Introduction
The year was running out. With so much walking time lost to the Covid virus, or to our reaction to it, the days were shortening and the opportunities were fading for one last long-distance trail before winter. I had had four weeks rest from the adventure in the Yorkshire Dales, half term with the grandchildren was behind me and the clocks were going back at the end of the week. Even through the weather forecast was not good, I packed my sack and made some last-minute hotel bookings, snatched a few hours’ sleep and got up at some ungodly hour to drive south.
The drive was uneventful, passing Birmingham before the Midlands rush hour and not reaching the M25 until after the peak of Home Counties traffic. I turned onto the A21 and took the Sevenoaks by-pass to reach Tonbridge where I had arranged to leave the car in a golf centre close to the town centre. A pleasant walk along the riverside path led to the High Street and the railway station. Three trains, via Redhill, Guildford and the branch line to Farnham, followed the foot of the North Downs. It was a bright sunny morning with the autumn colours resplendent on the slopes of the Surrey Hills. I emerged from Farnham Station exactly on time.
Monday 19th October 2020 Farnham - Guildford
From Farnham Station, a short walk
downhill to the A31 brought me to the start of the North Downs Way, a rather
monstrous series of rusty metal plates, the design concept of which passed me
by. A friendly young woman agreed to take my photograph in front of the ‘Dover
153 miles’ sign, and I was away, first along the main road then into the woods
beside a small stream. A right turn at a lovely wooden bench with bee-orchid
carvings took me gradually uphill on heavily wooded paths with no views of the
surrounding countryside. Just after the route passed the village of Seale, I
emerged into sunshine and open fields and here I sat for a moment on a grassy plateau
having a bite to eat whilst looking across a shallow valley at the Hog’s Back
Ridge. A green wood-pecker laughed and yaffled above me as I continued on easy
ground through more woodland. I passed a pack of Duke of Edinburgh school
children and then a group of older students from a London College on a training
walk for more serious expeditions.
I strode into Puttenham at the
very moment the primary school was coming out. The narrow lane was full of
people carriers. The narrow pavements were block with parents and children alike
and the whole scene was one of organised chaos. I could neither move along the road
nor on the pavement, the most dangerous part of the day. I was glad to get out
of the village, under the A3 and onto the last hills of the day. A series of farm
tracks led into the outskirts of Guildford, emerging near the university. A
narrow lane led down to the river/navigation where I said goodbye to the
official route and headed along the towpath into the city centre. My hotel was up
the High Street and out onto London Road. Reception proudly announced that, for
my safety, it was not producing any food.
Farnham dep. 12.48, Guildford arr.
17.00
GPS 12.30 miles in 3hrs 59mins 32secs
walking time plus a 10-minute break near Seale.
I stayed at the Mandolay Hotel in
London Road, Guildford. As there was no food, I went back down the High Street
and found a superb Indian Restaurant where I had what proved to be the only
classy meal of the entire trip, Goan fish curry (monkfish) with pilau rice and
a garlic naan. A couple of pints of draught Cobra went down well.
Tuesday 20th October 2020 Guildford – Reigate Hill
Stepping Stones to Box Hill
As there was no breakfast to be
had in the hotel, I was out and walking before 9am. I bought some sandwiches at
a branch of the Co-op and this was to cover both breakfast and lunch. Hoping to
see more of Guildford town centre, I took a different route back to the North
Downs way. This proved non-productive as the tow path from St Nicholas Church was
closed and I was forced back onto the road and across the footbridge I have
used the night before. I was soon back at a beautiful wooden footbridge over
the River Wey and was quickly out of town and heading for the Downs. St Martha’s
Church was situated in a dramatic setting on a tree-free summit, with views of
the Surrey hills to the south.
I struggled to find the correct
route off the hill but I was able to correct my poor navigation once I hit Guildford Lane. Then a glorious high-level walk over Aldbury Downs where I
stopped very briefly for a bacon sandwich, my first food of the day. On White
Downs I again lost the route and ended up for a short while on a busy road
before getting back on route for the run-in to Ranmoor Common. Here another
glorious church greeted me, St Barnabas and its neighbouring school shining in
the mid-day sun. A long curving tarmacked track swept through vineyards down
passed Westhumble and across the busy A24. Suddenly day trippers were
everywhere: I had left to remoteness of the downs behind. I had to wait my turn
to cross the River Mole by stepping stones at the foot of Box Hill. Then came
the climb, and what a climb! Endless series of steps went up and up with little
respite between. At last I broke out of the steep wooded hillside onto the open
grass featuring a viewing platform.
