You can have lunch at the 15^th century Bottle House Inn, but if you want to try the cuisine at it's best, elect to have dinner there after your walk. The Inn boasts some of the best food in a Kentish pub. Harveys beers, Larkins and Ind Coope Burton predominate, but the Inn's wines are also superb.

The Bottle House Inn, Smarts Hill.

The décor is cosy, with red carpet, oak beams, low ceilings and smallish fireplace. A large mounted turtle hangs on a wall with brassware and china pot lids. Folk come from a long way to eat and drink here, so it does not have the feel of a local, but it is friendly as well as efficient.

A better idea might be to have lunch at the Spotted Dog nearby. It has a terraced garden high above a valley, overlooking unspoilt countryside for some 20 miles. The food is good and so is the beer, including Adnams, Eldridge Pope Royal Oak, King and Barnes Sussex and their own "Old Spotty."

There are lovely views on this walk and some timeless, hidden corners.

Blowers Hill, near South Park Farm

After the descent from the chestnut trees (7 and 8), we came on a meadow with Yellow Gorse (ulex europaeus), Clover (trifolium repens), Buttercups (ranunculus acris) and Purple Bugloss (anchusa arvensis).

Gnarled chestnut trees

Just after Skipbury (17) we saw a sparrowhawk skim over the hedgetop and dive low behind it. They are making a comeback, but not in significant numbers.

Soon after, the enclosed path (18,19) takes you past a contorted sandstone outcrop, lovely views to the right and stands of Rosebay Willowherb (chamaenerium augustifolium).

Greensand outcrop.              Oakenden views

After crossing a stile into a long narrow meadow (28), we found a fox cub sharing the path with us some 45 metres ahead. It was oblivious to us for a few minutes. Just after that we turned left up to a gateway which had another sandstone outcrop to it's right and a heavily sloe-laden blackthorn tree above. The field above the gateway has some good hazelnuts in the left hedge in September.

Footbridge and wild garlic. Carpet of wild garlic

From Bassetts Farm (33-35) there are a number of medieval houses and barns. Prinkhams is quite unusual looking too.

Behind Prinkhams, a crop of broadbeans were at that nice succulent stage, and wood pigeons and crows were making the most of the feast.

The walk joins a stream (41) for a while, lined with cow parsley and willowherb before ambling beside the Medway. We pass a couple of weirs and a number of WW2 pillboxes.

The last stage of the walk takes you through some delightful hilly pastures (55,56). These are tiny and wild, with rabbits scurrying for cover. In September, expect to find good numbers of horse and field mushrooms in these pastures.

Back at the Inn, we had a gorgeous meal of char-grilled lamb in peppercorn sauce and duck with orange, passion-fruit, plum and honey sauce. Worth working up a sweat for.

The Route

 Map: OS Explorer 147.

Start: The Bottle House Inn, Smarts Hill

Grid Reference: TQ427511

Distance 9.6km (6 miles)

