North Downs Way - Folkestone to Charing (★★★★☆)

Today was my second consecutive day of walking - having walked from Dover to Folkestone on the previous day - and would be the day where I would complete the entirety of the North Downs Way (including both of the alternate routes between Boughton Lees and Dover).

I'm heading out into a misty morning, with a thick bed of low cloud coming up off the sea - and my first task is to head back up Castle Hill (in the north of Folkestone), to join back up with the North Downs Way.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, I turn left and start to follow a fairly muddy path that heads past the Channel Tunnel terminal.

At this point it is fortunate if you enjoy views of concrete train terminals, with little lorries and cars heading round to board their train - because these views endure for about a mile and a half of walking - after which we turn north, and start to pull away from Folkestone.

Channel Tunnel Terminal from the hills

Having turned north the view cleans up

Although there isn't much rain forecast for the day, the heavy mist is set to remain, and so I must apologize in advance for the lack of blue sky photographs - you will have to content yourself with cloudy and misty skies today. Unfortunately, such can be the way in England in November.

But the scenery is pleasant enough as we head north, and then cut west following pretty tracks - before changing direction to head south-east as we head down off the ridge.

Coming down off the ridge

Coming off the ridge gives up a fair amount of height, and at the base of the valley it is time to say hello to a group of curious but slightly wary cows - before heading underneath a former railway (that once ran between Folkestone and Canterbury along the Elan Valley line).

This train line had run through the site of the Channel Tunnel terminal, and was used during WW2 as part of the war effort - but it was never a particularly busy service, and was eventually overtaken by the road networks. 

But having passed under this abandoned train line, it is time to start climbing back up again, as we head to the hills on the far side of Etchinghill.

Starting to climb back up

Up on a new ridge beyond Etchinghill

From here we cut west, staying up on this ridge - and then passing a big tower at Tolsford Hill. 

Whilst not the prettiest structure I have ever seen (it is in fact incredibly ugly), the tower was originally built in 1954 to transmit telephone and radio signals to a corresponding tower in Fiennes (near Boulogne in France).

The concrete monstrosity that exists today followed in the 1970s - and the tower remains operational - which sadly means that you will almost certainly still have to look at it if you come and do this walk.

But with the tower behind us, we return to a pretty walk out across the fields - with the path dipping down off this ridge, in preparation for a new climb up onto new hills, on the far side of a road.

Heading out across the fields

Looking out across the ridge

Having crossed over the road, the path climbs back up, and does a close pass of the pretty village of Postling.

Looking down upon Postling

The ridge line ahead (lots of bumpy hills in all directions)

Leaving behind this vantage point, we head out along the ridge - and then after dropping down off the ridge, turn and begin to climb back up - as we start to head across the fields to Farthing Common.

Just before heading down off the ridge

At Farthing Common we meet up with a much busier road, which on the surface seems to be just another of those roads you have to put up with during a walk in the countryside -  but if you zoom out on your map, you will notice that this road runs almost in a straight line between Lympne and Canterbury.

This is an old Roman Road (Stone Street) that provided a direct route from the Roman port at Lympne (Portus Limanis) to Canterbury (Durovernum Cantiacorum) - which in turn had a direct route on to London (or Londinium) along Watling Street.  

At Farthing Common, the road is no longer dead straight and we cross the road as it bends - and this kink adjusted the route of the road in order to limit the steepness of the drop, and to minimise any risk of ambush.

Here we briefly track along the edge of Stone Street, with what are advertised as "far reaching views across Kent and the cliffs at Fairlight in Sussex and even the South Downs", but what I perceived to be "cloudy and misty views of something in the distance".

Before long we start to drop down off this ridge - joining up with a minor road, which we follow through Stowting Court. 

Here there is a rare section of road walking, before we turn off at Highfield Farm - where I instantly befriend an entire field of sheep, who frantically run over to the field's gate - presumably on the mistaken expectation that I will be feeding them.

After disappointing this entire field of sheep, I head up on an old track that runs along the ridge and after a while this track exits onto a very quiet road - which takes me further up the ridge, and then back onto a new trackway up the hill.

