North Downs Way National Trail

Kent, Surrey

The North Downs Way National Trail broadly follows the historic Pilgrims Way along the North Downs to Canterbury. The first 14 miles are over sandy countryside to the south of the Downs. The Downs are first reached at Newlands Corner, east of Guildford, and from there on the trail mainly follows the crest of the southern escarpment of the North Downs or footpaths and tracks along their lower slopes. There are views over the Weald to the South Downs and several steepish ascents where the ridge is cut by valleys, notably those of the Mole at Box Hill, the Darent at Otford, the Medway at Rochester, and the Stour near Wye.

Generally the route provides comparatively easy walking through woods, over chalk grassland and - especially in Kent - through orchards and farmland.

At Boughton Lees there is a choice of routes. The direct route goes through Wye, over the Downs to Folkestone and along the cliffs to Dover. The alternative route follows hills to the west of the river Stour and passes through orchards and the picturesque village of Chilham to Canterbury. From the cathedral city it heads south-east via Barham Downs, Shepherdswell and Waldershare Park to Dover. Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church form a World Heritage Site.

The waymarked Thames Down Link (15 miles and on OS mapping) connects the Thames Path at Kingston with the North Downs Way near Westhumble along a green corridor through Malden Manor, Horton Country Park, the Commons of Epsom and Ashstead, and Mickleham Downs.

The North Downs Way signposts from Canterbury to Dover include the logo of the Via Francigena: a pilgrim.

The LDWA National Trails Register offers certificates for completers of several British National Trails.

See also E-Routes (E2).

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Details:

Path Type:	National Trails (England & Wales)
Waymark:	National Trail Acorn
Attributes:	National Trail (England and Wales) Challenging Downland/Wolds World Heritage Site
Start:	SU843466 - Farnham, Surrey
Finish:	TR320411 - Dover, Kent
Open Date:	1978
Web Sites:	Explore Kent - North Downs Way National Trails - North Downs Way Rambling Man - North Downs Way [blog] Southern Walks - Chalk Country : North Downs Way Jason McDonald's Walking Pages - North Downs Way [blog] North Downs Way - Tim Bertuchi British Walks - North Downs Way Explore Kent Walk Challenge Certificate Annierak - North Downs Way [blog] Edenbridge Town Council - Kent Walking Routes Stephen and Lucy Dawson - North Downs Way [blog] Brian's Walks - North Downs Way [blog]

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Certificate	Certificate for National Trails  (Long Distance Walkers Association  - 2009 )
Guidebook	North Downs Way : National Trail Guide  (Aurum Press (an imprint of Quarto)  - 2016 )
Guidebook	Walking the North Downs Way National Trail : from Farnham to Dover  (Cicerone Press  - 2017 )
Guidebook	North Downs Way : Farnham to Dover  (Trailblazer Publications  - 2018 )
Guidebook	Guide to the Pilgrims' Way and North Downs Way  (Constable & Robinson (an imprint of Little, Brown)  - 1993 )
General Interest Book	Big walks of Great Britain  (Summersdale Publishers  - 2007 )
General Interest Book	Big walks of the south  (Summersdale Publishers  - 2010 )
Badge	Badge for National Trails  (Walk Unlimited )
E-Book	North Downs Way (Cicerone)  (Amazon Media Group  - 2017 )
External PDF	Surrey County Council - Thames Down Link  (Surrey County Council )
Guidebook	The National Trails : 19 long-distance routes through England, Scotland and Wales  (Cicerone Press  - 2015 )

Click to showhide 7 more Publications, Badges and Certificates

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