Section 17 (Out)
Hucking to Detling
Walk Details
| Map | Explorer 148 Maidstone & the Medway Towns |
|---|---|
| Total Circular Distance | 8 miles/5 hours |
| Start | Parking at the Hook & Hatchet pub |
| Comment | A varied walk in quiet countryside with the added bonus of spectacular views from the North Downs down onto the Weald. This means some very steep climbs. There were problems with paths not being reinstated through crops and others with diversions due to planting of vineyards. Allow plenty of time. Pub at Detling is not open on Mondays and the village has no other facilities. |
Walk Instructions
With the Hook & Hatchet pub behind, turn left along the road. Ignore a turning off right and keep along the road towards Broad Street.
At a Y-fork, turn right, up a No Through Road. Pass Stanhope Farm on your right. At a bend just beyond, turn right over a stile into a pasture. Go diagonally left across to a second stile.
Continue to a third stile and on to a fourth in the far corner. Cross into a pokey corner and go on up the side of a field with a fence on the left.
At the top stay on the track as it swings left then right, then on towards buildings. Pass a wind generator on the left and cross a stile into a wide enclosed path. Pass buildings of Coldharbour over on the left. Cross a farm drive to a metal swing gate. Go on past a pond to a second metal swing gate out to a road.
Turn left on the road. Just before farm buildings ahead, turn right, upto a metal fieldgate. Cross a stile at the side and go forward to distant farm buildings just visible ahead.
At the top of the field cross two stiles and go forward along an enclosed grassy path. Go through a squeeze stile at the top into a field. Turn left up the edge with a hedge on your left.
On nearing the top corner go down the bank on your left to a road at Coldblow Farm. Turn right. In 10 metres turn left into woods.
Follow the path for some way to a stile into a field. Turn left up the side of the field for ¼ mile.
Reach a white bungalow and continue up the side with a fence on your right. Reach a T-junction with a drive.
Turn left a few paces to a triangular junction of tracks. Turn right still on the main track. Stay on it as it winds up to a Transmitter Station. The footpaths across the huge field on the left are not signed or reinstated.
Continue up to an abandoned metal barn on the left. Turn left on the track up the side and continue as best possible – hopefully on a tractor track – straight across the huge field to the hedge and metal fieldgates at the far side. Turn right along the field edge with the hedge on your left.
Nearing the top corner ignore a metal kissing gate on the left and emerge onto a dirt road. Go straight over and up a drive into the White Horse County Park.
Soon turn left through the fence on your left onto a gravel path. Where the path begins to drop down towards a metal kissing gate, turn right on a path across to woods.
Keep along this to a viewpoint with excellent views of the Weald. Just beyond reach a metal swing gate on the left. Go through this and turn diagonally right down to a second metal swing gate (ignore a stile on the left).
Through the gate continue through woods. Eventually the path emerges on open downland. Turn left down to a wooden kissing gate. Go through and turn right on the North Downs Way with a fence on your right. Follow this for ½ mile.
Eventually drop down to a wooden kissing gate. Bear right, still on the NDW. Finally emerge onto a road and turn right for ¼ mile into the centre of Detling.
The Cock Horse pub is straight ahead (not open Mondays). This is the end of the section.
.jpg)