Section 19
Bluebell Hill to Wouldham
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
Robust Ramble
Herne Bay to Hazlemere
Section 19 out
Bluebell Hill (The Lower Bell) to Wouldham
OS Map: Explorer 148 Maidstone & the Medway Towns
Total Circular Distance: 11 miles/6 hours
Start: There is a large layby opposite the pub for parking. The Lower Bell is more a restaurant than a pub now and currently only open Thursday - Sunday
Comment: This is a demanding walk. Allow plenty of time. Some of the walk is on the North Downs Way (NDW) which is generally well waymarked, but some of the waymarks are very small and not always obvious. This should be a scenic stretch of the NDW but all the section along the top of the downs is on a road or vehicle track. With old quarries and redundant industrial sites plus much new building walking is rather constrained. Several miles are on cycle track or former roads, easy walking but not very exciting. There is an amazing amount of countryside here. The roads are very busy but there are pockets of tranquillity in between.
With The Lower Bell behind, cross to the road opposite going downhill. Go down the lefthand side on a feint path protected by a crash barrier.
In 15 metres the path turns left into bushes and steeply down steps into a wood. Follow a clear path down through the trees.
At the bottom meet a cross track. This is the NDW. Turn right on to it.
Soon meet a busy road. Use the refuge crossing and continue steeply up the NDW for nearly a mile. Halfway up visit Kit’s Coty House ancient monument on the left.
At the top climb concrete steps to a road. Turn left up the road which eventually feeds in to the motorway coming up Bluebell Hill.
Stay on the pedestrian path always uphill. Ignore a cycle path and overbridge and keep on up. Pass a road going steeply down left. Further on filter left onto an old road.
When nearing the top ignore two paths off left, but take the third one into trees. Soon emerge onto a grassy bank and continue across a viewpoint.
Stay on across the grass with a road just up on the right. Eventually reach a wooden kissing gate. Here turn right up onto the road. Turn left for 1 ½ miles.
Pass the entrance to the Robin Hood pub and continue to the end of the road at Burham Hill Farm. Go forward on a gravel vehicle track to Game Keepers Cottage. Here the track becomes a restricted byway and even rougher.
Look for a metal fieldgate in the bushes on your left. Here leave the NDW and turn left down a footpath through trees. This extremely steep but hundreds of wooden steps have been supplied. Even so take it slowly and with care. Emerge at the top of a field and go straight down to meet a road.
Cross the road and continue down the footpath ahead right down to emerge on the main road in the village of Wouldham. Turn left and go along to a road junction at the end of the village and the Waterman’s Arms pub.
Robust Ramble
Herne Bay to Hazlemere
Section 19 return
Wouldham to Bluebell Hill (The Lower Bell)
OS Map: Explorer 148 Maidstone & the Medway Towns
Total Circular Distance: 11 miles/6 hours
Start: There is a village car park next to the Waterman’s Arms pub.
Comment: This continues to be a demanding walk. Allow plenty of time. The first half is on cycle track and abandoned roads, but the rest is on country footpaths in pleasant countryside. Expect a final pull back up to the Lower Bell.
With the Waterman’s Arms behind, cross the road to go out of the village on Hall Road (signed NDW). There is a pavement but soon bear left onto a shared cycle track.
At a large roundabout (turn right here to cross the new Medway Bridge) go across to continue on the road to Eccles and Burham (it is possible to walk through the new houses but they are not very interesting).
This is the new Peter Village. The village shop is halfway along on the right. Leave the new development, still on the cycle track. Ignore paths off right and left.
Where the road bears off left, stay on the cycle track which keeps straight on. Eventually reach some impressive new houses and then Burham Old Church on the right which is usually open and well worth a visit.
Past the church go straight ahead on an old road, now a bridleway for a mile.
At a right bend there is a junction of many paths. Go into the field and immediately turn right across the corner of a large field.
At the far side go through bushes and rejoin the old road and turn left along it.
The road surface changes to concrete. Wherever there is a junction of paths stay on the concrete way.
Eventually go round a righthand bend and soon reach a waymarked, restricted byway off left. Turn on to this pleasant path zigzag through woods and between fields to emerge onto a road.
Cross to a footpath in the field opposite. Bear slightly left up the field towards a pylon. Continue on passing vines on your left, to a line of trees at the field end and a junction with a cross path.
Turn left here up the field edge with the trees on your right and vines on the left.
Halfway up ignore a path off right and continue to the end of the trees on the right. Here turn right onto a gravel track following vines on the left and swinging left and uphill.
Follow hedge and head down towards a distant pylon.
Near the bottom of the slope turn right through a metal kissing gate hidden in the hedge and join an enclosed path across pastures. Follow round to a metal kissing gate out to a track. A farm is on the left.
Go down to two metal fieldgates. Go through the righthand one and immediately left along the fence on the left.
At the top corner cross a wonky footbridge and go up to a metal kissing gate. Go down the field edge passing a house on your right and emerge by a busy road.
Cross with care to a stile opposite and go up a field with vines on the left. Pass a water tank at the far side and continue out to a road. Turn left uphill for some way, ignoring a footpath off right.
Go around a zigzag at the top and a little further on, where the road turns left, go straight ahead into a path enclosed between hedges.
Reach and cross the NDW and continue steeply up through trees. Finally climb steps out onto the side of a busy road and turn right along to The Lower Bell.
