Around the Ashdown Forest

Colemans Hatch Loop

It was a beautiful summer day and with Ivan just back from holiday and Trevor having to be elsewhere it seemed a good idea to stay local and tread the "forest". Our good friends at Fancy Free Walks had posted a walk in part of the Ashdown Forest we don't often venture to - the North West quadrant. For the uninitiated, there are no Pubs actually on the forest but there are 4 good pubs around the edge and basically they fall approximately into the 4-quarters of the compass, so when we walk "the forest" we need to decide which quarter fits our taste for the day!

We parked up at one of the many small named car parks dotted around the forest edge. This one was called "Piglet" because it was close to 100 Acre Wood and the A A Milne memorial which overlooks it.

The trail took us around a clockwise loop and through some of the prettiest parts of the forest. In particular as we walked along the north west edge of the forest we were rewarded with wonderful views across the Weald of Kent. We resisted popping into the extremely posh "Ashdown Park Hotel for our lunch because a few miles further down the trail  the "Hatch Inn" at Colemans Hatch awaited our custom. We have of course dropped into this lovely old pub on several previous occasions but not for over a year now so it was good to re-acquaint ourselves again.

The only problem with this walk is that from this wonderful lunch stop its all up-hill for about 3 miles back to the car and so any benefit gained from lunch is quickly dispersed. Apart from a lesser spotted woodpecker and several rabbits we didn't see any interesting wildlife. But the birds were enjoying the sunshine because they were in full song at several places.

The Ashdown Forest is a great place to walk on a nice summer day
The Ashdown Park Hotel - a bit posh for us in our walking gear	The view across the Weald
The Hatch Inn - lunch stop	More views across the Weald

Stats for the day were ...

Finished Hike: 22 May 2017, 14:45:06

Route: Colemans Hatch Loop

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20170522-0956

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20170522-0956.kml

Hike Time: 3:24:36

Stopped Time: 1:21:03

Distance: 10.12 miles

Average: 2.97 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 16:04 min/mile

Ascent: 1836 feet

Descent: 1909 feet

Calories: 1078

A quick jaunt around the Medway Valley

Tonbridge - Five Oak Green loop

It was not a good day weather wise. Rain all morning but the forecast said it should all pass by 1-00pm. So with Ivan still parading his "Budgy Smugglers" along the beaches of Turkey Trevor and myself did the sensible thing and met up in the "Humphrey Bean" in Tonbridge to wait for the rain to pass.

This meant we were under time pressure so needed a local walk and the very pretty Medway River Valley worked perfectly for us. And after the ups & downs of last weeks walk this one was relatively flat - although I did remind Trevor that the walk back to Tonbridge against the flow of the river would all be "uphill" !

It remained sultry and humid all afternoon but at least we got a leg stretch in.

Stats for the day were...

Finished Hike: 15 May 2017, 15:32:25

Route: Medway Valley Loop

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20170515-1138

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20170515-1138.kml

Hike Time: 3:06:42

Stopped Time: 46:48

Distance: 10.09 miles

Average: 3.24 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 14:08 min/mile

Ascent: 1259 feet

Descent: 1284 feet

Calories: 1082

Around Meopham on the N Downs

Meopham - Stansted - Hodsoll Street loop

Not a pretty day but a very pretty and tough walk.  It was heavy cloud with a biting north wind but no rain. It was cold enough to wish I had some gloves with me and all we could think about was Ivan getting his eyebrows sun-bleached whilst lazing on a Turkish beach! Still, at least Trevor and me will still be fit when he returns!

This was another trek pinched from our good friends the "Fancy Free Walks" people. We haven't really walked in this quadrant before and the walk looked interesting and turned out to be excellent especially as it provided us with a new lunch-stop to add to the list.

We parked up at Meopham Green and walked West and then South-West through very rolling countryside. The Bluebells are still out but getting past their best but still a lovely sight. We often remark how different the N Downs are to the S Downs and again we found ourselves walking on chalk upland with masses of flint stones but constantly traversing deep steep valleys so it was hard on the legs.

The tiny parish of Ridley had an old well - Bowdler's Well with a thatched roof - opposite the church and a nice sculpture of an Angel. A plaque at the base gives the thoughts of the Ridley Angel including "I am the Ridley Angel, and proud to venture forth, though not as posh as Gabriel or the Angel of the North."

Heading back North again we arrived at the village of Hodsoll Street with its lovely village green and the "Green Man" pub where we took rest. It was a great place and we need to find some more walks in this area so we can do a follow-up visit just to check its as good second time around. Another good thing about this stop was that we were only a couple of miles from the finish so didn't have a long struggle after lunch!

Whilst we found the weather a little uncomfortable it seems the wildlife loved it. We saw some of the first Swallows and Swifts of the season back in the UK from Africa; A couple of Partridges flew across us; Skylarks were singing; Wild Parrots were squawking and Buzzards hovering. Often we see little signs of wildlife but today everything was out and singing.

The Ridley Angel and original Well	Ridley Church
The Green Man Pub	Hodsoll Street Village Green
Meopham Green Windmill	Meopham Green Windmill

Stats for the day were (and I did remember to switch the thing off at the end this week)

Finished Hike: 8 May 2017, 14:09:12

Route: Meopham FFW 9.0

Weather: 

temperature	9°C
humidity	76%
wind	13 mph N

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20170508-1008

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20170508-1008.kml

Hike Time: 3:01:02

Stopped Time: 59:05

Distance: 8.97 miles

Average: 2.97 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 14:19 min/mile

Ascent: 1435 feet

Descent: 1465 feet

Calories: 967

Through the Speldhurst Bluebells

Speldhurst loop to the "Spotted Dog" and back

The Bluebells are at their peak just now and with Ivan busy packing for his holiday, Trevor and myself decided that there is no better sights than a wood full of Bluebells and the "Spotted Dog for lunch! Actually this was a "Fancy Free" walk and new to their web site but we of course had walked most of it one way or another over the past 4 years. However, the interesting thing was that we were walking it the other way around to our normal jaunts and this made it like a completely new walk.

We parked up at the village of Speldhurst, walked down the hill and then into Harwarton woods where the Bluebells were amazing. It is truly a wonderful sight at this time of year and no matter how many years you have seen them before, they take your breath away each year.

The trails we were following were a mixture of the Wealdway; The High Weald Way; and the Tunbridge Wells Circular, all of which we have completed over the past 4 years of walking. We dipped in and out of Bluebell woods as we made our way across towards Penshurst and Smart's Hill where our old friend "The Spotted Dog" resides. In places this is a very steep walk and we felt we deserved our lunch-stop break.

After lunch we stepped out to Poundsbridge and Stockland Green before turning back into Speldhurst and the car home. The weather forecast hadn't been good for the day but whilst we had to wear waterproofs it didn't actually start to rain until we were about a mile form the end so we didn't get as wet as we thought.

The two best sights in the world are a wood full of Bluebells...

... And a descent pub !

Stats for the day were once again a little compromised by not turning the damn walkmeter off at the end of the hike. My only excuse is that it was raining and so in a hurry to get the waterproofs off and me back in the car. Still, fortunately its easy to estimate details from the split timings...

Finished Hike: 3 May 2017, 15:07:19

Route: Speldhurst loop 3

Weather: 

temperature	8°C
humidity	93%
wind	12 mph N

Explorer Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20170503-1027

Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Walkmeter-Hike-20170503-1027.kml

Hike Time: 3:43:42

Stopped Time: 55:58

Distance: 10.1 miles

Average: 2.9 mile per hr

Fastest Pace: 14:29 min/mile

Ascent: 1905 feet

Descent: 1913 feet

Calories: 1125