Yalding to Borough Green walk

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Updated: Wed, 21-Apr-21

Date	#	Post
Sun, 11-Apr-21	14	Wanderer Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green Length 16.8km (10.4 miles) Toughness 3 out of 10 Trains: Take the 9.43 Dover Priory train from London Victoria changing at Paddock Wood (arrive 10.32) to catch the 10.40 Strood train, arriving Yalding 10.47. Buy a day return to Yalding Return trains from Borough Green are at XX:24 On arrival, set off in small groups (no more than six), allowing gaps between each departure. You will be asked to provide your email address for COVID contact tracing purposes. *Please email swc.wandererAAAgmail.com (substitute @ for AAA)* if you intend to come on the walk. Exchange names with those in your group. In the event that you develop COVID symptoms in the week following the walk, please email swc.wandererAAAgmail.com with the names of people you had contact with on the walk. Your contact details will not be shared with anyone. This is an easy walk through the woods and fields of the Kent countryside, without too much in the way of hills. The walk starts beside the River Medway, follows the Greensand Way to Roydon Hall and then heads gently uphill to East Peckham and St Michaels Church. The route now takes you to the village of Merewerth, Mereworth Woods, the village of Crouch, then through woodland to Basted and on to Borough Green. Lunch: Bring a packed lunch as there may not be any refreshment options open. Mereworth is around the midpoint of the walk and the route passes the parish church of St Lawrence which may be a good picnic spot. Tea: Melia's Place coffee shop in Borough Green may be doing takeaways. L=1.50** Mr M Tiger, 11-Apr-21 14 A occasionally sunny occasionally chilly sort of day. We kept ourselves spaced out (in a non pharmaceutical sense). It was my first group walk in about 4 months and didn’t my legs know it. The poor little things were expecting a day on the sofa watching Columbo. But guess what they kept up with the rest of the group. It’s a long time since they’ve done that. We stopped in St Lawrence churchyard for lunch. A myriad of sumptuous feasts appearing from rucksack depths. Soon we were off again, on a slog through what must be the biggest chestnut wood in the world. We arrived at the station in time for the 15:24. Marion, 16-Apr-21 Could the walk author please note that the bridge over a stream at Point 37 is made of decking planks of wood with 3 rails not concrete and brick which appears to lie underneath. The text suggests that one has taken the wrong path which is not true. As a fan of the written text and not using GPS this is very confusing and we wasted a lot of time here when we did the main walk independently on Thursday. My train service is hopeless on Sundays so I prefer to walk during the week. No work now! Otherwise a VERY well written walk with plenty of compass references which are so crucial in woods. Thank you for posting. Marcus, 16-Apr-21 Hi Marion, I'm sorry you encountered problems at point 37 in the directions when you did this walk on Thursday. It is some two years now since I last updated / book checked the directions for this walk and it is possible the bridge structure has changed. But that said, the text suggests there are two bridges in the vicinity of point 37. I will check it out and update the directions if needed.
Sat, 07-Sep-19	17	Dirk Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham t=1.50 Length: 17km (10m) Toughness: 3 / 10 Transport: Take the 10:15 train from London Charing Cross, change at Tonbridge for the 11:04 to Yalding arriving at 11:18. As Sean pointed out in the comments below you have 6 minutes to change platforms in Tonbridge with this connection. If this is too tight, take the 10:10 from London Charing Cross and change at Paddock Wood which requires a 13 minutes wait on the same platform. Return trains from Borough Green are at xx:18 and xx:48. This is a pleasant walk in Kentish countryside, passing the Elizabethan Manor house Roydon Hall before breaking for lunch at the cozy Swan on the Green at West Peckham (follow Option 2 of the instructions, they usually have still cider for those partial to that beverage). The walk continues through Mereworth Woods before finishing in Borough Green. There is a newish cafe called Melias Place (open until 17:00) which looked attractive from the outside last time I passed by. Sean, 03-Sep-19 It would be less stressful to catch the 10:10 and change at Paddock Wood for the Yalding train (same platform; arr 10:58, dep 11:10). If you're on the 10:15 you only have six minutes at best to scamper across to the other side of Tonbridge station. Anonymous, 03-Sep-19 I do recommend changing at Paddock Wood. One person missed the connection at Tonbridge on last week's walk and had to wait an hour for the next train. Anonymous, 04-Sep-19 Yep, I also had to pay the extra rail fare for the one stop journey to Leigh. Anonymous, 06-Sep-19 So do we get a day return to Borough Green? Jimbo Sean, 06-Sep-19 Jimbo: the walk notes suggest getting a return to Yalding. This is slightly more expensive than BG and in practice Southeastern staff seem to accept this. If you meet a particularly uncooperative revenue inspector on the way back you could argue that a Yalding ticket is valid for return via Maidstone and BG is on this route. Mike A, 07-Sep-19 Fifteen arrived at Yalding Station Welcome newcomers! Two more who caught an earlier train were briefly encountered at St. Michael's Church so 17 in total for the statisticians. An autumnal sort of a day with stunning cumulus intermingled with a warming sun and a few spots of rain at lunch There'd been a massive development just outside Yalding Station since last I walked there with 16 or so private dwellings springing up adjacent to the first footpath