THE NORTH DOWNS WAY 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 1 15/05/2017 16:45 About the Author Kev Reynolds is a prolific compiler of guidebooks whose first title for Cicerone Press (Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees) appeared in 1978 and is still in print. He has written and illustrated more than 50 books, including numerous guides to the Alps, a series on Himalayan trekking, various books on the Pyrenées, and guides to three major National Trails – the North Downs Way, South Downs Way and the Cotswold Way – as well as guides to day walks in Kent, Sussex and the South Downs National Park. A member of the Alpine Club, Austrian Alpine Club and Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild, Kev lives below the greensand hills of Kent – the centre of his spiritual universe. His passion for the countryside began almost before he could walk and remains undiminished after a lifetime of activity, and he regularly travels throughout Britain to share that enthusiasm through his lectures. Check him out on www.kevreynolds.co.uk Other Cicerone guides by the author Abode of the Gods Tour of the Jungfrau Region A Walk in the Clouds Alpine Pass Route The South Downs Way Chamonix to Zermatt: The Cotswold Way The Walker’s Haute Route Walking in Sussex Écrins National Park Walking in Kent Walking in Austria Walks in the South Downs Walks in the Engadine National Park Walking in the Valais Walking in the Alps The Bernese Alps Trekking in the Alps Ticino – Switzerland Trekking in the Himalaya Central Switzerland Trekking in the Silvretta and Rätikon Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees Alps The Pyrenees 100 Hut Walks in the Alps Langtang, Helambu & Gosainkund: Tour of the Oisans: GR54 a Trekker’s Guide Tour of the Vanoise Kangchenjunga: a Trekker’s Guide Tour of Mont Blanc Manaslu: a Trekker’s Guide 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 2 15/05/2017 16:45 THE NORTH DOWNS WAY by Kev Reynolds 2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY www.cicerone.co.uk 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 3 15/05/2017 16:45 © Kev Reynolds 2017 Third edition 2017 ISBN: 978 1 85284 861 3 Second edition 2011 First edition 2001 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd All photographs by the author This product includes mapping data licenses from Ordnance Survey® with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright 2017. All rights reserved. Licence number PU100012932. Updates to this Guide While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guide- books as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edi- tion. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/861/updates), so please check before plan- ning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom. Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk. Route symbols on OS map extracts route start point finish point direction of walk For OS symbols key see OS maps. Front cover: Quintessential Kent: oasthouses on the Canterbury loop 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 4 15/05/2017 16:45 CONTENTS Overview map ................................................. 6 INTRODUCTION .............................................. 9 The North Downs Way .......................................... 10 Walking west to east ............................................ 11 Where to stay ................................................. 17 Waymarking and accessibility .................................... 18 When to go .................................................. 19 Getting there – and back ........................................ 20 Using this guide ............................................... 20 Along the way ................................................ 22 THE NORTH DOWNS WAY Stage 1 Farnham to Guildford .................................. 24 Stage 2 Guildford to the Mole Valley (A24) ........................ 32 Stage 3 Mole Valley to Merstham ................................ 40 Stage 4 Merstham to Westerham Hill ............................. 48 Stage 5 Westerham Hill to Wrotham ............................. 56 Stage 6 Wrotham to the Medway ................................ 67 Stage 7 The Medway to Detling ................................. 75 Stage 8 Detling to Harrietsham ................................. 82 Stage 9 Harrietsham to Boughton Lees ........................... 88 DIRECT ROUTE TO DOVER VIA WYE Stage 10 Boughton Lees to Etchinghill ............................. 95 Stage 11 Etchinghill to Dover .................................. 104 THE CANTERBURY LOOP Stage 10a Boughton Lees to Canterbury ........................... 112 Stage 11a Canterbury to Shepherdswell ........................... 122 Stage 12a Shepherdswell to Dover ............................... 