This trackway eventually exits onto a road - and after a bit more road walking, I start heading out along a ridge that turns increasingly grassy ridge and increasingly pretty, to the rather special Broad Downs near Wye.

Devil's Kneading Trough at Broad Downs

Very slightly further along the path

It is not quite the best day for it, but this section is still the highlight of the day so far - and from here it continues to be a very pleasant walk, out along Wye Downs to the site of Wye Crown.

Site of Wye Crown (just over the ridge)

Wye Crown is a chalk crown cut into the hillside that was carved to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. 

From above it is pretty hard to make out the shape of the crown (you can only see what looks like an odd sort of path). These days the crown is formed by white stones rather than chalk, and I've no idea if on a clear day this crown can be seen from the village of Wye below or not - as the visibility wasn't clear enough today to test this possibility.

But from here the path continues on and cuts up to a road, which is very briefly followed downhill, before the North Downs Way turns off to the left to follow an unexpectedly tarmacked path that heads directly down into the pretty village of Wye. 

St Gregory and St Martin Church

Stopping off in Wye to get some additional food and drink, the next section of the walk heads through the village, and out the far side - having crossed over Great Sour river, and passing by the train station on the way.

From here the onward path heads across the fields - although with a slightly scruffy section as you pass around Perry Court Farm - after which we continue on across the fields, to join up with a minor road into Boughton Lees. 

And it is here that we join up with the alternate route of the North Downs Way - and where I manage to complete the entirety of this trail.

The split in the North Down Way

This returns me to familiar ground - and take me back to my last walk through this spot back in April, when I was walking from Harrietsham to Canterbury - on my second day walking this trail.

From here we can turn right and get the train from Chilham, but instead I opt to turn left and head through Boughton Lees to finish up in Charing.

The route board at this junction

Initially this means some more road walking through Boughton Lees, but before long this comes to an end as we cut across Eastwell Park, and on past Eastwell Manor (now a hotel).

The lake at Eastwell Park (private)

Autumn color on a tree lined drive

As we continue on, we cut across to the far side of Eastwell Park, and here we are walking across fields along a farm track - that tracks the base of a ridge to the right.

The farm track

The ridge

And looking back from the far end

At the far end of the fields, the route continues on via a very minor road that turns into a mixed cycle / walking route, along the old path of the Pilgrim's Way.

We have now joined up with a ridge that runs from here round to Rochester - and the temptation to keep going and relive some of the prior walks is very strong - particularly since we will turn off the trail just before my favorite part of the whole North Downs Way. 

But it is here that you get the purest feel of walking the Pilgrim's Way - with the path jumping from village to village along this next section of path.

Sort of okay for cycling I suppose

For now Charing is the next village - and whilst I would like to have walked at least round to Harrietsham, there is only being so much light in the day at this time of year - and as the path turns into a road I get ready for this walk to come to an end.

When we meet up with a busier road, we turn left and head down into Charing - where we find a very pretty town, albeit with drivers who take a fairly liberal interpretation of a thirty mile an hour speed limit. But from here it is a very easy walk down to the train station, where I wait for my train back into London.

The North Downs Way will never compete with the drama of walks like the Pennine Way, or the history of walks like Hadrian's Wall, but there is a peaceful and charming side to walking this national trail. It reminds you of an older England, whilst making you very aware of how much some parts have changed.

The more modern transport links have once again reared their head over these two days, as they did on the prior trips along this trail - but in many ways at it's heart the North Downs Way is just an ancient transportation route - a lot slower and more ponderous, but at it's core no different from these more modern abominations.

Whilst other national trails often leave you a little sore and broken once you get home, this one is at least a bit more peaceful, and more often than not leaves you wanting more. So who knows - maybe I'll come back and do it all over again.

Total Distance : 23.2 miles (16.8 miles to Boughton Lees on the North Downs Way)

Total Ascent : 2,376 feet (1,608 feet to Boughton Lees on the North Downs Way)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 189 OS Landranger map - 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.