Walk 37 : Knockholt to Otford

12.5km (7.9 miles).

Explorer 147, Landranger 188

8 out of ten: two long hill climbs

This walk was born out of engineering works in November 2007. Unable to do the walk I had planned, I took a train to Knockholt (one of the few places that seemed to have a normal train service that day) and set out to walk to Shoreham and Otford.

The result is a walk – that after a slightly awkward start by a noisy road junction – comes to the familiar territory of Shoreham in Kent (see the Otford Round and Otford to Eynsford walks in Time Out Country Walks Book One) from an unfamiliar angle. It then reverses the morning of the Otford Round walk, though with one interesting twist that introduces a lovely hidden valley.

The walk is wonderful when the leaves are turning in autumn, with lots of beech and sweet chestnut woods to give plenty of colour, but it is also quite suitable for muddy winter: several sections are on quiet tarmac lanes, and while some woodland paths are muddy, the walk is not over-afflicted with it. The descent into Shoreham could be slippery in the wet, however.

Knockholt is on the Sevenoaks line out of Charing Cross and London Bridge. Otford is on the line from Sevenoaks back to Bromley South and Victoria. A day return to Sevenoaks should therefore cover you both out and back, but as Knockholt is within London Transport zone six, you can also buy a zone six travelcard (with a Network Card this costs just £4.80 on weekends and bank holidays) and then pay the excess from Otford to zone six on the return leg

Catch the nearest train to 10.00 am

The Kings Arms (01959 523 100) and the George Inn (01959 522017) in Shoreham are both good lunch options.

In Otford, there is a tea room, some 70 metres beyond the roundabout on the left. Under the sign of "Hospices of Hope", it is open till 5pm year round on Saturdays, as well as on Monday to Friday from April to October: and 4pm Monday to Friday from November to March.

Otford also has several pubs, of which the most cosy looking is The Bull, 150 metres beyond the roundabout.

Start: Knockholt Station is near : TN14 7HR. [gmap]

Finish: Otford Station is near : TN14 5QY. [gmap]

London to Knockholt | Otford to London

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