Weir Wood Circular

Around Weir Wood Reservoir - 8 Miles

We chose this walk because the weather was going to be blisteringly hot and we needed a walk that we could complete in about 3 hours without being baked and generally this trail did the trick.  The outward half was mostly in woods so was cooler but the disappointing thing was that whilst we were effectively walking around the circumference of the reservoir the path never actually met it and at times we were hard pressed to see the water at all!

We parked up at Forest Row and the first section took us along the old railway line which we have walked on several occasions. We then branched left and came past the remains of "Brambletye House", built in 1631 but was left to fall into ruin within 100 years.

Generally this was a pleasant walk on well made-up paths and in the 31 deg heat we certainly didn't want to walk for longer. There was no pub on the path so once we returned back to Forest Row we drove down to an old favourite watering hole, "The Anchor" at Hartfield for a couple of rounds of refreshment.

 

Brambletye House



On the way to the Reservoir



The bridge over the river Medway!

Stats for the day were ...

Date	Steps	Distance (mi)	Time (Hr)	Calories	Average speed (mph)	Elevation gain (feet)	Elevation lost (feet)
22/07/2013	15,793	7.9	3:03	882	2.6	1,097	1,090

The Final Leg - well almost!

Leg 7 - Rolvenden to Rye

At last we were in the middle of a Heat-Wave and indeed it was a very hot day for a long walk but we were determined to complete the High Weald Landscape Trail by walking the 14 miles from Rolvenden to Rye. Leaving the car with plenty of liquids to hand we set of around 9-45 aiming for Tenterden and then onwards to Wittersham where "The Swan Inn" awaited our custom.

We quickly found that the trail in this part of Kent was seriously neglected bot with way markers and also with Farmers who completely disregarded public rights of way and had planted crops across massively big fields, forcing us to walk around the field rather than across it. It took us 2 hours to reach Tenterden Town when we had expected to do it in an hour! And the heat was sapping our strength by now so we had to stop for an Ice-Cream!

The very pretty high street at Tenterden

From Tenterden it was mostly a downhill run as we were heading towards the Romney marshes but still the path was not always clear and we relied a lot on the GPS and maps. So it was not until gone 1-00pm that we slumped into The Swan gasping for ale.



Small Hythe, once a coastal port but now 10 miles inland

Food and drink (we actually drank two pints that day rather than our normal one because of the heat you understand) refreshed the legs a bit and we set off again but only after we realised that to reach the full end point of Rye Town was probably beyond us as buses only ran at the rate of one-per-hour and we risked not being able to get back to the car in Rolvenden. We set our sights on the Village of Peasmarsh which the bus travelled through but was two-miles short of Rye our original target. At this stage the pedometer was showing we had walked 14.6 miles and expended over 1,660 calories and as it doesn't take into account the temperature - it had been over 28 deg C for most of the day - we reckoned we had used up a lot more than that.

Wittersham Church

The Romney Marshes as we approached Peasmarsh

Stats for the day were ...

Date	Steps	Distance (mi)	Time (Hr)	Calories	Average speed (mph)	Elevation gain (feet)	Elevation lost (feet)
15/07/2013	28,754	14.6	5:25	1,663	2.7	1,452	1,614

Ashurst 10 mile circular

Ashurst to Penshurst circular

This was a very nice walk with terrific scenery and helped along by a warm sunny day. Ivan had other duties this day - it was his wedding anniversary and he daren't not be in - so it was Trevor and myself who strode out.
 We hadn't walked this trail before and it turned out to be a wonderful trek through beautiful rolling countryside and following the upper reaches of the river Medway in places. The colours from the various crops ripening in the fields added to the magic.















By starting the circular walk at Ashurst we had calculated that we would reach "The Spotted Dog" - a 15th century inn with terrific views over the weald - by lunchtime and our calculations were spot on!

The return walk was just as good with beautiful views towards the Ashdown Forest. A walk that needs repeating sometime, probably in the autumn when the leaves change colour.

Stats for the day were ...

Date	Steps	Distance (mi)	Time (Hr)	Calories	Average speed (mph)	Elevation gain (feet)	Elevation lost (feet)
8/07/2013	17,526	9.1	3:33	1,073	2.6	1,065	1,078

The HIgh Weald Way - leg 6

Goudhurst to Rolvenden across the east Weald

Weather brilliant with just a nice breeze to keep the temperature controlled whilst walking. We parked up at Goudhurst and the path led us past the Star & Eagle Pub where we had lunch last time but we reckoned it wouldn't be wise to drop in for a pint at 9-30 in the morning even if it did serve Hobgoblin on tap!




Looking back at Goudhurst

 This was a great section to do as the path was well marked and took us through some wonderful wide open countryside. We crossed great big grass fields and passed through orchards; travelled through woods and crossed streams - the very best of English Countryside.
 

Cranbrook High Street

Cranbrook was the first village and we passed through it and onto Benenden where lunch was waiting in the guise of "The Bull".
 

The perfect spot for lunch

The Village green at Benenden

The very "Private" Girls School at Benenden

Getting the legs working again after lunch is never easy but we pushed on in order to catch the bus back to the car from Rolvenden.
 
 

The flower of the season are the wonderful Foxgloves

Stats for the day were ...

Date	Steps	Distance (mi)	Time (Hr)	Calories	Average speed (mph)	Elevation gain (feet)	Elevation lost (feet)
1/07/2013	25,127	12.9	5:09	1,540	2.5	1,857	2,150