Ide Hill Circular

Walk 4: Ide Hill circular Glorious woodland that inspired National Trust founder Octavia Hill in Churchill’s Chartwell neighbourhood; wonderful views, and a superb Emmetts Gardens NT garden lend this stroll rich atmosphere How long? 1½ hrs/3.5 miles THE WALK IN SHORT Public transport: Nearest rail Points 0-1: 650m. Join NT footpath marked access is Sevenoaks station from Ide Hill next to right of church and walk where it is 15 minutes by taxi downhill, past shetland pony pasture on right, (about £15) to Ide Hill. There is joining Greensand Way. Turn right and follow an infrequent bus service from path curving to the right, alongside field on Sevenoaks station to Ide Hill left with barbed wire fence uphill to point 1 Ide Hill – the 404, operated by Go. Point 1-2: 650m. Turn left at path junction, Scord’s wood Parking: easy, by the church (the heading away from village into valley. Cross highest in Kent at 216m) a little stream by a bridge and climb up other Start of walk: footpath next to side of valley to Scords wood and point 2 church Point 2-3: 650m. Enter woods past NT sign for Steep slopes? Quite hilly but Toys Hill and follow path uphill for 50m for so nothing too arduous then, at a junction, take the path on the right Muddy? One of the worst walks (the Toys Hill red route). Follow this path down for mud in winter, especially steps and various twists and turns. Keep right Scords wood/Toys Hill at the next junction of paths and walk past a large pond (point 3) Point 3-4 600m. Continue the path uphill Walk highlights ½ a mile Great ‘garden of England views’ behind the pond, ignoring any path off to ▲ from one of Kent’s highest the left, to the entrance of Emmetts gardens. N villages; Emmetts gardens; Enter gardens and follow signs for tea room. Once you hit the main path within the garden National Trust-managed he Toy’s Hill/Ide Hill areas (just before tea room), turn right until you woodland with fabulous are among the first to be see an ornamental pond and rose garden on bluebell displays, blossom and protected by the National your right. Walk into this garden and right foxglove glades in spring. Trust, largely through past pond Combine with a visit to the work of Victorian Point 4-5: 470m. Just past pond leave Chartwell, Churchill’s house Tsocial reformer and green space Emmetts by a little gate and walk into large and gardens and Westerham; campaigner Octavia Hill. There is meadow. Join the footpath/lane heading Emmetts Gardens, Bough Beech a seat dedicated to her with a great downill on your right by either going through nature reserve; and Westerham. view, just off the Greensand Way the white gate on your right or walking The Cock Inn is a fine pub in (to the left) on the wooded hillside diagonally across the meadow to the wooden the village and so is The White between Point 0 and 1 on the map. gate in the right hand corner, which you’ll Hart at nearby Brasted (which Like the One Tree Hill walks probably have to climb over. Go down lane, is where the Biggin Hill pilots I’ve detailed, this walk is on the past tiny cricket pitch and meet Sundridge Rd used to go during the Battle of Greensand Ridge (a sandstone Emmetts Gardens azaleas (point 4) Point 5-6: 470m. Turn right up Sundridge Britain). Covered on Ordnance escarpment parallel with the main Rd – take care, cars are frequent and road is Survey Explorer 147 map North Downs chalk escarpment pay at the main entrance or cafe, narrow – for 150m then turn left down much to the north). Walks along the but it’s fine to pass through on the quieter Norman St. After 320m take ‘hidden’ ridge tend to be more extensively walk (well, I think it is anyway!). footpath on right through gap in hedge wooded than the chalk walks. The views as you enter Emmetts Point 6-7: 600m. Follow path diagonally At Scords wood, huge damage are among the best in southern through large field, then into a second field. was done by the 1987 storm, as England. The reservoir you can Exit this field by turning left to stile into a at Knole Park, but the woods has see is Bough Beech. Beyond that playing field. Walk through playing field past regenerated fast and the NT is is Anne Boleyn’s old gaffe at Hever playground and to left of large hut to re-enter leaving some of Scords to itself, Castle. Emmetts was founded Ide Hill from behind the Cock Inn to see how the process pans out by banker and botanist Frederic naturally. In the past there was Lubbock, whose brother John was much coppicing and pollarding of Charles Darwin’s great friend. trees here, which is still obvious. A superb walk in spring, summer The bluebells on Emmett’s and autumn but very muddy in southern bank are among the most winter, though I suspect the NT photographed in England. Birds, will try to improve the paths, as it butterflies, fungii ... all abound. has behind the ram pump pond. If you stay at Emmetts for any Adam McCulloch Between point 1 and 2, looking south Scord’s wood bluebells time, the right thing to do is to [email protected] localkentwalks.wordpress.com.

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