SWC Walk 173 - Cuxton to Halling Length: 18km (11.2 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10
9.55 Southeastern High Speed from
St Pancras International to Strood, arriving 10.27,
changing there (down under the underpass to the opposite platform usually) there for the
10.34 to
Cuxton, arriving 10.38
ALTERNATIVELY, the
9.09 from
Charing Cross (9.12
Waterloo East, 9.27
Lewisham) to Strood arrives at 10.19 and connects more comfortably with the Cuxton train.
Get
a day return to Halling (pronounced "Hauling")
For
walk directions click
here.
This varied Kentish walk has not had an outing for two years, as far as I can see. It revisits territory familiar from the Snodland to Sole Street and Cuxton to Sole Street walks, but with plenty of surprises and twists all of its own.
Attractions include a reserve managed by the charity Plantlife, which may have some interesting flowers, a neo-classican mausoleum, and the pretty valley of Luddesdown, with its organic farm.
Lunch is in the village of Cobham, where you can choose between the
Leather Bottle, with its somewhat slight connection with Dickens (it gets a
very brief mention in
Pickwick Papers) or the less touristy
Ship Inn and
Darnley Arms.
In the afternoon the standard walk descends to the river Medway at Halling and there is an optional loop through marshes along the river (again, interesting flora may be present). Or you can talk an
alternative ending back to Cuxton, which is slightly shorter.
In both cases your
tea stop will be a fairly rough and ready pub. The one in Halling I remember as friendly but a bit stuck in the 1970s.
Trains back from Halling are at
18 and
48 past
(22 and 52 from Cuxton) with connections at Strood getting you to
St Pancras in about 50 minutes or
Charing Cross in 1hr 25 minutes
A glance into the White Hart in Cuxton the other week suggested it was rather nice, despite its slightly unpromising location
Reports that for lunch it was very good and some of us had a wander around after lunch and picked up bread and jams etc.
More info here
http://www.munchiesfestival.com/
Stephen
http://www.medway.gov.uk/leisurecultureandsport/events/sweepsfestival2017.aspx
if you still had the energy for more eating, drinking and dancing...