The detailed route follows this descriptive narrative.

17^th October 1999

Sunday was a beauty. We collected Jonathan and drove to Claygate Cross, to what we remembered was a really good food pub. It was soon obvious we were in the wrong Claygate; there are at least three Claygates in Kent. The pub had the wrong name and was converted to an Italian restaurant, and the place was unfamiliar.

We drove on a little further to a village called Basted which has a real pub . "The Plough" was very old looking. I went inside to check it out and found the locals very friendly. They guessed we were after food and told me it was OK. I wasn't so sure, but there was nowhere else for miles, so called the others in.

The Plough Inn, Basted.

The menu was quite simple, so I thought I'd just have a steak sandwich and chips. Louise had a tuna sandwich and they left out the mayonnaise, as she requested. The food was a while coming, but it was superb. I expected a piece of shoe-leather, but got a large succulent steak, nicely char-grilled. Even the chips were exceptional.

After the meal, a couple of people asked if Jonathan could have a doughnut. I said yes, and he got a big bag of mini doughnuts.

On our way out, we noticed a cartoon of a pub landlord and a lone customer. At 10 0'clock the landlord was looking drowsy. By 12 o'clock he was thinking, "When is that *!@#¬S going to go home?" At 2am, he was asleep with his head on the bar. Underneath, the caption said "The big fat bastard is asleep on the job again."

Someone saw us laughing and asked if we recognised the landlord. Of course, it was mein host, the wonderful chef and publican. They reckon he is always falling asleep at the bar.

The walk from Basted is lovely. We soon recognised a farm and were surprised to find we were near Plaxtol. All around us were orchards of plums, damsons, pears and apples. Most were over the harvest, but we still managed to fill the backpack with windfalls.

A new orchard plantation, Homebrook Farm.

We also found thousands of sweet chestnuts in the Mereworth woods and a quantity of Fly Agaric, otherwise known as Magic mushrooms.

It was quite a short walk, the light fades quickly these days, but we had great weather and saw lots of interest. Some of the buildings in Basted are obviously medieval and pretty. We saw a Red Admiral butterfly and a dragonfly during the day, so we can't have had much frost.

                 Plough Hill.                                   House in Basted Lane.

The Route:

Maps: Ordnance Explorer 147 and

Distance: To be worked out.

From the Plough pub at Basted, turn right on the road and immediately turn right again to cross a stile into an enclosed footpath.

After the enclosed section, continue in the same direction across the field.

Once at the end of the field, turn left and follow the hedge to your left.

In the far left hand corner of the field the path goes downhill to enter Winfield lane.

Cross directly opposite the lane to another footpath and keep to the right boundary of this field.

Head towards the three oast houses visible on the farm in front of you.

Just before the farm, you reach a tarmac lane where you turn left. After another 25 paces, turn right onto a footpath through the farm.

Go through the farm, passing a pond. The drive soon takes you to a to a field where you turn left along it’s border for a short way.

When you see a post with a yellow cap on it, turn right to cross over the field.

Another post with a similar ridged cap on it shows the way to a gap in the hedge opposite.

Go through the gap and follow the enclosed path to the left. When the enclosed section enters a field, you have to turn left and follow the border to the right.

At the end of the fenced off section, cross a stile and continue directly ahead.

A stile in the fence in the far left hand corner takes you into Long Mill Lane. Turn left in the lane.

About 50 metres along the lane, you will see a metal gate on your right. Go through the gate and aim for a metal shack ahead.

Go past the shed and head for a line of poplars ahead of you. About 50 metres on, turn left up a short embankment through a gap in the hedge to a damson orchard. You will see a broad ride before you. Follow that in a north-easterly direction.

At the end of this long ride, go through a set of rusty iron double gates to a lane, where you turn right.

Keep on the lane, ignoring Old Soar Rd. After a good distance, take the footpath to the left, by a smoke blackened oak tree.

As the path goes steeply uphill, it meets a crossing path. Turn left on that path.

At the end of the path, go through a gate into an orchard and keep in the same direction.

Half way across this orchard, where another path crosses from left to right, take the right option. This will take you to a stile in the corner of a copse, which you cross over.

Ignore a path which goes off to the right and keep to the Weald Way.

When you come to a wooden shed and wooden gates on the right, take a farm track on the left, opposite the gates. This should take you slightly downhill, going west.

A path leaves the drive and goes through a gap in some trees and then bears right to rejoin the drive, still going downhill.

When the drive meets a lane, cross straight over to a kissing gate and continue in the same direction.

Soon, the path wanders off to the right, through orchards of pears and plums.

At the other end of the track, go through another kissing gate and turn left onto a lane. You should pass Lanbury House on your right.

Keep going downhill until you reach the Plough Pub on your left again.