Booked at table for 4 for 12:45 at the Swan Inn

13 walkers at the station seems to be a good estimate. 11 went to the delighful Swan on The Green for a cosy pub experience with delicious food (the venison burger could have been heated up a bit more) and wine while 2 decided / didn't get the memo about the variation to walk to Mereworth. They discovered a newish (2017) wine bar that also serves food. Worth exploring. At lunch another walker showed up who for some reason did the walk in reverse, making a total of 14 walkers. After lunch 6 walked on while the other 5 remained and where not seen again. Various options were taken through Mereworth Wood passing occasional muddy sections which were easily navigated around and into the Bourne valley before finally arriving in Brorough Green where 6 went to Melias Place for lovely tea&cake and 2 went to the pub. 2 of the tea drinkers then joined the beer drinkers in the pub for another drink before taking the 17:45 train home. overcast with slight drizzle

A note about the Swan on The Green: It is in the process of being taken over by the local community

after the previous owner decided to sell up. Exchange is on Monday. Management and chef remain the same. See here

7 off the train, making reasonable progress, towards West Peckham, although soft underfoot, it wasn’t as muddy or as waterlogged as might be expected for Kent. The churchyard around St Michaels was a delight for the eye with daffodils, yellow anemone’s, and primroses in full bloom and swaying in the breeze, with fantastic views all around. cloud with sunny spells with no rain all day; marvellous. Two ate at the Swan with a menu more varied and interesting than most pubs these days. We sat on outside tables in the sunshine, with three sandwichers joining us for drinks. The afternoon woodland scenery retained a definite wintry appearance, as the spring colour of bluebells and leaves are not yet upon us. On reaching Borough Green, one ran for the 16:43 train, whilst two enjoyed chocolate cake and tea in Melia’s Place on the corner, stays open until 5pm, we got the 17:29 train. I presume the others got a later train.

12 set off from Yalding Station with 1 more joining the group after lunch so13 in total. The morning was dissapointingly wet and overcast, and recent rainfall meant that the paths were very muddy, but manageable. I was very excited to spot my first bluebell of the year in the morning as we passed through Peckham Fields Wood.

As we approached Mereworth, 3 diverted to visit the Swan on the Green for a drink and some lunch, whilst the remainder found shelter at the Church of St Lawrence, where we were able to eat our picnics inside. The rain eased off as we set off after lunch into the very pleasant Mereworth Woods, and there were even one or two glimpses of the sun as we made our way towards Borough Green along more very muddy paths. Several of us had hot drinks and cake at Melias Place (carrot cake was delicious!) when we arrived in Borough Green, before hopping on the 4.25 back to London.

Thanks to Wanderer for posting.

Minority report (or should that be a report from the minority) from the 3 of us who diverted to the Swan-on-the-Green in West Peckham, where we were lucky to squeeze into this very busy pub and be served. If our normal group size had turned up expecting lunch it would have been disappointed. A good lunch for two of us and a drink for our companion who joined us after consuming his sandwiches nearby. Our onward route was very muddy and slippery - but I suspect less muddy that the route taken by our companions after Mereworth Village then through Mereworth Woods. Where our routes converged in the woods, their joining path was a series of large puddles and deep mud ! Maybe they had to wade or swim in places !

Plenty of daffs in churchyards and along verges, and some primroses, cheered us up in the morning's steady drizzle and afternoon cloud. The sun, in the main, took the day off. Plenty of bluebell shoots were to be seen after we exited Mereworth Woods along the section to Crouch, and later in the valley just before we reached the village of Basted : very promising signs for a good bluebell display in five week's time.

We just missed the main group at the railway station at walk-end. Noting Boonster's walk report, my companions caught the 16-29 hrs service to Blackfriars (4 mins after the main group's departure) and I was on the service to Victoria at 16-45 hrs.

A veritable mud-fest today which made progress hard work at times and the walk seem longer than the stated 10.4 miles. But it was an enjoyable walk in good company, and after my recent absence from mid-week walking, it was good to be back.

8 off the train in Yalding where it had stopped raining and was pleasantly warm with sunny spells in the afternoon. This is a lovely walk with lots of foraging opportunities - mushrooms, blackberries, walnuts, pears and apples. The ground was slippery in places after last night's rain but still firm and we didn't get too muddy. We visited St Michael's church before taking the detour to the Swan on the Green pub where three dined inside while five sat on bench which circled a large walnut tree where squirrels were gathering supplies for their winter hibernation. While we were having our sandwiches, a man came around from the back of the pub who was a friend of one of our number. He had a micro brewery behind the pub which supplied two draught beers to it. He brought out samples for us to try and then showed us the brewery and explained the brewing process. After some more beer and cider, we set off on the afternoon stretch of the walk which was very pleasant. We split into twos and three and a one reaching the station at different times. Three got the 4.46 train.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yep, I also had to pay the extra rail fare for the one-stop journey to Leigh.

So do we get a day return to Borough Green?

Jimbo

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.

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.

Any one doing this walk?

Yes indeed. There will quite a few.

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.

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.

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.

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

The advertised train also leaves from London Bridge at 9.22 on Saturday.

...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.

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

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?

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.

Just spotted that there is 7 minutes for the change at Tonbridge - I hope that this is enough time

A King

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)

Seven minuets seems like a long time for a change, unless we all have to change stations as well.

Now I'm worried!

Recommend the detour at point 3 to an alternative lunch pub The Swan in West Peckham (details are in the online written directions)

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

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.

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.