Borough Green to Sevenoaks (Book 1, walk 36)
Length: 15km (9.3 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

9.52 train from Victoria (10.09 Bromley South) to Borough Green, arriving 10.37.

Buy a day return to Borough Green (which for reasons that escape me does work for return from Sevenoaks, even though the latter is on a totally different line).

For walk directions click here.

Apologies if my choice seems a bit unoriginal this week, but RMT strike action on Southern puts many springlike walks out of reach today.

Not to worry, though, because there are some old favourites one never tires of and this is one of them. It is a lovely walk at any time of the year but achingly pretty in April, when nature lovers will not be disappointed. There may be apple blossom or it may be too early. There may be some bluebells, since they seem to be coming out early this year. Blackthorn blossom should be turning the hedgerows white. But even if none of these happen, you will still have a walk full of flowers, fresh green leaves and (probably) bleating lambs.

There is also historic Ightham Mote, a moated house now run by the National Trust, and with long days you have ample time to visit it and still finish the walk. Its tea room is a possible lunch stop.

Two recommended variations to the walk are:

- Detour to lunch at the Chaser Inn in Shipbourne. This way also includes a small bluebell wood. Details of how to do this are in the main walk directions.

- After Ightham Mote stay on the Greensand Way to Knole House, a gorgeous walk along an escarment edge with fine views: see paragraph 77 onwards on page 7 of this document for walk directions. Near the end this option has some bluebell woods which may be starting to flower.

If planning to eat at the Padwell Arms, it might be a good idea to ring them and see if they are in a receptive mood. Sometimes they are scratchy about walking groups turning up unnannounced.

Tea is at Knole House's newly refurbished tea room.

Trains back from Sevenoaks are very frequent - every ten to fifteen minutes or so.
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Borough Green to Sevenoaks T=1.36

Length: 9.3 miles (15km) approx 4 hours walking

This walk passes Igtham Mote and Knole Palace (both National Trust). The walk start in Borough Green, and goes south through woods and along streams to the old village of Plaxtol with its Cromwellian church. Then through the park of Fairlawne House to Ightham Mote, a beautiful moated medieval manor. You could probably manage a quick visit, aiming to leave by 14:30.

The route onwards is up a potentially muddy bridleway (hopefully the cold weather will help), through orchards and along shaded woodland paths leading to the 1,000-acre Knole Park, then up by footpaths to tea in Sevenoaks, with the station some way downhill from the centre.

Trains: Get the 0952 Southeast train to Ashford from Victoria, arriving 1037. Return to Borough Green & Wrotham. Sevenoaks has frequent trains to London Bridge & Charing Cross, some much faster than others.

Lunch: National Trust at Ightham Mote (open 10:00 to 15:30). You do not need to pay the entrance fee to use the restaurant. You could also divert to the Chaser Inn, Shipbourne (tel 01732 811 168) for a 'gastro' pub lunch.

Tea: There are various options, but there doesn't seem to be a recommended pub, Two possibilities are The Anchor in London Road, on the most direct route to the station, or at the end of the High Street is The Sennockian (Wetherspoons) just before you turn down pembrooke Road.

Borough Green to Sevenoaks Book 1 walk 36
9.3 miles/15.0 km. Toughness 4/10

Outward Train: London Victoria 9:52, arriving Borough Green & Wrotham 10:37. (Stops at Bromley South 10:08) A return to Borough Green should be fine for the return from Sevenoaks.

A walk through Kent taking in the medieval moated manor at Ightham Mote (National Trust) and the parkland around Knole House (also National Trust). There's a bumper crop of apples this year, and the Ordnance Survey map shows many orchards on the way, but not sure how many of these remain.

For a pub lunch, a diversion to The Chaser Inn at Shipbourne is recommended. This is a popular place so worth giving them a call first on 01732 810360. They currently have a British Food Fortnight on and are threatening to serve school dinners. The route to the pub is described in the online walk directions, but not in older copies of Book 1.
Ightham Mote has a cafe and picnic area.
Knole Park has a tea kiosk til about 5pm, and Sevenoaks has further options.

Return Trains: Frequent services from Sevenoaks to London Cannon Street, but make sure it is a fast service not the stopping service, unless you would like a leisurely tour of South East London. There's also a slow train up to London Blackfriars.
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