The Wealdway: Gravesend to Tonbridge
Fri 15th Apr 2022
Walk Details:
We proceed to the official start point near New Haven Fort before returning through Gravesend. Exiting the town by a tedious road walk we eventually proceed across what will probably be somewhat muddy undulating countryside to the North Downs. As once the route departs Gravesend there are precious few benches or obvious places to stop until Tonbridge it will probably be a generally continuous walk to lunch, which is scheduled for around the 11-mile mark. Please bring a picnic lunch, and seat mats might be helpful, as it will of necessity be on the ground. More undulations take us to Platt (exit point for Borough Green & Wrotham station) before a gentle climb on to the Greensand ridge and a drop down to the tea stop at West Peckham (the only facility is the Swan on the Green pub). We then drop to the Medway Valley before a walk along the river brings us into Tonbridge.
Other stations: Sole Street (5.5 miles), Borough Green & Wrotham (a mile from the way at the 16 mile mark)
OS Explorer 161, 148, 137, 147
As we have a long day pace will be aimed to be around 3mph
Entry Details:
Walk Report
14 walkers, 29 miles - leader Gavin FullerFor Easter 2022 London LDWA teamed up with Surrey Walking Club which had organised a 4-day hike along the above-named Long Distance Path. Given the length planned for the first stage, our leader was somewhat surprised to find that it was as many as 14 who assembled at Gravesend station on a sunny bank holiday morning. Having reached the unmarked start by the Thames, the walk then a few hundred yards later somewhat perplexingly passed an information board about the path, before passing a statue of Pocahontas and through Gravesend's Heritage Quarter (yes, really) before a lengthy climb out of the town via a main road. Once that trudge was over it was at last into the Kent countryside, which was showing its springtime finery for much of this part of the path, with bluebells and wood anemones in profusion. Given the length of today's route it was necessary to keep up a reasonable pace, which proved too much for one of the group in the warmth of the day, who fell back above Luddesdown to go at his own pace to the break-point at Platt for the station at Borough Green.
Having spent some time traversing the sizeable new vineyard at Luddesdown, the walk then proceeded in mercifully far less muddy conditions than on the leader's recce a month early over the North Downs to a lunch spot with a fine view over the north end of the Weald. Having said goodbye to another walker at Platt, the afternoon's only sizeable hill had such a gentle gradient up to it that most of the group weren't even aware they were on it, and then it was down to West Peckham for the planned tea stop at the Swan, only to find that the pub had closed 40 minutes prior to its arrival, although it did provide water refills for those who needed it.
After that minor setback it was a final push on to the end, with a hearing of a first cuckoo of spring for many at Barnes Street. The four-mile walk along the Medway proved after a long day slightly interminable, and one of the group fell back along this stage to make his own way into Tonbridge, but the remaining 11 made it into the town just after half-past six, an impressively speedy achievement and for two of the group a successful completion of the longest walk they'd ever done in a day.
Photographs by Gavin Fuller and Gillian Denham
Other Files
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© OpenStreetMap contributors under Open Database Licence
Rights of way data from selected Local Authorities
Large scale digital mapping is provided by John Thorn
At high zoom levels the route is indicative only.
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Maps:
You can use the interactive controls to zoom in and out and to move around the map, or click on a marker for more info. (interactive map help)
© OpenStreetMap contributors under Open Database Licence.
Rights of way data from selected Local Authorities.
Large scale digital mapping is provided by John Thorn.
