26 March 2000

Marsh Green, Kent.

From the outside, the Wheatsheaf pub in Marsh Green looks a little dilapidated. There are a few tiles missing and the whole place has a worn and tired demeanour.

When you walk inside, you enter a 1960's timewarp, with patterned wallpaper on the ceiling painted beige, and half pine panelling on the lower walls and bar. Even more unusual, is the arrangement of five rooms, a couple of which have access to the bar. The others are used as dining-rooms, including a new conservatory with good views over the countryside.

This arrangement gives plenty of room for drinkers to keep separate from diners. There is a sort of snug by the bar which locals like to inhabit. The staff are friendly enough though.

The a la carte menu here is quite good and freshly made, if a bit expensive. The bar meals are excellent value though. We had a good plate of sandwiches and salad, with very good chips.

What is really noteworthy is the pub's reputation for good beer. In 1998, it was voted best pub in West Kent by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). Although Harvey's are on permanent tap, the pub carries a list of seven guest ales each week.

The Highwood brewery had a couple of beers represented this week and I had the Tom Wood Harvest Bitter. They also had Bomber County and others I can't remember. If you really want to know what they are, get down there and spend your own money.

As we walked back to the car to change for a walk, a light wind got up, but it was pretty cold. We decided to take a fleece and waterproof jacket each. There were a few ominous clouds building up.

A few minutes into the walk, the wind dropped and the temperature soared. We soon had to carry the jackets.

After a couple of meadows, we wandered beside some sown and harrowed fields. Even at this time of the year, a strong heat haze rose from them, creating that characteristic surface shimmer.

By Christmas Place, there is a pretty lake, which probably fed Christmas Mill, a bit further back.

Beyond that, the path runs parallel to a pretty valley bottom with a healthy head of rabbits and then through a lovely wood with a good population of badgers.

When we reached Dry Hill Farm, first freezing rain, and then hail poured out of the sky. It had been quite humid, but that soon changed and the temperature again plummeted. It can be a nuisance carrying jackets around with you, but we were glad we did this time.

Fortunately, the hail stopped after about 10 minutes and we passed through some delightful country, with Wood Anemones, Lesser Celandine and Germander Speedwell either side of the path.

Starborough Castle lies alongside the trail and I have to say, I didn't know it existed before today. All I can tell you is that it is built in the quadrangular style and fully surrounded by a substantial moat. If anyone has more info, please let me know.

The right of way along the western side has been diverted. If you don't pay attention, you are likely to end up trying to squeeze your way between a thorn hedge and a sharp rusty iron fence for 50 metres before you realise the stile is in the field over the fence and the only way to get to it is back 50 metres, between the gate to the field and a hard place.

The way after this becomes flat and would be marshy, but for large drainage channels. The River Eden makes a brief appearance, before we track back to Marsh Green.

The Route:

Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 147.

Distance: To be re-checked, but approx 11.27km (7 miles).

Start: St John's Untited Reform church, Marsh Green

Grid Reference: TQ447433

From St John's United Reform church, cross the main road and enter a bridleway to the right of Old Church house. After a 100 metres, you come to a crossing track with a stile in front of you. Go over the stile.

Once over this stile, aim for a point about 20 metres to the left of the right hand corner. You will see another stile in the sheep fence before you.

Cross the stile and then continue in the same direction, aiming for the far left hand corner of the field.

Cross another stile about 15 metres from the far left hand corner and continue straight ahead.

At the end of this small field, you come to a neatly trimmed hedge. Turn left and within 5 paces, go through a gap on your right. Once through the gap, turn left, keeping the hedge on your left.

At the bottom of the field, cross over a stile. You will see a small post-box on your left. The property is called Christmas Place. Turn right here to follow a large track.

Keep to this track past a white cottage until about 30 metres before Clatfields Farm. Look to your right and you will see a telegraph pole with a footpath sign on it.

Go past the sign and cross a wooden footbridge to some steps up a slope. At the top of the steps, turn left in the field and aim for a stile about 5 paces to the right of a gate.

Go over this stile, which lies beside Clatfields Farm, go down a dip, ignore the footpath going off to the right, and then up some more steps to cross over another stile.

Continue in the same direction, keeping the farm on your left. Aim for a stile which has an Oast house well beyond it.

After crossing the stile, follow the left boundary where it soon bends to the right. There is a copse on your left. Where it ends, cross a stile on the left into a long sloping meadow and immediately turn right, keeping the fence on your right.

Cross the stile at the end of the fence and then head slightly left to another stile. Over this stile, continue ahead, aiming for a red corrugated iron barn.

Go through a gate with a yellow arrow on it, passing to the left of the barn, and over a stile beside another gate with a yellow arrow. Continue down the left side of the red barn. The footpath then curves right to join the main farm track. Turn left along the track, between two wooden fences.

About 100 metres from the farm, the track splits. One part goes downhill, the other goes up into a wood.

Take the uphill path and keep to it through this wood of mature chestnut coppicing.

This eventually bends sharply to the right, goes uphill, where it is joined by a couple of other paths, before coming to a T junction of paths.

At the T junction, turn right, keeping to the bridleway. Once past the gateway, carry straight on with the woodland shaw to your left and a plum orchard to the right.

Continue straight past the orchard to a track with a wooden fence on the right and a ditch and a shaw on the left. Just as you go past the woodland shaw, you will see the cottages of Dry Hill Farm before you.

Turn right before the first cottage garden and go downhill on a bridleway. After .8km (1/2 mile), you come to a gate. Go through it and turn right onto another track made with broken bricks.

About 30 paces on the track bends to the right. There are three gates on your left. Take the middle one with a blue arrow on it and head up towards a line of trees.

The path winds around a copse to a muddy gateway. Ignore signs to either side, just keep ahead towards a stand of trees with silver birch among them.

The path carries on past the trees and after 90 metres enters a broad grassy section. At the end of this short section you reach a road (B2028).

Turn right along the road and just after Starborough Nursery, go left over a stile. From here, go half right across the field along a discernible footpath.

You will find a stile in the right fence about 50 metres from the end of the field. Go over it and turn left along a drive.

The drive crosses over a stream before coming to a garage with a black painted door. You can see a brick house before you and ponds to the right.

At this point go left through a gate in the fence and turn right. At the end of this field, go over a stile onto a tarmac lane. Turn right along the lane.

After 40-50 paces you come to a junction with a sign on the right for the Coach House. Ignore the stile on the left and take the track which bends off to the left.

Keep to this long straight track with sheep fencing on the left. Just after going through the gateway to Cernes Drive, head diagonally right to a stile and over a concrete footbridge.

Follow vehicle tracks straight across the field. At the end of the field, go past a stile and continue along the tracks in the same direction. About 100 metres further on, you will see drainage channels on your right.

At the end of this raised trackway go through a gateway and cross the field to a bridge. Don't cross the bridge, turn right and follow the river Eden as it soon bends to the left.

Soon you will come to a wide earthen track. Follow this track as it bends to the right. After a short while, just as it bends sharply to the left, look for a stile in the fence before you.

Cross the stile and head for the house to the right of the church. Cross over a small sleeper bridge and a stile. This takes you into an enclosed path running down the side of the church, and brings you back to the start.