After stopping briefly for a
second sandwich enjoying spectacular views over Dorking, I was soon on my way
again for the last section of the day. A complex series of paths traversed the
southern edge of the downs and descended into Betchworth village. The super-busy
road was made all the harder to cross by a set of temporary traffic lights that
ejected endless streams of traffic. Eventually a kind motorist stopped to allow
me to cross and continue on my way up the Buckland Hills. Just one more climb
got me onto Colley Hill and the increasing noise of traffic on the M25 was
noticeable. The view over Reigate opened out as I crossed the grassland towards
the Inglis Memorial on the summit plateau of Reigate Hill. I followed
directions down the steep grass onto what was called the Shepherd Path. In no
time, I was in the outskirts of the town and on a track under the hill that led
to my hotel. It had been a very long and hard day made even tougher by the
brutal climb of Box Hill.
Guildford dep. 08.55, Reigate Hill
arr. 17.25
GPS 23.44 miles in 8hrs 13mins 42secs
walking with 2 x 10mins stops to eat my various sandwiches.
I stayed at Reigate Manor Hotel at
the foot of Reigate Hill. Having not eaten a great deal during the walk, I
managed three courses, i) duck, ii) fricassee chicken and mash & iii) lemon
tart. The draught beer was Goose Island IPA (5.9%). That helped me sleep!
Border Crossing
The weather forecast proved accurate. The appalling conditions expected in the south of England had arrived in all their majesty. I left the hotel in drenching rain with mist down to roof level. Reigate Hill was somewhere above but all I could see was a bank of trees disappearing into the clouds. Taking the track under the hill, I retraces my steps up the steep (and now very slippery) path and steps to the Inglis Memorial, where I had left the North Downs Way the evening before. I saw little of the route across Reigate Hill, only coming out of the clouds at a footbridge over the A217 and a National Trust car park where there was a coffee kiosk. After a further mile of dripping woodland, the way descended over a golf course into Merstham. Conditions were such that the only memorable features were a footbridge over the M25 and a fine church. As the rain got heavier, I took a straight suburban road heading east out of the village. A climb to the crest of the downs was so wet that I could hardly keep my feet. It was a relief to drop back down again and take to tarmac.
With waterproofs over me and the rucksack, with conditions underfoot deteriorating as the morning progressed, it was impossible to see any views or remember many features on the trail. At one point I struggled to find the correct route through a factory and progress along the clay-covered field trods was painfully slow. A long climb up to Botley Hill was followed by a slippery descent beside a main road. Then a puddle-filled avenue led to a private track and the boundary stone between Surrey and Kent. The rain was beginning to ease but the state of the paths remained an issue. Much later than I had expected, I came to the long grassy descent off the downs towards Sevenoaks. I slowly picked my way downwards, desperately trying not to slip and slide on the wet grass. On reaching the road, I still had 1.5 miles of busy suburban roads to negotiate to reach my hotel on the outskirts of Dunton Green. It had been an epic day, no stops, no views, just survival.
Reigate Hill dep. 09.11, Dunton
Green arr.17.35
GPS 22.99 in 8hrs 20mins 48secs
walking time (no stops), 22 miles on-route.
I stayed in the Donnington Manor
Hotel in Dunton Green. My meal was belly pork & mash, with a dessert of
apple tart & ice cream. No draught beer so bottles of Bombardier had to
suffice.
Thursday 22nd October 2020 Dunton Green – Blue Bell Hill
Crossing the Medway
Foregoing the pleasure of breakfast
for an early (and cheaper) start, I was able to fall out of the hotel door and straight
onto the North Downs Way. The ginnel along the side of the hotel emerged into a system of level fields across
to Otford. The first shop was a news-agents. It had no sandwiches so I bought a
swiss roll just in case. Lo and behold, there in the high street was a café
serving bacon sandwiches. It would have been rude to pass by. Suitably
fortified, I strode forth along Station Road, across the railway bridge and up
the narrow path that began the climb up to Otford Mount.
The path came out at a three-way road
junction and some level ground. Just when I was used to walking on the flat,
the path turned downhill and lost height to pass below Otford Manor. Then up it
went up again to the crest, which was adhered to for a mile or so before it plunged
down a seeming interminable set of steps back to the very foot of the downs.
Then there was a two-mile track into Wrotham where I crossed over the motorway
and into a quiet lane that climbed gently, providing lovely views to the south.
Another steep path (with steps) mounted the escarpment slope and passed through
woods to the road junction at the Vigo Inn. A very pleasant but popular track
led through open woodland of Trosley Country Park and then descended the
slippery slope to the foot of the downs yet again. After another mile at valley
level, a left turn was the start of an excruciating set of steps to Holly Hill.