of the walk (which had thankfully survived). St. Michael's Church always a delight to visit was open for all to take a peek. Beadles Forge just before West Peckham continued to display a delightful selection of colourful, if slightly bizarre metal objects in its front garden ... and shortly after most had lunch at The Swan ( A few a little later due to navigational issues) . Plenty of apple orchards and poly tunnels full of strawberries/raspberries in the afternoon leg with some walkers going slightly of piste through the scenic village of Basted with its picturesque pond formed from the river Bourne which runs through the village. Eight or so met at Melias Place cafe which had excellent cakes, amiable staff and is thoroughly recommended. Some interesting conversations on language followed tea where the German for cuff links was divulged followed by a microbiology chat on interesting parasites. (I must confessed I missed the connection there). Anyhow we all headed for the station to catch the 5:18 back to the Metropoles after a great day out in good company.
Sat, 15-Dec-18	10	Bridie2 Saturday Walk: Yalding to Borough Green 10.4 miles / 16.8 km The Greensand Way and Mereworth Woods. A variation on the original route takes you to West Peckham for lunch at the Swan on the Green. Trains: Take the 10:10 train from Charing Cross (10:19 London Bridge) to Tonbridge, arriving 10:51, change for the 11:04 to Yalding, arriving 11:18. If you miss the first train or have faith in the punctuality of Southeastern trains, you can also take the 10:15 from Charing Cross, giving 6 minutes to change trains at Tonbridge. Return trains at xx:18 and xx:46 to London Victoria. A return to Yalding always seems to have worked for return from Borough Green. Lunch: The Swan on the Green, West Peckham, (01622 812271), good food and has its own micro-brewery, best to phone ahead. The lunch pub on the original route has long since closed down, but a small detour will take you to the Moody Mare, Mereworth (01622 813038) - follow the Beeches route in the instructions. Borough Green does not have a lot to offer at the end of the walk. Besides the places listed in the directions, there's a a Costa Coffee on the main road and a Co op supermarket by the station. Click here for full walk details and directions T=1.50 Anonymous, 13-Dec-18 Any one doing this walk? Anonymous, 13-Dec-18 Yes indeed. There will quite a few. Anonymous, 15-Dec-18 Despite the dismal forecast, 10 walkers disembarked at Yalding. It seems we had slightly better weather than the Sandhurst group. We had a dry morning with rain in the afternoon light at first turning persistent later. The Swan on The Green served us quickly and a few of us stopped at a new, spacious cafe in Borough Green (Melias Cafe) where we dried out for a while, enjoying hot drinks and well deserved cakes. A pleasant walk in convivial company.
Sun, 29-Oct-17		Chris L The Greensand Way and Mereworth Woods Yalding to Borough Green Length: 16.8km (10.4 miles) Toughness: 3/10 09:42 Dover Priory train from Victoria (Bromley South 09:59, Orpington 10:07), changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:25, dep 10:34) arriving at Yalding at 10:49. Return trains from Borough Green & Wrotham to Victoria are at xx:36 (journey time 45 minutes). A return ticket to Yalding will cover the return journey. When this walk was posted last month on a miserable day, the one brave soul who turned up didn’t fancy doing the walk on her own and went home. Let’s hope for better weather today. This is a pleasant walk through the woods and fields of the Kentish Weald, with no dauntingly steep climbs. The morning route follows the Greensand Way before diverting to Mereworth whose church has a remarkably tall steeple. The afternoon route is largely through the vast Mereworth Woods. The original recommended lunch pub, the Queen’s Head, has permanently closed and is being converted for residential use, so the option nearest to Mereworth is now a short detour to The Moody Mare (01622 813038), a gastropub (formerly ‘The Beeches’), where booking before arrival is strongly recommended. An attractive alternative, also requiring a detour included in the walk directions, is the Swan on the Green (01622 812 271) in the pretty village of West Peckham. For tea, the only option in Borough Green on a Sunday seems to be the Robin Hood bar beside the station, which a recent walker has recommended. More details and the walk directions can be found on the walk’s information page. T=1.50 Anonymous, 29-Oct-17 n = 2. Weather a mix of cloud and sun. Crisp air. As I had a headache that would not go away, I only made it to The Swan on the Green (very friendly staff and good food, though a group would definitely need to book ahead) in West Peckham, before retracing my footsteps to Yalding. Apologies to my companion for abandoning her: I hope she liked the rest of the walk, caught the train she was aiming for and then enjoyed 'The Death of Stalin' later on with her SWC pal. Anonymous, 29-Oct-17 I am very sorry to hear this. Also glad you made it to the pub rather than got lost in the beautiful woods. I enjoyed mostly blue skies with sun dabbling through the very light trees; no mud either. Walk and day absolutely glorious. Listened to 'The History of the World' by Andrew Marr and got 2.45 at Borough Green after a picnic in the woods. Very glad I did this lovely walk again on such a nice day.