128 APPENDIX A Useful contacts .................................. 134 APPENDIX B Recommended reading ............................ 135 APPENDIX C Route summary table .............................. 136 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 5 15/05/2017 16:45 M25M25 THE NORTH DOWNS WAY 2 A1 A12 A127A127 1 A4 1 A4 A40 A40 10 10 A A A13 A13 RiverRiver Thames Thames A205A205 M4 M4 A2 A2 A2 A2 A316A316 LONDONLONDON 0 0 RochesterRochester A322 A322 MedwayMedway 24 24 A232A232 A A M20M20 9 9 A299A299 A28 A28 A24 A24 StouStour r WrothamWrotham CanterburyCanterbury 3 3 MoleMole WesterhamWesterham DetlingDetling M2 M2 A3 A3 A25 A25 GreaGreat t A3 A3 ValleyValley Hill Hill HarrietshamHarrietsham GuildfordGuildford A2 A2 A256 A256 M3 M3 SevenoaksSevenoaks MaidstoneMaidstone MersthamMerstham DorkingDorking ShepherdswellShepherdswell M23M23 A21 A21 SurreySurrey A A BoughtonBoughton Lees Lees FarnhamFarnham HillsHills 22 22 DoverDover 31 31 r r A A WyeWye A A y y 229 229 EtchinghillEtchinghill A24 A24 Rive Rive M25M25 CrawleyCrawley MedwaMedwa 0 0 07 07 FolkestoneFolkestone A2 A2 Arun Arun A26 A26 A3 A3 A259 A259 A21 A21 R R River River E E A272A272 RiverRi Rotherver Rother V V A 272A 272 O O D D A23 A23 A A F F A24 A24 2 2 259 259 6 6 2 2 A A O O A2 A2 A283 A283 IT IT A27 A27 2 2 HastingsHastings A A A27 A27 A2 A2 A27 A27 R R T T N N BrightonBrighton EastbourneEastbourne S S 0 0 25 mile25 mile 0 0 40 km40 km TheThe North North Do Downswns Wa Way y 6 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 6 15/05/2017 16:45 M25M25 OVERVIEW MAP A12 A12 A127A127 1 A4 1 A4 A40 A40 10 10 A A A13 A13 RiverRiver Thames Thames A205A205 M4 M4 A2 A2 A2 A2 A316A316 LONDONLONDON 0 0 RochesterRochester A322 A322 MedwayMedway 24 24 A232A232 A A M20M20 9 9 A299A299 A28 A28 A24 A24 StouStour r WrothamWrotham CanterburyCanterbury 3 3 MoleMole WesterhamWesterham DetlingDetling M2 M2 A3 A3 A25 A25 GreaGreat t A3 A3 ValleyValley Hill Hill HarrietshamHarrietsham GuildfordGuildford A2 A2 A256 A256 M3 M3 SevenoaksSevenoaks MaidstoneMaidstone MersthamMerstham DorkingDorking ShepherdswellShepherdswell M23M23 A21 A21 SurreySurrey A A BoughtonBoughton Lees Lees FarnhamFarnham HillsHills 22 22 DoverDover 31 31 r r A A WyeWye A A y y 229 229 EtchinghillEtchinghill A24 A24 Rive Rive M25M25 CrawleyCrawley MedwaMedwa 0 0 07 07 FolkestoneFolkestone A2 A2 Arun Arun A26 A26 A3 A3 A259 A259 A21 A21 R R River River E E A272A272 RiverRi Rotherver Rother V V A 272A 272 O O D D A23 A23 A A F F A24 A24 2 2 259 259 6 6 2 2 A A O O A2 A2 A283 A283 IT IT A27 A27 2 2 HastingsHastings A A A27 A27 A2 A2 A27 A27 R R T T N N BrightonBrighton EastbourneEastbourne S S 0 0 25 mile25 mile 0 0 40 km40 km TheThe North North Do Downswns Wa Way y 7 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 7 15/05/2017 16:45 THE NORTH DOWNS WAY Cobbs Hill gives a view down to Water Farm and Stowting (Stage 10) 8 861 North Downs Way 2017 update.indd 8 15/05/2017 16:45 INTRODUCTION The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases… Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me, and a three hours’ march to dinner – and then to thinking! William Hazlitt (1778–1830) I’m one with Hazlitt, when it comes to even if there were no path to guide long-distance walks. Except, perhaps, him.’ And we, going east, could my preference would be for an eight hardly disagree. or nine-hour march to dinner, rather The North Downs have acted as a than just three. Spread the day thinly, highway since before Neolithic times. I say; set out soon after breakfast with Because the Wealden forest was a cheese roll and an apple in the ruck- too dense and tangled to allow easy sack, dismiss from mind any thought access, the high and broad-backed of the next night’s rest – and simply downland gave an opportunity to wander. Let the trail ahead guide your hunt, to travel, or to drive livestock feet, leaving each of the senses free to from one pasture to another, and absorb whatever the countryside has (much later) from pasture to market. in store. Drove roads gave way to green lanes, Walking the North Downs Way while some of the footpaths and track- provides ample scope for the liberty ways adopted by the North Downs to think, feel, do just as you please. Way in the 21st century may well Mostly the trail is clear, waymarking have been stamped out long before adequate, the spacious Downs edg- the Romans came to these shores. ing a far horizon as they make that Now there’s food for thought… long, generous arc round the low-ly- Today the line of the downland ing Weald, so that there are few (if scarp is traced here and there by any) demands to check the map or motorways and a high speed railway, compass, and you can free the mind and nothing can better underscore the to drift with the clouds.