This year I have decided to complete the North Downs Way via the Canterbury loop - having grown up in Guildford, which sits on the western end of the North Downs Way. Although I have done endless walks on the North Downs Way, I have only really done so along the stretch from Guildford to Dorking - and so I was interested in seeing more of this National Trail.
Looking at the North Downs Way, the path is fairly long and in the interest of enjoying it rather than suffering, I figured it was best to split into two different walks - rather than doing the walk in one go.
The previous summer I had been down in Rochester meeting up with a friend whilst they were on holiday, and this town actually offers a handy point at which to split the North Downs Way in two - and the North Downs Way has a change of direction at Rochester that suits making this a start and end point. More importantly it is easy to get to from the north of England where I am based, which makes it an easy start point for any walk.
And so on this day I find myself leaving Darlington on the 6:31 train off to Kings Cross and despite some delays coming into London, I still had time to get some lunch before heading over to St Pancreas to catch the 9:50 train to Rochester to arrive at 10:27.
The train journey to Rochester passes a lot of the industrial ports along the Thames so it is definitely not a particularly scenic route out of London, but Rochester itself is a pretty historical town with a pretty high street plus a castle and cathedral and the trains are fast as they use the high speed route out of London.
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| The cathedral in Rochester |
After heading through Rochester, and past the castle and cathedral - the next task is to head through the outskirts of Rochester to meet up with the North Downs Way as it passes under the M2 - on the outskirts of town.
This isn't an unpleasant walk and after a bit of meandering past the houses, it is time to meet up with the North Downs Way for the first time, and begin the trip down towards Dover.
This means passing under the M2 and then turning off to the left along a quite road, before turning right at the farm to begin a climb up into the hills.
Once a bit of height has been gained, it is possible to look back towards Rochester, which is a view that is unfortunately dominated by the passage of the M2 and the route of the Eurostar (you will almost certainly get to watch a few trains). Looking forwards it is an agricultural and chalky route ahead which definitely feels more like countryside worth walking in :
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| The start of the walk along the North Downs Way |
From here it is a very pleasant start to the day heading out through the fields, which then merge into a farm track, which in turn becomes a very minor road that is quite pleasant to stroll along. Things do at this point start to feel a tiny bit more busy as you meet up with the A229 and cross some busier roads, but this was a very pleasant stretch to walk, and there is also the opportunity to turn off and meet up with some old historic sites along this stretch :
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| Kit's Coty House Burial Chamber |
While it is a bit sad to see the monument at Kit's Coty all caged up, this is undoubtedly necessary to preserve a site which dates back to 4000BCE. It would have been nicer to have been able to just walk up to the stones though. Accessing it is very straight-forward, as it lies only a few meters off the main path, and it is a good reminder of the ancient history of the area.
Continuing on, I skipped the site at Little Kit's Coty - which is in more of a ruined state and a bit further off the path - but soon the path heads round to go under the A229 and then you have a crossing over the Eurostar line, which is a great spot to see the trains if you are lucky enough to have one go by.
From here it is once again time to go on a bit of a climb, as you head up through Westfield Woods, and although I generally prefer the open ridges over woodland, this is a very pleasant and enjoyable wood to walk through.
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| Westfield Woods |
This section is a fairly long climb, but eventually you pop out into the fields on the other side of the hill, and then it is onto a stretch popping in and out of the woods as you head towards Detling.
Coming up to Detling, it is time to drop down off the ridge once again, so that you can cross what feels a bit of an over-sized bridge over the A249.
Once across it is time to head straight back up onto the ridge - although from here there is the possibility of heading down through local footpaths to Bearsted train station if you wish to get on and off route.
Once up onto the ridge you enter one of the prettiest section of the whole North Downs Way trail and this offered a perfect end to the day.
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| Having climbed up from Detling |
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| Continuing along the ridge |
Having made it up onto the ridge, the route continues with good views along the rolling ridge. On occasion the path sits at a bit of an angle which can be a little awkward to walk along, but the views are more than good enough to make up for this.
Generally the path is kind enough to stay at a consistent height but there are still a few ups and downs along the way.
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| The path ahead on the left generally holding level on the ridge |
Since this was done in April - and having traveled down in the morning - by this point the day was heading towards the evening, but a bonus of this stretch is that there are train stations that can be used to get on and off the trail at Hollingbourne, Harrietsham and Lenham that are close together and the plan was to push the light to try and get as far today as possible.
The original target had been Lenham, but measuring out the distances as I completed by approach, it seemed that Harrietsham would be the best target to arrive at before it started getting dark - and this turned out to be a good choice because there is a lovely path that runs down from the North Downs Way that pops out on the station platform itself. In fact I really loved this town and felt at home here straight away, mostly because of how cleanly it blends straight into the countryside.
But arriving at the station, the day was over - and it was time to get onto the train to head into Ashford where I was planning to stay overnight and get some food before heading back on the train in the morning.
UPDATE - Click
here for a writeup of the walk from Rochester to Farnham along the North Downs Way - walked later in the year.
Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 178 and 189 (minimal time on this map) OS Landranger maps - while there is also a North Downs Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.
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