From here the way got easier,
first through Greatpark Wood and then onto a delightful series of woods and
fields, in one of which I sat down and ate my swiss roll. This section finished
with a steep descent through vineyards and hop fields to Cuxton. Then a climb
to Ranscombe Farm picked up the farm access road which was followed into the
Medway Valley. Views opening up of the bridges that carry the motorway and high-speed
trains over the river. As I crossed the bridge on a cycle path, there a loud
bang close by and the police stopped the south-bound carriageway. For a few
minutes, I had the bridge to myself traffic free but by the time I reached the
other side, the road had been cleared and the traffic roar resumed.
Climbing up the long ridge of
Nashenden Down, a fit-looking young lady strode towards me, bouncing down the
path like a seasoned walker. I was therefore surprised when she enquired about my
map and the route I was following. Nusrat said she was relatively new to
walking and was really enjoying the experience. I hope I left her suitably
enthused with the prospect of lifetime of long-distance trails. The walk up to
Blue Bell Hill was straight-forward. My only problem was in finding my way over
the three busy dual-carriageways which separated me from my hotel. Resorting to
the GPS map on my phone, I was soon entering the impressive lobby of my
overnight accommodation.
Dunton Green dep. 08.30, Bridgewood
Manor arr.17.40
GPS 25.12 in 8hrs 54mins 15secs
walking time with a 15min break in a field near Greatpark Wood.
I stayed in the Bridgewood Manor Hotel near Walderslade
Woods. I was delighted to find that the chef’s special was fish and chips. I
was even more impressed that the bar had real ale, my first of the week, Camden
Pale Ale at 4.0%. A stick toffee pudding was all that was needed to end a very
long but enjoyable day.
Friday 23rd October 2020 Blue Bell Hill – Hillingbourne
Station
Up and Down the Downs
The guide book seemed to be at
odds with the map. The latter showed an easy-looking two legs to Hollingbourne
village but the guide book indicated mileages that seemed incompatible. Taking
no chances, (I had a train to catch), I rose early and forewent the pleasure of
breakfast. Out of the hotel by 8am, I was surprised at how far off-route the hotel
had been. It was 1.8 miles back to the Blue Bell Hill viewpoint. The view was
semi-hidden by mist drifting up the south slopes of the hill. The sun-drenched
fields gradually appeared out of the fret as I strode downhill to the Neolithic
stones, Kit Coty’s House.
It was fast going to Detling where
a huge and complex footbridge crossed a dual-carriageway and dropped me into
the village. The exit road was given away by its name, Pilgrims Way. But the
route had a sting in the tail. Just after the cricket club, the trail turned up
a steep field and onto the wooded slopes of the downs. But it did not cling to this
hard-earned height. It descended an endless flight of steps to field level then
climbed over bare ridges emanating from the main plateau of the downs. Up and
down I went, up steps and down dales. My anticipated walking rate of three
miles an hour was unachievable. Time passed swiftly but the miles did not. To
be sure of catching the train from Hollingbourne, I had determined to leave the
trail at noon. At Broad Street Hill, I said my farewell for the time being to
the North Downs Way and descended down the lane and across a field into Broad
Street on the Pilgrims Way. Then a long featureless path over a mile-wide ploughed
field (I had to resorted to a compass) brought me to the railway and a right of
way to the station footbridge. I had twenty minutes to wait for the train, time
to relax and cogitate on a much harder day than expected.
Bridgewood Hotel dep. 08.04, Hollingbourne
Station arr. 12.30
GPS 13.19 miles in 4hrs 31mins 51secs,
about 10 miles of which was on-route.
Conclusion
What seemed on paper to be a
complicated rail journey turned out to be a simple and straight-forward affair.
My first train whisked me into Maidstone East where the guard pointed out the
passageway over the river to Maidstone Barracks Station. From here, a
delightful little branch line ran along the river through villages I had never
heard of, terminating at Paddock Wood. The last leg to Tonbridge was one stop
and seven minutes. I reversed my walking route of Monday morning and found my car
safe and sound. I started for home straight away, knowing I had the M25 and M42
to negotiate and I wanted to get home in day-light. A meal was awaiting me and
it was lovely to relax with Jill after a week away from home. I had walked 97
miles, 85 miles on route, with only one day of bad weather. I have crossed the
Rubicon or was it the Medway and have set up the opportunity for getting round
the Wye – Dover – Canterbury loop in the next and hopefully final visit to this
national trail.
