewindmill.co.uk/). Could be a memorable place to stay at the end of the walk! Disappointingly the end of the trail was only marked by a shabby looking marker post but it felt good to be in Rye once again. Of course I have been through here before for hike trips, on the Saxon Shore Way, but there are two other trails that come this way, the 1066 Country Trail and the Sussex Border Path. I feel for sure that both of these will be on my radar one day soon.

Rye Mill

The High Weald Landscape Trail is an interesting walk, better to be done in the Spring after the mud has dried up for it would be susceptible to some muddy tracks. Spring will allow you to enjoy the woodland flowers at their best, although autumn might also be a good time for colours in the woods also. It isn’t especially challenging and public transport links are good although a lot of forward planning is required because of the poor frequencies of some of the services.

High Weald Landscape Trail Day 6 Cranbrook - Tenterden

Cranbrook Church

Following the disappointment of not seeing too much in the way of blossom last time I headed up into Kent, I felt more confident this time. Driving to this part of Kent is rather difficult to gauge how long it will take and since the intended bus today was on a two hour frequency I decided to pitch up at Cranbrook and take my chances at the other end. As it happens I didn’t have any worries about how long it would take for this would be my last day of complete freedom before the return of the rest of my family.

Overlooking Cranbrook Mill

The whole day and night before today’s expedition had been monsoon conditions although the weather promised to be really good today. The start of the day’s walk in Cranbrook though was still a bit grey and murky as the rain clouds were still on their way out. I parked in the free car park in town and headed out through the churchyard and after a couple of wrong turns (the signage was a little sparse) I soon found myself in the countryside. The path ahead was familiar as many years ago, when living in Kent, we had come this way on a short circular walk. The path ran alongside what looked like a large country estate although the house it belonged to was out of sight.

How Do I Cross That?

Along the fence line a little way I turned right and continued across a field where I once again had a great view of the windmill that dominates the Cranbrook skyline. As I wandered down through the field I realised how much rain there had been as my KSB boots were completely soaked within minutes. After crossing a couple of fields the sight of oast houses greeted me once more, reminding me that I was firmly in Kent. These would dominate many of the views for the day. I am not especially a fan of these structures, although I enjoy their distinctiveness and in particular I like looking at the additions to the weather vanes that are an integral part of the design. Although many are plain, others are decorated with motifs of various animals including Invicta, the rampant horse symbol that represents Kent, and other Englishisms (is that a word?) such as cricketers.

Benenden Cottage

As I crossed the first road of the day, I was greeted by the bus that I had originally intended to take from Tenterden and was relieved that I hadn’t done so, for I would most certainly have missed it. What lied ahead though was rather a nasty surprise. The field that the path had crossed was completely ploughed over and the path was a complete quagmire after 24 hours of rain. To say I wasn’t pleased is probably the biggest understatement of the year!

Benenden School

After cursing all the way across I was relieved when I came to a wood on the other side. I was soon disappointed though when I found that the wood had been spoiled by being used as a local tipping ground. What was odd though was that we were some distance from a track or road, so tipping here must have been quite difficult to achieve. I felt on a bit of a downer and was barely two miles into the day’s walking. Maybe I should have headed west again!

Benenden Oasts

Things soon got better luckily and I soon passed Benenden School, a large girls public boarding school with famous alumni such as Princess Anne and Oscar winning actress Rachel Weisz. All was quiet today though as I assume all the girls were still away enjoying their Easter holidays. The path kept away from the front of the school so I didn’t get much of a view of the facilities (although for the very nosey there is a path that runs right along the front of the main building). Upon leaving the school grounds the path did its best to stay away from the village centre of Benenden. Actually I kind of understand why, since the alternative would be a fairly unappealing stretch of road walking. Instead I descended down into a valley and turned left by some ubiquitous oast houses, heading back up the hill that I had just come down. At the top I passed through a field of donkeys and caught a glimpse of jade coloured feathers that flashed before me. The bird they were attached to was travelling to fast for me to follow but it was fairly obvious that I had just seen a green woodpecker, the first I had seen for many years.

