Celebrate the start of longer, lighter days, and ‘spring’ into a new season with this month’s circular route around the town of Tenterden.
Setting the scene:
Known as the 'Jewel of the Weald', charming Tenterden offers the best of all worlds; fascinating history, independent shopping and tempting eateries at every corner. Walkers of all ages and abilities will be able to appreciate this 5km rural route, which weaves around this handsome high street. Plus, as the Wealden countryside bursts back into life and colour just in time for spring, it’s easy to see exactly why this terrific town is dubbed a ‘jewel’ by so many...
The route:
Today’s route starts and ends at the entrance to Tenterden train station, situated at the bottom of Station Road, just a stone’s throw from the main high street.
With the station sitting behind you, walk a few paces before turning almost immediately left into Church Path which leads uphill on an enclosed path, emerging at the end of Church Road with the Day Centre on your right and the vicarage ahead.
Cross the road and walk along the raised stretch of pathway to your right, turning left to enter the churchyard of St Mildred’s Church through a gap in the hedgerow. Follow the path which will lead you through the churchyard. Upon reaching the main entrance of the church, turn right and walk towards the high street (where you’ll see Hoof & Hook restaurant sitting on the far side of the road, ahead).
Cross the road using the pedestrian crossing on your left, and head down the narrow entrance to Bells Lane which runs between Hoof & Hook, and Nationwide Building Society. Keep ahead along the full stretch of Bells Lane, with its row of quaint cottages lining either side.
Bells Lane will soon merge into Six Fields Path which passes a number of new houses before snaking through a segment of open landscape towards Smallhythe Road.
When the path you are on reaches the main road, cross to enter Tenterden Cricket Ground and follow the right-hand perimeter of the ground, in front of the scoreboards, and to a wooden kissing gate sitting behind the pavilion.
Keep ahead through the first stretch of landscape, walking diagonally left as you enter the next field, where you will see a wooden stile in the top left-hand corner.
Cross the stile and go right, following the line of the fence past a magnificent manor house (on your right) until you emerge onto a farm road at Morghew.
Here, go left and continue on a concrete track passing a number of farm buildings, to an area known as ‘The Quarter’. Keep ahead, following an unsurfaced track, which winds and descends through farmland.
Ignore a path, which joins the track on the left after approx. half a mile, continuing straight until you arrive beside a timber-framed house (on your left) with rolling countryside unfolding ahead.
Here, you’ll see a wooden post with two yellow waymarkers - one pointing ahead to an obvious track leading downhill, and one pointing off to your right along the hedgeline at the top of the stretch of open landscape. While it may look a little less obvious (and perhaps a little more muddy!) then the track ahead, you should follow the waymarker to your right, to the edge of the hedgeline.
At the corner go diagonally left, towards the right-hand end of a line of trees ahead, maintaining direction as you continue downhill to a small wooden bridge at the far side of the field.
Cross the bridge and bear right across a field to reach a wooden stile. Climb this and continue, uphill with a fence to your left, to cross another stile. Maintain direction, uphill, still with a hedge to your left. After passing to the right of buildings at Plummer Farm, near the top of the field, look for one further stile in the fence ahead.
Go left along the bottom edge of this field, crossing a private road to enter the field ahead. Here, follow a yellow waymarker as it points directly through the centre of this field and along the fence line towards a metal gate in the far right corner.
Through the metal gate, enter a small area of woodland and follow the path straight until it emerges onto Plummer Lane.
Go left and follow the lane, which descends, to pass West View Hospital. After passing the hospital, and a concrete roadway on the left, follow the road around to the right, and back uphill to reach the A28 at Westwell.
Cross the road and go right, heading back towards the bottom of Tenterden high street. This final half a mile stretch will see you pass a number of inviting jewellery shops, cafe stops, and antique treasure troves on your left, before you arrive back at the top of Station Road.
Here, turn left into Station Road and follow the path as it leads you back downhill to arrive at the tracks of Tenterden Station once more, where this month’s circuit concludes.
Steps, stats & stiles: At 3 miles long (4.8km) you should allow approximately one hour and a half to complete this rural route. Please note that Kent & East Sussex’s original trail maps out a longer, 6 mile (9.7km) circuit which should take walkers approximately 3 hours to complete. However, as per this guide, this figure-of-eight circuit can be easily sliced into two shorter routes, allowing additional time to explore what Tenterden town has on offer pre-or-post ramble. Walkers should take extra care as a proportion of this route takes place on grass, which can be particularly muddy during the winter months. Waterproof shoes or boots are highly recommended.
Refreshments:
With the front and back-end of this month’s circuit offering glorious glimpses of Tenterden’s too-good-to-miss high street, we’re sure that ramblers will be left ravenous to explore some more once the walking boots have been unlaced. Luckily, this town offers fabulous food and drink in abundance! From coffee, breakfasts and indulgent treats at Morretto’s in Sayers Lane to pizza and pints at The White Lion, there’s something to satisfy any appetite in this Wealden hotspot.
Route followed: For this month’s walk we followed the Tenterden Station Circular (Rail Trail #5) map from Kent & East Sussex Railway’s selection of walking routes, found on kesr.org.uk/walks
