Walk 8: Shoreham/Otford circular

An idyllic village set in a pastoral valley is the start and finish point of this walk with a trout stream, water meadows, hills and woodland

THE WALK IN SHORT How long? 2½ hours/5.5 miles Leave Shoreham station and walk under (5km) bridge down Station Rd, past golf club Public transport: Thameslink entrance and car park to footpath on left and Southeastern trains run a Point 1-2: 800m. Follow Darent Valley regular service to Shoreham footpath through trees, across golf fairways (and Otford) station (on the (take care) and by a cricket pitch to narrow London Blackfriars to Sevenoaks lane line). Point 2-3: 1.5km. Cross lane, continue on Parking: easy – car park in Darent Valley path to Otford, passing recreation Filston Lane or park near station ground and village car park Start of walk: footpath 80 metres Point 3-4: 300m. Turn right on High St then west of Darent Valley golf club right again by river on footpath heading north Steep slopes? One short, quite parallel with previous path steep uphill section. Moderately Point 4-5: 800m. Continue on path across easy walk. fields, river disappears to your left, hidden by Kid friendly? The walk might be vegetation long for younger children but Point 5-6: 900m. Go straight over path they’ll love wading in the river at ‘crossroads’ and enter ‘tree tunnel’ which takes the war memorial and picnics in you through part of the golf course to lane the meadows (best picnic spot at Point 6-7: 300m. On reaching lane turn left. Point 9 on hillside). Going downhill you pass converted oast house, Click here for Ordnance pond fed by stream and other Home Farm Survey GPX map of this route buildings Point 7-8: 500m. After Home Farm and Mill Walk and local highlights Cottage, cross little bridge over river then Superb 15th-century village bear left alongside river with plantation of houses in both villages; the broadleaf trees on your right. Pass 16th- Water House, associated with century Kennel Cottage on right on more ▲ early 19th century landscape recent houses on left and reach Filston Lane N ½ a mile painter Samuel Palmer of the Point 8-9: 500m. Cross lane and walk up Ancients fame; Shoreham rough farm track opposite, stay on path up Aircraft Museum, with tea shop right hand side of large field on steep valley attached; the Archbishop’s side until you see a bench ahead. (Points 9A his is a superb walk around Shoreham and Eynsford, but Palace ruin in Otford; sparkling and 9B are on a parallel path at the top of the particularly if you like to see there are no guarantees; populations wine specialist Mount Vineyard hill, in quiet, atmospheric Meenfield wood, beautiful old cottages and of the bird vary from year to year. (open on Sundays); Castle indicated by blue line on map). houses along with countryside. The river nearly disappeared in the Farm shop and lavender fields Point 9-9C: 1.3km. Turn right along path on There are loads of wonderful, 1980s-90s as extraction from bore holes nearby; solar system scale side of hill just before bench and stay on this Tunshowy, old buildings from the and a run of dryish years reduced it to a model in Otford. Also the path above white cross, all the way towards medieval era onward in Shoreham and trickle. The river is managed a bit better Darent river, hillside views, wild junction with Shacklands Rd. Otford so add on extra time if you aren’t these days, and it’s a lot healthier in Point 9C-10 500m. Before Shacklands Rd, flower meadows, hedgerows familiar with the villages. The ruins of wildlife terms. It rises on the greensand turn right on path along edge of field back and old, flint and wooden what was once the Archbishop’s Palace ridge south east of Westerham (see towards village. houses and a great church. in Otford, which fell victim to Cardinal Walks 15 and 21) and disappears into Point 10-11-12 800m: Reach High St, cross, Four pubs in Shoreham, two in Wolsey’s rise to power under Henry the Thames near Dartford after joining then walk down Mill Lane nearly opposite. Otford. VIII and the decline of Archishop forces with the River Cray. Cross river on bridge, then turn right and walk Covered on Ordnance Survey Warham’s influence, is particularly The walk is easy to extend further; along river path to war memorial (alternatively Explorer 147 map interesting to see. to the west to Meenfield, Pilot and follow blue route on map; ie, walk straight on More info on Shoreham on Shoreham is the prettier of the Andrews woods; to the east to after bridge, then curve round the back of the localkentwalks.wordpress.com villages, but Otford is very intriguing Romney St (Walk 5) and Fackenden vineyard and the church). From war memorial, and shorehamvillage.co.uk with its nooks and crannies, especially Down (Walk 18). Kemsing, round the explore village, or turn left to return to station the area around the old palace, but also corner from Otford at the base of the (go through churchyard for slight short cut) with its to-scale solar system model, escarpment also makes an interesting Ye Olde George pub is opposite church which makes a decent walk in itself. extension, along footpaths used for but there are other pubs, too. Aircraft The River Darent at Otford is a good time immemorial through curiously museum is on the High St side of place for spotting kingfishers, which are untamed vegetation behind the station. Shoreham Pickmoss Cottages, Otford probably disturbed a bit less here than [email protected]

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