Benenden Village Hall

I emerged by Benenden Church and the enormous green that dominates its frontage. I decided to head into the village to stock up on provisions and was quite glad to find a well stocked village shop. Business looked as though it was quite good for the place had a fairly luxurious air about it. I would recommend a stop if you are ever this way. Feeling fortified I retraced my steps to the church and had a look around the churchyard. The church itself was built in a similar style to many of the others I had passed in this part of Kent, with a castellated tower rather than the spires that are more common in Sussex.

Benenden Church

After a quick snack I continued onwards through the cacophony of sheep that were now lambing. It’s funny how normally quiet sheep can change when the newborns are around. The path to Rolvenden, the next village en route, crossed a mixture of agricultural fields and short stretches of bluebell filled woods, which were just starting to come into bloom. It reminded me of the start of this walk, almost a year ago back in Horsham. Bluebells themselves have no smell, but as I passed through one wood in particular I got a whiff of a pungent but familiar smell and soon realised that at the edge of the wood was a large patch of wild garlic. Just before I got to Rolvenden I passed a very well preserved windmill standing guard over the countryside. In the next field was my next obstacle when I realised that the field of harvested maize that I had to cross through had no discernable path. The signage wasn’t helpful either, so I had to guess the way forward by heading for the next church.

Rolvenden Mill

Rolvenden Church was a similar style to Benenden, with a castellated tower, but with a short steeple added to the top for good measure. Although I got a good look at the church, the path kept away from the village itself and once through the churchyard I was back into the countryside once more. A couple of fields later and I entered a fabulous bluebell wood at Great Maythem. This wood was obviously well managed for the trees were less densely planted and all the underbrush had been removed, allowing the bluebells to grow unfettered. The path took a curious course here too, through a tightly fenced section. When I looked at the map it soon became obvious that I was crossing a country estate and the owners did not want me to leave the path. It was a bit unsubtle! I glimpsed the house through the trees and most impressive it was too. Allegedly this house was the setting for the children’s story, The Secret Garden and given my allowed passage through, I could well believe it. More details of the place can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Maytham_Hall . Although my views of the place were quite restricted, I did enjoy the variety that crossing the parkland gave and the perimeter of the estate was flush with flowers and blossom.

Rolvenden

I soon came to the next village, Rolvenden Layne and passed along a street with some very picture postcard cottages with fabulously maintained gardens. Despite being a Saturday afternoon, there was very little activity and few people about and the atmosphere about the place was a bit strange as a result. I was actually quite pleased to be out in the open countryside once more. The farmer maintaining the fields that I would now have to cross was obviously very walker friendly (and quite smart too) since he had maintained the footpaths across his land by mowing some nice wide strips through them. I was now at the Rother Valley and could see almost to the end of the walk at Tenterden ahead. I soon was reminded of the amount of rain there had been last night though when I had to pick my way through a very boggy section at the lowest part of the valley.

Great Maytham Woods

Along the Rother Valley runs the Kent and East Sussex Railway (http://www.kesr.org.uk/) and as I was crossing the track I saw the signal just to the north of my position change to indicate that a train was coming. I have to confess to being quite excited as it’s a rare opportunity to see a preserved train passing by without actually planning for it. As I waited I soon realised that timings on preserved railways are somewhat different to the main network, for it was almost 15 minutes before the train actually passed, and when it did it was rather disappointingly a diesel multiple unit rather than a steam train.

Kent and East Sussex Railway

Thinking I would be now late for the bus, I rushed the last mile or so into Tenterden and searched for the bus stop. When I reached it I quickly realised that I was actually in the hour between buses (2 hourly service remember), so I had plenty of time to look round the town. I made a beeline for the station just down the hill from the main station and got my wish when I watched the last train of the day belching out of the station on its way to Bodiam. One day again soon I shall bring the kids over here to look at the castle and ride on the train.