1. From the Bottle House Inn, turn left between pub and car park and head east along drive.
2. At a sign by the entrance to Horn's Lodge, cross a stile on left and cross the field diagonally to the right.
3. Over the next stile, follow the fence on the right. As it swings right, a path leads away towards a small copse in the field, which surrounds a hidden pond.
4. Keep to the right of the copse and the path takes you to a post in a hedge opposite.
5. Enter the tree line and descend via stone steps to a lane.
6. Cross the lane and descend via wooden steps to a narrow path with fine views to the right.
7. You come to a stile with gnarled old Sweet Chestnut trees. Cross the stile and continue ahead, following the line of the arrow on the stile, heading north.
8. This takes you to a gap in the line of trees. Keep ahead and at the bottom of the field, cross a footbridge and keep ahead in a wood.
9. At the next fence, cross over two footbridges at right angles to each other and follow path to the right.
10. This enters a vineyard. Keep to the left boundary and follow it left until you reach a way-marker pointing to the footpath in a wood.
11. Another footbridge soon leads to a path curving off to the right. This emerges from the wood and follows it to the right, inside the fence.
12. When the wood ends, you meet a rough track, continue ahead and very soon the track bends to the left.
13. At a metal gate, take the stile to the left of it and follow the footpath ahead.
14. Continue through a gap in the next hedge and keep ahead through next field.
15. A stile on the right takes you through a small copse onto a track.
16. Bear left on the track, away from a house called Skipbury.
17. At a junction of paths, with a pretty cottage on the left, take the path to the right, up some steps and cross the stile into a field.
18. Two thirds of the way along the left hedge, cross stile on the left into an enclosed path.
19. Go uphill, past a large outcrop of sandstone until you reach another stile. Cross that into a lane and turn right
20. About 65 metres on, take a stile on the left into a field. There are two paths here. Take the left option, sloping slightly downhill in a southerly direction.
21. Cross a stile into a wood and follow the path downwards. When you come to a junction, take the right hand option, but after a few paces, turn left to follow the fence downhill.
22. At the bottom of the enclosed path, cross over a stile into a lane and continue over a stile on the other side into a sloping meadow. Keep to the left boundary of the meadow and when it ends, continue ahead, ignoring a stile on the left.
23. The path becomes enclosed and soon meets holly bushes which partly block it's way. Just to the right though, there is a stile which you cross into another sloping meadow.
24. After crossing the stile, turn left and follow the left boundary of the meadow.
25. In the far left corner, cross a stile into a wood and follow a path ahead.
26. At a junction of paths, take the right option going downhill.
27. You soon cross a footbridge and head uphill.
28. Over a stile, turn right into a long narrow meadow. Keep to the left side.
29. Keep a lookout for a gap in the fence, which leads sharp left to a metal gate. An outcrop of sandstone lies to it's right. Pass through the gate and head uphill.
30. Turn left and follow the left boundary of the field. This curves round to the right.
31. Two tracks on the left lead to two metal gates. Take the second fern-lined track, which heads downhill in a southerly direction. This emerges quickly into a field.
32. Cross the field diagonally left to a track made of broken bricks. Turn left and through a gate onto a lane. Turn left in the lane and follow it downhill.
33. This takes you past Bassetts Farm and an ancient barn, possibly medieval.
34. As the lane goes uphill, take the drive to Prinkham on your right via wooden gates.
35. Pass over stile to the left of the medieval house of Prinkham and keep ahead.
36. About 20 metres to the right of the left boundary, cross a stile into a field.
37. An arrow on the stile points the way diagonally to the left of a small tree-lined pond in the field.
38. Continue in the same direction past the circle of trees, soon going downhill.
39. Over the next stile, turn left and follow the path to the right of a brick cottage. This takes you over a metal footbridge. Continue ahead through the field and cross a stile.
40. At the end of this field, enter a lane, turn right and cross a bridge to the left.
41. Follow a stream on your right. A golf course is also to the right.
42. Cross a metal footbridge and cross a narrow section of the golf course with care to a stile opposite.
43. Continue to follow the stream, crossing another footbridge and turning left in the field.
44. Follow the field boundary as it bends to the right. Before 100 metres, look out for a gap in the left hedge and a footpath sign. Emerge from the field onto a lane.
45. Turn right along the lane and when you meet a triangular junction, turn right again.
46. After 1/2 kilometre, you reach the bridge over the river Medway. A sign states "Weak Bridge."
47. Just before the bridge, cross a stile to the left and follow the path to the left of the Medway.
48. Pass through a gap in the far hedge, with a brick pill-box hidden just to it's left.
49. Keep ahead to follow the Medway, passing a weir. Ignore a footbridge over the river and follow the river as it bends to the left. An electricity pylon looms over the river to the right.
50. Follow the river as it bends sharply right, but just as it heads back towards the pylon, take a path on your left towards a willow tree in the opposite hedge.
51. Cross a footbridge over a ditch and head just to the right of a line of oak trees ahead.
52. These lead you over a stile into a lane, where you cross another stile slightly to the right.
53. Keep to the footpath on the right boundary of the field and cross a stream to the right over a footbridge.
54. The path next winds to the right of a clump of tangled undergrowth and then left above it, climbing uphill.
55. At the top of the sloping meadow, head through a gap in the hedge and when you meet a junction of paths, keep left.
56. Head through hedge gap, marked by three wooden staves and keep ahead.
57. Go through a gate and enter a tiny lane. Turn right and follow the lane as it bends left.
58. When you reach a wider lane, turn right and follow it up to the Bottle House Inn.