Section 17
Ticehurst to Flimwell
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
Robust Ramble – Kent Triangle - Faversham – Wadhurst – New Romney – Faversham
Section 17 Out
Ticehurst to Flimwell
OS Map: Explorer 136 Royal Tunbridge Wells
Total Circular Distance: 8 miles/4 hours
Start: The old Duke of York Hotel, the Square in Ticehurst. There is a public car park up the lane opposite.
Comment: A pleasant and varied walk with pasture, woods and constant changes of scenery. The occasional stile and some steep climbs.
With the old Duke of York Hotel over on your left, go uphill on the main road, passing The Bell pub on your right.
Pass shops on your right. Soon look for a narrow alleyway off right between two retro shops, opposite Old Hazelwood Private Drive. Turn right up here.
Exit through an equine gate into a field. Continue up the edge with a fence on your left. At the top of the pasture cross a stile by a metal fieldgate and continue down the field edge with a hedge on your right.
At the bottom of the field cross a stile by a metal fieldgate and drop steeply down into woods. At the bottom cross a stream and enter a rising field with a hedge on your left.
Reach a road and cross to go down the entrance drive of Walter’s Farm. Soon enter an enclosed path dropping downhill.
Continue up a long incline. Nera the top, at a corner of wooden fencing, turn off right on a path dropping downhill (this is a muddy and rutted way). Reach a T-junction at the bottom.
Turn right for ¼ mile weaving around the lower section of Bewl Water.
Twist and turn for some way. After a slightly open section, cross a stream and look out for a bridlepath to Rosemary Lane off right in mature trees.
A clear uphill track soon becomes heavily overgrown with bracken, so go up onto the field edge on your left and continue along with the hedge on your right.
Drop down to a gap in the corner ahead, then on, up as before.
Go through wooden gates at the top and forward on a grassy track. Join a concrete drive and soon reach a road. Turn right for 30 metres. Opposite the entrance to Downash Court, turn left through the hedge and over a stile into a field.
Two paths diverge here. Turn left to go diagonally left up the field to a gap into woods.
Cross a footbridge and keep on through the forest, gently up and down.
After crossing a stream, finally rise to a major crossing point by a gnarled pine tree. Turn right on the Sussex Border Path.
Go uphill for some way. Finally through a metal swing gate by a wooden fieldgate, and on up a gravel drive to reach a main road.
Note a drive opposite to Quedleys which is needed for the return which can be started here if a pub stop us not needed. Otherwise turn left along the road for ¼ mile to traffic lights.
Here cross and turn left up the A21 a short distance to the Royal Oak in Flimwell and the end of the section.
Robust Ramble – Kent Triangle - Faversham – Wadhurst – New Romney – Faversham
Section 17 Return
Flimwell to Ticehurst
OS Map: Explorer 136 Royal Tunbridge Wells
Total Circular Distance: 8 miles/4 hours
Start: The Royal Oak pub. Parking at the pub by arrangement
Comment: A varied walk of woods, fields and views. Stiles and some steep climbs. Not easy to return into Ticehurst because of new housing, so some short road sections.
From the Royal Oak in Flimwell return to the traffic lights, then turn right on the Ticehurst road and walk back about ¼ mile looking for the entrance drive to Quedley’s on your left. There is a wooden entrance gate but no waymarks even though this is on the Sussex Border Path.
Keep down the stoney drive for a good way to the very end and the house with two fine oasts. Go forward on a grassy track to a wooden fieldgate, then bear left on an enclosed path between hedge and fence.
At the end cross a stile into a golf course and continue down the grass with a hedge on the left. Reach and continue on a tarmac path to a lone tree.
Now go diagonally right across the green to the trees at the far side. Turn left down the edge, looking for a footpath off right into the forest.
Enter and drop down through the trees for some way. At the bottom swing sharp right up to a stile into a field.
Turn right up the field edge. Pass the end of a hedge on the left and continue a short way to the next hedgeline by a wooden fieldgate on the forest edge.
Here turn left, away from the forest, along the hedgeline now on your right. At the end turn right through a gap into a rising pasture.
Go up and across the centre of this pasture aiming to the right end of trees ahead with a distant house up on the right.
Cross a stile into woods and follow a poor, enclosed path up to a road.
Turn right on the road. There is no verge so take care although traffic is generally light, keep crossing back and forth to be visible on bends.
In 200 metres, just after an old pond deep down in trees on your right, turn right off the road over a stile by a metal fieldgate. Cross to a second stile by a wooden fieldgate and bear diagonally left down a steeply sloping field.
In the bottom corner, by a metal fieldgate on the right, go left over a stile. Continue, bearing slightly right, across the bottom of the field ahead.
In the far corner go through a gap and continue along the foot of the next pasture with a fence on your right.
Reach a stile and footbridge on your right and cross into a golf course. Turn right, uphill, across the green.
Reach a concrete and tarmac drive by a tree. Turn left, through a wooden fieldgate to leave the golf course.
Continue along the drive to pass through metal gates and reach a road. BE AWARE this is a one way road from RIGHT to LEFT. Cross and turn left with care.
At a junction cross to the pavement. Keep on, past the car park of the Cherry Tree Inn. Cross Steellands Rise and turn next right up and enclosed concrete path (no waymarks on this).
Reach and cross a road and go forward up Field Rise. At the top of the rise cross to a metal kissing gate and enter a field.
There may be an informal path going straight in to the field, ignore this, instead turn sharp left to go down the edge of the field with a fence on your left.
At the bottom bear slightly right to a path going down into woods. Cross a stream and continue up a rough grassy area to houses and a road.
Turn right on this road and go up past a children’s play area. At a Y-fork bear right to the very end of the road.
In the far corner find a tarmac path through bollards. Follow this down to a road.
Turn left on this road to return to the centre of Ticehurst, passing the car park on the right. This was the start of the section.
