Walk 1: circular

Tread in Charles Darwin’s footsteps on this 8 walk among woods and meadows in the North Airfield Downs. Easy walk, good for kids. Combine with Look for ‘hidden’ trips to Downe House and Christmas Tree Farm stile into field

How long? 45mins-1hr et off the bus by the church 7 2.5 miles (4km) of St Mary the Virgin Public transport: 146 bus runs (13th-century; look out 9 hourly every day until late from for the graves of Darwin’s North and Bromley family) and walk east past South (25-minute bus journey Gthe George and Dragon pub on from Bromley). R8 bus runs Rd. The walk starts with Start every 80 minutes from the marked footpath (sign says railway station (20mins). 12 Donkey/llama and Luxted) a few metres enclosures mins by taxi from Hayes railway east of the very cute Christmas Tree Diagonal path station. Farm (which has donkeys, llamas across field Parking: easy, in Downe village and a wonky house), on the road Start of walk: footpath next to heading towards Cudham (POINT 1). Christmas Tree Farm, Downe The path is next to a brick wall. Do 2 Steep slopes? None not mistakenly take the path a little 6 Downe House further on signposted to Cudham. Farm hse & Walk highlights That’s another walk... So, on the path buildings Christmas Tree farm. Darwin’s next to the brick wall climb over the 4 garden and house, wild flower stile and follow the path (not the meadows, hedgerows, the driveway), with the enclosures of the chance of seeing Battle of farm on your right. Stop and admire Britain aircraft, beech trees and ▲ the donkeys if you will, then follow N 3 old, flint and wooden houses the path diagonally to the right, ½ a mile 5 and a great church. Nice cake/ heading south west across a grassy tea shop and two pubs with field (after the last enclosure). key role in the Battle of Britain and decent food. An easy walk, no After passing through a line of today is used by leisure flights and steep inclines.Great to combine trees, the path takes you diagonally executive jets. In recent years a few with a visit to Downe House, left towards a farmhouse (POINT 2). Spitfires and a Hurricane have been where Darwin wrote Watch out for the footpath sign, based there and are often flown. Origin of the Species. His study skirt the house and continue round Soon, the path breaks into the is kept in the condition in which the edge of a field then (POINT 3) open and you’ll see superb beech he worked in it. Thirty minutes’ take a sharp right (to head west) trees on your right (and some drive from East Dulwich at the intersection of footpaths (if Luftwaffe bomb craters from 1940). you were to go left here, you’d soon You’ll cross three fields on this path Covered on Ordnance Survey enter a fantastic bluebell wood, best (the third is POINT 7) before entering Explorer 147 map seen in May). Cross the road (POINT Darwin’s meadow (point 4) a copse and, after about 30 metres, 3.5) and enter the meadow (brilliant turning 90-degrees right to go over with daisies and buttercups from airfield detract from the timeless a hidden stile (POINT 8) and head May to July) bordering Darwin’s vibe of this part of the walk. east across a field. Until late March house/garden, with small cricket The path descends slightly 2015 this field was a wild pasture pitch behind hedge on your left. into the valley then joins another with flowers and hawthorn trees, The path meets the western trail (POINT 5), this time running but now it’s a cereals field, very corner of Darwin’s garden north to south. So, turn right here attractive in June, not in winter. (POINT 4) – you can have a quick (heading north) and just keep on After about 300 metres the path peek, but you’ll have to pay if you going through the woods. Biggin narrows to become a kind of alley linger – then head across the great Hill airfield is just beyond the trees and brings you out in Downe by man’s Sandwalk and diagonally left on the far side of the valley. There a bus stop. There’s a great little across another field with a great is a quiet golf course on the floor cake and tea shop, much used by view of a wooded valley. This is my of the valley. After a few minutes weekend cyclists, by the Rajdoot favourite part of the walk as you you will cross a lane (POINT 6) and curry house and then you’ll be at look over unbroken treetops to the continue on the path heading north. the Queens Head (POINT 9). The western horizon for what seems This woodland is mentioned by pub made the news on March 22, like miles. At dusk, watch out for Geoffrey Wellum in his astonishing 2015, when protestors ambushed wild deer at this point. Superb book First Light, covering his time the UKIP leader Nigel Farage and sunsets. Don’t let the occasional at RAF Biggin Hill as a 19-year-old rather spoiled his Sunday lunch. St Mary the Virgin church, Downe waft of kerosene jet fuel from the Spitfire pilot. The airfield played a [email protected]

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