Tenterden

This was a pleasant if slightly unexciting stretch, marred by a few ploughed fields and flytipping. The villages are delightful however, and with all the woodland flowers and blossom, this could well be the best time of year to complete this stretch. My next foray on this walk expected in mid May will be my last for I now only have the few miles left to get to Rye.

High Weald Landscape Trail Day 5 Pembury - Cranbrook

Which Way?

Now that Spring is well and truly underway, I felt it was high time that I returned to a half-finished walk from last year, the High Weald Landscape Trail. I left it on a hot sticky day in August last year, not wanting to return until the blossom would be out on the orchards that look as if they dominate the next section.

Wood Anemones

Unfortunately I misjudged a bit, probably by about two weeks. Hey ho, I shall just have to do the next section with apple trees resplendent! This section is most definitely Kent, there’s no mistaking the countryside for Sussex any longer. Almost from the off the path passes through orchards and other soft fruit crops, scenes I remember well from my brief time living in Kent about ten years ago and last seen when I completed the Greensand Way.

Not Overly Helpful

Anyhow, I started the walk in Pembury electing to leave my car there rather than Cranbrook. Principally this was because of the frequency of the buses between the two – they are only two-hourly and I hadn’t got up early enough to get a useful bus in the morning. I had made a mental note of the last bus though, which was at 1740 and this would leave me plenty of time to complete the walk and have a nose around en route. I started just after 11am and the first thing I encountered after leaving the houses behind was the local fly-tip! Luckily this was an isolated case and I didn’t see any more for the rest of the day. Actually the area around Pembury was notable for some very large houses and after wandering around a few lanes, the path then went down a private road where most of the houses had very large fences and gates to keep oiks like me at a safe distance. As I walked along this road, I played cat and mouse with the postman, who was jumping in and out of his van and driving between the postboxes!

Matfield House

I was quite pleased to finally leave the houses behind and enter Snipe Wood. This was a very pleasant walk through coppiced woodland and some very large Scots Pines. However, any notion that I might enjoy the birdsong or scrabbling around of squirrels was soon squashed when the local farmer decided to start his machinery up. As it happens I never did see what it was, but it sounded suspiciously like an industrial sized shredder and made quite a din! Soon after this I got the sinking feeling that my careful timing for this walk was a bit out as I passed the first orchard of the day, with the dwarf trees all showing sprouts but no blossom yet!

Matfield Pond

After passing through a couple more orchards it was back to natural woodland and I was in for a special treat as they were carpeted in wood anemones, the pre-curser to bluebells. It is rare to see them in such abundance for they soon get crowded out by the bluebells, which were still a couple of weeks away from blooming.

Brenchley

In truth the countryside, while pleasant, wasn’t the star today. The highlights of the walk were all human settlements and I soon came to the first of the villages I would be passing though today. Matfield was dominated by a huge village green and presided over by Matfield House, a huge Queen Anne style house overlooking a small and rather muddy looking pond in one corner. I came upon the post office and after a little chuckle about the parochial headline on the local paper (‘Goose on the loose’ Latest) I took the opportunity of popping inside and grabbing a drink. Unfortunately it was obvious that the business was being wound down, possibly on account of the owner retiring (the lady who served me looked about the right age). There was hardly any stock left and the interior looked like it needed a bit of TLC. I had noticed the For Sale board outside and wondered whether they had had any interest during these dark times.

Brenchley

The path continued down the side of the building and was almost impossible to make out from the sign across the road. I passed between the houses and came out into a field of some kind of currants, although what colour they finally turn out to be is anybody’s guess. The rest of the way to the next village of Brenchley was across various other crops and orchards although I did also pass a very fortified looking hammer pond. I say that because it was being used as a private fishing lake and the members obviously want to keep people out by planting lots of hawthorn bushes all the way around. By now the oast houses were coming thick and fast, signalling that I was in prime hop growing country, although as yet I could see little evidence of the crop itself.