Sun, 01-Oct-17		Chris L Through the Kentish Weald Yalding to Borough Green Length: 16.8km (10.4 miles) Toughness: 3/10 09:46 Folkestone Central train from Cannon Street (Orpington 10:07), changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:25, dep 10:34) arriving at Yalding at 10:49. Note that trains from Cannon Street do not serve London Bridge. Return trains from Borough Green & Wrotham to Victoria are at xx:36 (journey time 52 minutes). A return ticket to Yalding will cover the return journey. This is a pleasant walk through the woods and fields of the Kentish Weald, with no dauntingly steep climbs. The morning route follows the Greensand Way before diverting to Mereworth whose church has a remarkably tall steeple. The afternoon route is largely through the vast Mereworth Woods. The original recommended lunch pub, the Queen’s Head, has permanently closed and is being converted for residential use, so the option nearest to Mereworth is now a short detour to The Moody Mare (01622 813038), a gastropub (formerly ‘The Beeches’), where booking before arrival is strongly recommended. An attractive alternative, also requiring a detour included in the walk directions, is the Swan on the Green (01622 812 271) in the pretty village of West Peckham. For tea, the only option in Borough Green on a Sunday seems to be the Robin Hood bar beside the station, which a recent walker has recommended. More details and the walk directions can be found on the walk’s information page. T=1.50
Sat, 28-Jan-17	13	Dirk Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham t=1.50 Length: 16 km (10 m) Toughness: 3 / 10 Transport: Take the 9:15 from London Charing Cross, change at Tonbridge to arrive at Yalding at 10:19. Return trains from Borough Green at xx:24 and xx:51. I chose the route via West Peckham since I have good memories of the pub there. They are usually quite busy on a Saturday so booking would be recommended. Let's hope the weather stays as freezing as during the last few days so that the potentially quite muddy sections remain frozen. From the description: This is an easy walk through the woods and fields of the Kent countryside, without too much in the way of hills. You will, however, need gumboots in muddy weather. The walk starts beside the River Medway, follows the Greensand Way to Roydon Hall (once the self-styled Maharishi's 'Capital of the Age of Enlightenment') and then goes on to the lunch stop in west Peckham. After lunch, the walk is principally through the vast Mereworth Woods (very muddy in winter) on the Wealdway, then up following a stream to Borough Green. Anonymous, 27-Jan-17 The connection today allows 6 minutes to change at Tonbridge (arrive 9.58 depart 10.04). The Yalding train is the one heading to Strood and it departs from platform 1 branchline, 27-Jan-17 The advertised train also leaves from London Bridge at 9.22 on Saturday. Thomas G, 30-Jan-17 ...transfered from the henley walk... branchline, Sunday 29 Jan 17, 22:31 Saturday 28th Jan YALDING TO BOROUGH GREEN 13 on this really lovely walk in Kent in cool sunshine with wonderful views of woods and fields. We saw snowdrops outside St. Michael’s Church, plenty of deer and heard a woodpecker. 7 of us had lunch in the Swan on the Green which was very good. Most of us managed to grab a tea and cake in the Plaxtol Bakery just as it was about to close. Sadly, the Henry Simmonds pub is now a Sainsbury, but the Robin Hood pub looks fine and does tea and other refreshments. All in all a lovely day out.
Sun, 20-Mar-16	3	Chris L Sunday Second Walk: Kentish fields and woods Book 1 Walk 50 Yalding to Borough Green Length: 16.8km (10.3 miles) Toughness: 3/10 09:42 Folkestone Central train from Victoria, changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:23; dep 10:34) arriving at Yalding at 10:49. Return trains from Borough Green to Victoria are at xx:36 (journey time 45 minutes). Buy an off-peak day return to Yalding. Starting from the River Medway, the route follows the Greensand Way to Mereworth for lunch, and then goes through Mereworth Woods, where a little mud may be encountered, before heading north to Borough Green. The original lunch pub in Mereworth has closed so the recommended lunch stop is now The Moody Mare (01622 813038) (formerly the Beeches Country Pub), which involves a slight detour that is described in the walk directions. A table for 6 has been reserved for 12:30 in the name of the SWC. Please ring the pub as you set out to confirm the booking. You will need to download the Walk Directions. Anonymous, 16-Mar-16 Last time I did this walk, the group diverted to the pub in West Peckham, which was very good http://www.swan on the green.co.uk Chris L, 18-Mar-16 Yes, you can divert to The Swan in Wast Peckham, but if the group decides to do this, can you please phone The Moody Mare as soon as possible to cancel the SWC booking, to avoid our club getting a bad reputation as no shows? Anonymous, 20-Mar-16 3 dry mainly cloudy with some sunny intervals 3 gathered on the platform at Tonbridge to catch the connection to Yalding. Unfortunately, the Strood train had broken down. We kept the station cat company for 20 minutes. We couldn't see any other walkers and, finding it would be a further 30 before the next train, we decided to cancel the pub booking and head off on the Tonbridge to Penshurst walk instead, following the GPS route. A little wild garlic was picked in the morning and an local eggs of different types were bought from the smallholding by the Porcupine Pantry. Two went to the Leicester Arms in Penshurst and had a good roast lunch. I found a bench in the churchyard and ate my sandwich in the sun, watching as the churchyard and Leicester Square were transformed into a 16 century setting for the new William Shakespeare film "Will" http://deadline.com/2016/01/will young william shakespeare pilot tnt lead cast shekhar kapur 1201677973/ After lunch, we took the longer loop to Chiddingstone, and through the Castle gardens to the Tulip Tree cafe. Then on past skylarks singing and lots of lambs in the fields to Penshurst station where we caught the 17.02. All in all, a very pleasant walk with signs of spring all round.
