Wye walk

This is a 12-mile walk, which starts from the Wye National Nature Reserve car park, that explores the undulating countryside of the surrounding download and beyond. It is a stunning walk, but with around 1400 foot of ascent, you should be prepared for several climbs, but the rewards of course are the wonderful views throughout.

We commence by leaving our view from above the Devil’s Kneading Trough, to proceed in a clockwise direction heading towards Coombe Manor. Our circuit takes us through Grandacre Farm, to eventually reach the tiny village of Waltham, which we last visited earlier in the year on our walk from Petham in mid-February.

After no doubt stopping at the delightful church, our circuit presses on, dropping down to the Yockletts Bank, where our Walk Leader is a volunteer. You are therefore in good hands as she guides us through a permissive trail hidden in the woodland.

Now heading southerly, it is a mix of farmland and woodland, before reaching the very small village of Elmsted. The village name originating from the abundance of elm trees that once grew in the area in Saxon times. The focal point is St James the Great Church, which is a Grade I listed building, notable for its medieval origins and unusual wooden belfry.

We move on to Hastingleigh, where the Bowl Inn is a regular port of call for the Ashford Ramblers, so if you miss this visit, we will definitely be popping in again on our walk on July 13th. From there it is a merely a case of returning to our start point, which we do so from our approach to the rear of Crown Lodge.

Walk leader is Linda Barden