Orchards

Brenchley was a beautiful village, all the more so for the blossom and flowers in people’s gardens. The church was a golden sandstone colour, reminiscent of the stone used in the Cotswolds. Someone connected with the church was also very keen on topiary, for the yew trees that lined the entrance to the church had been impeccably clipped and kept in check. I hung about in Brenchley for a short while and consumed an ice lolly from the post office. It wasn’t great to be honest, almost certainly last year’s stock given the amount of ice crystals on the outside. I was also served by a very sour-faced shopkeeper, who I forgave as soon as I saw she was closing the shop for her lunch. She probably had a growling tummy, poor dear. Before leaving I also used the village toilets, especially as I had seen lots of notices for a public meeting to discuss their future. Tunbridge Wells Council wants to shut them apparently for cost savings, and the locals are getting a say on whether they would rather save the toilets or 5p from their Council Tax bill (or some such trifling amount).

Looking Up At The Giants

I left Brenchley through yet more orchards, this time on a much bigger scale than earlier and actively being sprayed as I passed through them. I came to realise that these apples are fairly well pampered judging by the training poles, spraying activity and pruning. I assume it makes them more productive, which is going to be especially important in the face of increasing competition from abroad.

Hop Growing

Although pleasant to walk through I was pleased when I reached another lake to break the monotony of orchards. It’s funny to think that most of these lakes are the direct result of the iron industry and all the mess that brought to this part of the world 300 years ago. Now they have returned to nature, with few clues as to how they came about, they look like they have been there all the time. On the other side of the pond I passed two very large houses in quick succession, presumably built for the industrialists who made their money from iron. The first, Shirrenden, looked to still be in private hands but the latter, Sprivers is now owned by the National Trust and sits in the centre of some very fine grounds. Soon after I passed through my first hop field of the day, and as I passed through I marvelled at the amount of work required to string up the frame on which the hop plants (which naturally grow in hedgerows) could be supported. A little further on and I passed a third large house called Rectory Park and again the adjoining parkland was very different from the agricultural fields all around.

Horsmondon Oasts

As I reached the road outside Rectory Park, I decided not to cheat and cut off an obvious dogleg, but go and investigate the isolated church at the apex of the dogleg. It transpired that this is actually Horsmonden Church, which took me aback since the village of the same name is approximately two miles to the north of here. Apparently, when it was built in the fourteenth century the church served scattered farms in the area, but the village which carries the name of the church wasn’t built until the iron foundry was built in the 17th Century.

Goudhurst Church

A little further on I passed unnoticed the remains of the old Hawkhurst branch railway line, which served both Horsmonden and Goudhurst, my next destination. There was almost nothing remaining to suggest that a railway ever passed here, and for Goudhurst residents it couldn’t have been at all convenient since the station must have been over a mile from the village it was supposed to serve. No wonder it closed in 1961.

Army Store

I climbed up to Goudhurst, another enchanting village and with more life than those that had gone before. There were a number of businesses operating including a butcher, baker and several other shops and pubs and there were quite a few people milling about. The path took me to the main building of the village, the church and I took the opportunity to have a peek inside, something I don’t normally do. It was pleasant to sit and contemplate for a few minutes before heading on my way. Before leaving though I admired the tomb of the Culpeppers, who had once been iron barons around these parts. In fact I had to be sure of this, because the tomb was of a style more usually afforded to eminent soldiers or royalty.

Cranbrook Mill

The last leg of the journey from Goudhurst to Cranbrook had two distinct sections. The first was across farmland, much as it had been before Goudhurst, but eventually I reached some proper forest. It was a real pleasure to finish the days walking with this section as I had become a bit jaded by the endless tracts of farmland. This is pleasant, but I didn’t want what had been a memorable walk to peter out into nothingness as it crossed Kent. Eventually I got to Cranbrook with almost an hour to spare, which meant that I had plenty of time to check out the very tall windmill on the edge of town (the tallest in England apparently). I like windmills and had been looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with this one, but was slightly disappointed by its grubbiness. Goodness only knows how many pots of paint it would take to tart the old lady up though, and how exactly do you reach those parts at the very top? Cranbrook is overall a very pleasant place and I shall be visiting again very soon to make this the starting point of the next section of this walk, to Tenterden.