Sat, 10-Oct-15	40	Dirk Yalding to Borough Green Length: 16.8km Toughness: 3 out of 10 Transport: Take the 10:15 from London Charing Cross to Tonbridge and change to the train to Yalding, arriving at 11:19. Return trains from Borough Green are at xx:24 and xx:53 to London Victoria Directions are here. There are several lunch options corresponding to various walk options. This walk can be muddy after rain. This is an easy walk through Kent's woods and fields passing two interesting churches and Roydon Hall, a 16th century country house, remodeled in 1870. Some pictures are here. There is also an optional small variation in the afternoon from point [34] described by these instructions. This variation contains slightly less road walking and a charming descent into a valley. It also used to pass along an orchard but I'm not sure if it is still there: 34.1. ... to continue straight on, your direction 320deg. In 300m turn left onto a footpath. 34.2. In 300m cross a road. 34.3. In 180m turn right with the path 34.4. In 250m continue in the same direction across a field 34.5. In 190m you come out onto a road where you turn left for 160m. 34.6. Turn right here following a footpath sign. 34.7. In 400m you enter a wood where you follow the path to the right descending into the valley. 34.8. In 100m you rejoin the instructions at [38] Anonymous, 07-Oct-15 Just spotted that there is 7 minutes for the change at Tonbridge I hope that this is enough time A King Walker, 07-Oct-15 Actually you are much better off getting the 10.10 from Charing Cross (it is only 5 minutes earlier) and taking that all the way to Paddock Wood, arrive 10.58. You are then on the same platform that the 11.11 for Paddock Wood leaves from to go to Yalding at 11.19. You only really need to get the 10.15 if you just miss the 10.10. Btw a day return from Yalding is valid from Borough Green (because you can also get to Yalding via Maidstone, if any ticket inspector queries it) Natalie, 09-Oct-15 Seven minuets seems like a long time for a change, unless we all have to change stations as well. Now I'm worried! Anonymous, 09-Oct-15 Recommend the detour at point 3 to an alternative lunch pub The Swan in West Peckham (details are in the online written directions) Anonymous, 10-Oct-15 40 off the train and 25 for lunch at the Swan well done them for handling us so well. Excellent food and drink dry cloudy grey but dry with a little peak of sunshine at the end Delightful walk with lots of tree cover so ideal for a hot sunny day Virtually no mud yippee Did anyone go to the other pub? Brother Ken Stiles Anonymous, 10-Oct-15 I found that the directions were very difficult to follow. There are too many unessesary directions on where not to turn that make some of the steps opaque ( ie MereworthWoods) or unintelligible (ie step 40). Also I believe the Queen's Head Pub is dead as it had a sign saying it was closed and thanking the community for its support.....with NOT written below the line. Another change is that the Beeches Country Pub has new owners and a new name The Moody Mare. It is a gastro pub and the food looks good. We did not get to try it because there was a private event going on when we arrived. Luckily we were able to buy drinks and the bartender saved us by serving us some baked potatoes cooked in rosemary and olive oil. He really should have received some sort of Good Samaritan prize for that one. All in all a nice walk with a few annoying features. Dirk, 11-Oct-15 Unfortunately, the Henry Simmonds pub opposite the station has now closed and is boarded up. With this closure Borough Green now does not have any decent tea option any longer and is not a pleasant destination for finishing a walk. The slowest group of the walk (6) had an emergency tea at the surprisingly inviting cafe at Denmark Hill station.
Sun, 10-May-15		Wanderer Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green Length 16.8km (10.4 miles) Toughness 3 out of 10 Trains: Take the 9.43 Dover Priory train from London Victoria changing at Paddock Wood (arrive 10.32) to catch the 10.40 Strood train, arriving Yalding 10.47. Buy a day return to Yalding On arrival, set off in small groups (no more than six), allowing gaps between each departure. You will be asked to provide your email address for contact tracing purposes. Please email swc.wanderer@gmail.com if you intend to come on the walk. Exchange names with those in your group. In the event that you develop COVID symptoms in the week following the walk, please email swc.wanderer@gmail.com. Your contact details will not be shared with anyone. This is an easy walk through the woods and fields of the Kent countryside, without too much in the way of hills. The walk starts beside the River Medway, follows the Greensand Way to Roydon Hall and then heads gently uphill to East Peckham and St Michaels Church. The route now takes you to the village of Merewerth, Mereworth Woods, the village of Crouch, then through woodland to Basted and on to Borough Green. Lunch: Bring a packed lunch as there may not be any refreshment options open. Mereworth is around the midpoint of the walk and the route passes the parish church of St Lawrence which may be a good picnic spot. Tea: Melias Place coffee shop in Borough Green may be doing takeaways. L=1.50
Sat, 21-Feb-15	15	Yalding to Borough Green, via West Peckham
Sat, 04-Oct-14	8	Yalding to Borough Green
Sat, 23-Nov-13	17	Yalding to Borough Green, via West Peckham
Sun, 19-May-13	12	Yalding to Borough Green, via Beeches
Sat, 22-Sep-12		Yalding to Borough Green, via Beeches
Sat, 10-Mar-12		Yalding to Borough Green, via Beeches
Sat, 15-Jan-11		Yalding to Borough Green
Sat, 08-May-10		Yalding to Borough Green
Sat, 12-Dec-09		Yalding to Borough Green
Sun, 15-Feb-09		Yalding to Borough Green
Sat, 13-Dec-08		Yalding to Borough Green
Sat, 15-Dec-07		Yalding to Borough Green
Sun, 23-Sep-07		Yalding to Borough Green
Sat, 16-Dec-06		Yalding to Borough Green
Sun, 05-Nov-06		Yalding to Borough Green

