16^th April 2000

We first did this walk in July 1999, the same weekend as the Smart's Hill walk. Time was short, so I didn't get around to finishing the route and narrative.

Sevenoaks Weald is a friendly village. It is also very much a community; nowhere more evident than in the local pub, The Windmill, which won an award as the best community pub in West Kent 1998.

The Windmill, Sevenoaks Weald.

I think I'm right in saying it stocks Harvey's beers among others. The food is good and very reasonably priced. We have always felt welcome here and if you don't mind friendly dogs and a sometimes, smoky interior, it's a good place to relax before a decent walk.

If you want to be guided around the countryside here, a group of locals meet outside the pub every third Sunday of the month, around 3pm, prior to going for a wander.

We came across them on our walk last year and they invited us to join them. We did this for a couple of miles before our paths diverged. They are an interesting group with lots of local knowledge.

The route takes you through Bore Place, a working community of agricultural and light industrial businesses.

Much of the country here is timeless with many small fields and paddocks, woodland and tiny streams.

Ox-eye daisies sometimes carpet fields in summer, like soft white snow drifts.

   Ox eye daisies.  

To find out more about the village of Sevenoaks Weald, visit the community website here:  http://uk.geocities.com/the_weald

The Route:

1. From the Windmill pub, cross the road and turn left. After a few metres, turn right into Wickham lane.
2. Beyond a house called "Watermead," take a stile on the left, and keep to the direction indicated by the arrows.
3. In the right corner of the field, by the sheep wire fence, cross a stile into a wood.
4. The path leads continues over another stile to a field.
5. Cross this rough field to a spot about 35 metres before the far left corner. Here you cross a stile onto a lane.
6. Turn right in the lane. Opposite "Southmead," go through a metal kissing-gate and keep ahead on a south-easterly bearing.
7. The path in the next field goes half-right to a stile in the middle of the fence, just to the left of a pond.
8. Over the stile, head to a lone tree in the hedge and continue straight ahead.
9. At the end of the field, the path goes through the middle of a small copse, and then heads right (west) across the next field.
10. At the top of the field, cross a stile and turn left in the lane.
11. Just past the drive to Old House Farm, cross a stile on the right into open woodland.
12. At a junction of paths at the bottom of the slope, take the left-hand ride.
13. At another junction, again take the left hand option, which goes slightly uphill.
14. At the next junction of paths, take the right-hand option downhill in a south-easterly direction to a metal gate.
15. This takes you into a field, where you follow the left-hand boundary of the field, crossing a stile on the left after a few metres.
16. This takes you into a long narrow meadow. The right of way takes you through the centre of the field, but it may be easier to keep to the right shady edge on a hot day.
17. Cross the stile in the opposite fence and keep ahead.
18. Just past a couple of metal cattle troughs, go through a metal gate on the right and turn left in the lane.
19. This lane takes you through Bore Place, a small industrial and farming community.
20. At the far end, by The Forge, turn left into another lane.
21. Enter the drive of Little Sidcup on your right, and immediately to your left you will see two footpath signs. Take the left path.
22. Cross the first meadow and go over a stile opposite corner.
23. Over the stile, keep the hedge on your right. Follow the boundary when it goes left and cross a stile on the right soon after.
24. After that cross another stile which goes towards Hale Farm, keeping to the right of the hedge.
25. Just before the farm, cross another stile on your left and turn right.
26. The path then continues east in this long field. Keep the hedge to your right..
27. Pass through the next metal gate into a lane and turn right.
28. Just past the drive to Little Hale, cross a stile on your left and pass to the left of a circular pond.
29. At the bottom of the sloping field, cross over a metal footbridge and continue ahead in a south-easterly direction.
30. Go over a stile in the middle of the opposite hedge and continue ahead to a gap in the next hedge.
31. Continue ahead, passing through gates into two more fields.
32. In the same direction, go uphill to Wickham Farm, pass through a gate at the top of the hill and follow the drive round the farm.
33. At the end of the houses, ignore a small track on the left leading to some of the houses. Instead, a little further on, look for a stile on the left leading into the corner of a field.
34. Cross the stile and keep ahead, following the left boundary.
35. Another overgrown stile takes you onto an enclosed path. Turn left here.
36. At the end of this enclosed path, turn left, passing a large pond, and follow the field boundary to the opposite hedge.
37. At the northern end of the field, there should be a stile by a gate with a sign to Tonbridge. The present landowner has removed the stile. This is still definitely a right of way, so climb over the gate.
38. This takes you onto a track where you turn left.
39. The track ends in a field, where you head half left until the middle of the field. There the track meets another, which you follow to the right (north), aiming for the left of a low sparse hedge.
40. Continue north, past the hedge to a stile in the opposite hedge.
41. Cross the next stile and go straight ahead.
42. At the bottom of this field, enter an enclosed path between fences and then into an enclosed woodland path.
43. At the end of this path, cross into a lane and turn right.
44. You quickly pass Brook Place on the right, after which you take a footpath, also on the right.
45. Go over a concrete footbridge and uphill through a copse for about 40 metres.
46. Go over the stile at the top and cross directly over the short width of the field to another stile into a copse.
47. Follow the path through the copse. When you emerge from the copse, head just north of east towards the left corner of the field.
48. You will see a stile about 20 metres to the left of a set of double gates. Cross over the stile onto a track and cross directly over another stile into the field opposite.
49. From there, head half left (NE) towards a gap between a sparse hedge and a line of trees.
50. Pass the stile in this gap and go slightly left, aiming for a telegraph pole by the corner of a hedge.
51. Go over a stile in the same corner of the hedge. This takes you into a small paddock. Head diagonally for the far left hand corner.
52. Cross a stile here into a broad grassy path with a tall leylandii hedge on the right.
53. This path takes you onto a road just opposite Fletcher's Green farmhouse with a Georgian post-box to the left of it.
54. Turn left along the road and after about 35 paces, turn right into Eggpie Lane. After another 30 paces, go left onto a footpath.
55. Go ahead, keeping the garden hedge to your right. When that runs out, aim past the left edge of a pond ahead.
56. As the field narrows towards the end, go through a stile on the far left hand corner.
57. Next aim for the stile and gateway almost directly ahead of you in the right hand corner of this next field.
58. Go through this gateway and continue ahead, keeping to the right hand edge.
59. Go over another stile and cross the next paddock to the next gateway. Turn left before the gateway and keep the hedge to your right.
60. Go over a concrete bridge and gateway. Next head half right towards some red brick buildings.
61. The path goes to the right of the buildings and enters an enclosed path.
62. This takes you onto a road, where you turn left. At the top of the road, by the Forge Garage, bear right into Windmill Road.
63. After 150 metres you arrive back at the Windmill pub.