High Weald Landscape Trail Day 4 Groombridge - Pembury

Groombridge Station

Unusually for the year so far I managed to pick a day that was a bit overcast, although given the weather that had been experienced so far during the summer it was actually pretty good. I originally had planned to walk as far as Matfield but a lack of time meant that I had to curtail today’s walk at Pembury, three miles short of my original destination. That was actually ok since this would be the last planned day on the Trail this year (it was now August), since I wanted to walk the next couple of stretches in the spring when the apple blossom would be in full swing.

Rolling Stock Line Up

I parked at Groombridge Village Hall and before getting going I decided to have a nose at the old Groombridge station. This was once a substantial junction, finally closed as a mainline station in 1985. It lives on as a private residence and rails even run through the old station as part of the Spa Valley Railway. The preservationists have built themselves a new station the other side of the road bridge that crosses at this point. There wasn’t a great deal to see since it was too early for the first train so I continued onwards, stopping first at the charming bakery to get some lunch.

Eridge Rocks

I retraced my steps through the village to find the point where I had left off last month. Almost immediately I re-crossed the railway where the junction between the East Grinstead branch and Uckfield branches diverged. This is now the storage sidings for the preserved railway but most of the stock was in pretty bad shape.

Eridge Park Chapel

From here I headed round to Harrisons Rocks, a mecca for rock-climbers from across the south east. As I arrived there were minibuses of youngster also arriving for their day’s activities. By now it was school holidays so the mood of the children was different to the slightly more disciplined atmosphere I had encountered last month at Weir Wood. The path skirted around the bottom of the rocks, with most of the climbing faces still empty and hidden in the trees. As I left the rocks I had an encounter with a fox, which didn’t hang around too long when it finally spotted me.

Eridge Park

I looped around past an old mill cottage and across lots of fields, by now ready to be harvested. Eventually I reached another rocky outcrop just north of Eridge. There were no climbers here and I enjoyed them all the more as a result. I crossed the A26 and entered Eridge Park, the next landscaped park attached to a stately home that are features of this part of the Weald. This park was not quite as well tended as some others I had visited but the feature lake was most attractive and by now the sun had made an appearance, bringing new life to the landscape. By now, being August, the landscape was changing colour to beiges and browns as grasses set seed and crops came towards harvest time.

Angry Sky

Eridge Park was also notable for the numbers of deer fences that had been put up. I recently read that deer numbers were at record levels in this country and since they can do a lot of damage to vegetation in large numbers this was obviously an attempt to protect the more vulnerable parts of the park.

Eridge Lake

Eventually I reached Frant village, high up on the Weald and commanding an excellent view south and west across to Crowborough and giving me a view right across the last couple of days walk. Frant is a charming village, which I have passed through many times but not previously explored. Curiously in the middle of the village green still keeping guard was a World War II pillbox. I stopped here for some time and devoured my lunch. The pasty I had bought at Groombridge was excellent and I vowed to remember the place if ever I am in these parts again.

Frant Church

After eating lunch I continued through the village and through the churchyard. At the other end of the churchyard I was disgorged into open countryside again and ahead I could see the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells. Today’s walk is effectively a by-pass of the town around its southern perimeter, so for the next hour or so the path negotiated the various lanes and roads that head south east of the town. By now the weather was on the change again with big black clouds threatening the sunshine which I had enjoyed for the last couple of hours.

Frant View

The section around Tunbridge Wells had rather patchy signage and some of the sections were a little overgrown. It was an uncomfortable section as I got rained on and stung regularly, but eventually I reached a road that would be my companion for most of the last of the day. Although tarmacked for most of its length it only led to a farm, which I found a little strange. Having reached the farm the line of the road continued but the tarmac ran out and the last part was a bit tricky to negotiate.

Tunbridge Wells View

Eventually I reached the A21 and crossed over the bridge into Pembury village. It was a short wait for a bus back into Tunbridge Wells and the connection with the bus to Groombridge was equally and mercifully short, although a ride on the train would have been more fun (it wasn’t running today alas).