sunset

Bluebells

Tree

Walkers in wood

fuzzy reflection

clear reflection

overgrown cypress copse

Yalding to Borough Green walk

History

Wanderer

Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green

Dirk

Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham

Bridie2

Saturday Walk: Yalding to Borough Green

Chris L

The Greensand Way and Mereworth Woods

Chris L

Through the Kentish Weald

Dirk

Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham

Chris L

Sunday Second Walk: Kentish fields and woods

Dirk

Yalding to Borough Green

Wanderer

Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green

sunset

Bluebells

Tree

Walkers in wood

fuzzy reflection

clear reflection

overgrown cypress copse

Yalding to Borough Green walk

History

Wanderer Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green

Dirk Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham

Bridie2 Saturday Walk: Yalding to Borough Green

Chris L The Greensand Way and Mereworth Woods

Chris L Through the Kentish Weald

Dirk Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham

Chris L Sunday Second Walk: Kentish fields and woods

Dirk Yalding to Borough Green

Wanderer Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green

Wanderer

Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green

Dirk

Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham

Bridie2

Saturday Walk: Yalding to Borough Green

Chris L

The Greensand Way and Mereworth Woods

Chris L

Through the Kentish Weald

Dirk

Yalding to Borough Green via West Peckham

Chris L

Sunday Second Walk: Kentish fields and woods

Dirk

Yalding to Borough Green

Wanderer

Sunday Walk Yalding to Borough Green