Hamstreet, Kent - Portrait of a Village

[Transcript of original web page. Last updated June 2025]

LATEST NEWS: 

War memorial completed

Footpath from Ashford Road to the Pippins now open

Village has three vacant shop units

Online parish magazine free to view

Introduction to the Village

"Hamstreet is 'interesting' and retains the characteristics of a traditional and proud working village, something that is increasingly rare," - Kent Life Magazine.

This Kentish village is affectionately known as ‘the gateway to the marsh’, being located six miles south of Ashford where the ridge of clay hills meets the flat expanses of Romney Marsh, an area once awash with smuggling. The village was bypassed in 1994, but remains an important junction and is twinned with the little town of Therouanne in France. Therouanne was once a city with a cathedral which was sacked by the troops of Henry V. The stone cannonball near the flagpole in Hamstreet was a gift from the mayor of the twin town, presented with the words 'You can have your cannonball back!' More local history can be perused on the Forge Gardens noticeboard and at the station.

Traditional weather-board buildings and a generally unspoilt appearance make the place well worth a detour from the beaten track. Three long distance footpaths pass through the village; the Royal Military Canal Path follows the peaceful banks of a 28-mile waterway - the UK's third longest defensive structure, and the Saxon Shore Way and Greensand Way pass through the expansive deciduous woodland of Hamstreet Woods. In fact, the Greensand Way begins its 110-mile course to Haslemere at the village crossroads. A walk incorporating both the canal and Hamstreet Woods was featured in the 'Top 50 best summer walks in Britain' in the Independent newspaper. A second area of public woodland is located northwest of the village at Orlestone Forest.

To get a reasonably accurate population for the village as a socio-economic entity, add together the populations of Orlestone and Warehorne, for the boundary runs through Hamstreet itself. This amounts to 1,988 people (2021 census). Orlestone is the original location of the village - now just a hamlet, a mile to the north, centred around the eleventh century parish church of St Mary. The Church of the Good Shepherd is a more modern place of worship in the village's High Street and the ancient church of St Augustine's in Snave also comes under Hamstreet and holds one service annually at harvest festival. The church in Warehorne is dedicated to St Matthew. The area is great to explore on foot or by bike.

Hamstreet's Claims to Fame

H E Bates who wrote 'The Darling Buds of May' would have known the village well, and the writer Joseph Conrad resided at Capel House (one mile north of the village) from June 1910 to March 1919. The modern generation will perhaps be most familiar with the film 'Apocalypse Now' which was heavily influenced by his book 'Heart of Darkness.' In the late 1990s, the village pub was briefly managed by Patrick Murray who played Mickey Pearce in TV's 'Only Fools and Horses.' Many celebrities have lived within the wider local area including Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Paul O'Grady, Noel Coward, Julian Clary, Alan Carr, the actress Jan Francis and international golfer, Peter Mitchell. Hamstreet has also been featured in futuristic writings by Sir Peter Hall and David Boyle. But what of the village itself?

Mountain Farm in Hamstreet once featured in BBC TV's 'Blue Peter' as a base camp for an expedition up the 'Marsh Mountain’. Romney Marsh is of course completely flat, so this humorous concept involved presenters turning a map of the area upside down and crawling along the road!

Hamstreet had its real moment of fame in the early 1990's, with maps of the village appearing on postage stamps all over the UK. John Craven even did a 'Countryfile' special on the village. This was to mark 200 years of the Ordnance Survey. Hamstreet was chosen because the area was the first to be mapped as part of a nationwide survey and the changes to the village over the years showed up very well on a series of stamps.

The village was featured on BBC South East Today's 'On The Map' feature in May 2021. Hamstreet was also on the route of the Tour of Britain cycle race which passed through in September 2006, and the Olympic Torch relay passed through the village en route to London for the 2012 Olympic Games. Search for 'Olympic Torch Hamstreet' on YouTube to view the relay and watch TV clips of the village here.

Business

Until 2013 there were five pubs within three miles of the village cross. At present there are three - the Duke's Head in Hamstreet itself, the Woolpack Inn in Warehorne and the White Horse in Bilsington. The Blue Anchor (Ruckinge) and World's Wonder (Warehorne) have sadly been allowed to disappear.

In the High Street there is a post office / general store, fish and chip shop, the Old Schoolhouse Indian restaurant, a curtain / blind shop, the 'Saw Joinery' DIY/joinery centre, Lilly's Ink tattoo studio, the Cosy Kettle cafe, Early Birds renovations and Smart Dogs grooming centre. The Woodville unit is currently vacant.

Marsh Road has Annings Motors garage and Hamstreet Garden Centre which also has a cafe. There is currently an empty shop unit at the garage. Hamstreet Primary Academy (the school) is located in Ashford Road.

In Warehorne Road there is a dental clinic and Angela Hirst estate agency. There is currently an empty unit where the hairdresser’s used to be. Travel just out of the village and you'll find a vineyard, the mild climate of this part of Kent being particularly good for wine production.

Meanwhile, Ruckinge Road is the location of Joanne Fuller Beauty and Hamstreet Surgery, as well as the Nexus Programme office. A little further out of the village on Ruckinge Road is Meadow View Industrial Estate which contains several businesses.

Fun and Festivals

The village has a games area/tennis courts and a bowling green, as well as many clubs and associations too numerous to list. These include the Ruckinge and Hamstreet Scouts and Guides (HQ in Ruckinge), the Royal British Legion and the football club. Many activities and clubs take place around the village at locations such as Victory Hall, Cosy Kettle cafe, primary school and Church of the Good Shepherd (which has its own hall attached). 

The Pound Leas pavilion has its own bar area, augmenting the flood-lit 'multi-use games area' and football field, all of which are the result of many years of fundraising. The Festival of Transport which used to take place every June was featured in a Live TV (satellite) documentary programme in 2009. Sadly this event folded in 2016 but the village does have a community music day each summer in its place. There are also regular 'bikejumble' events on the fair field for petrol heads. 

Also look out for posters for Hamstreet bonfire and fireworks on Pound Leas each November (although this didn't take place in 2024). For those wishing to stay locally, accommodation is available at the Woolpack Inn, a pleasant stroll across fields on the Saxon Shore Way.

Transport facts

As well as daytime bus services to Ashford, New Romney and Lydd (Mon to Sat), Hamstreet has a railway station on the Ashford to Hastings line - one of only two remaining diesel lines in the provincial Southeast. Trains run direct to Eastbourne as well as Ashford for connections to London.

The village is well signed on the A2070 trunk road between Ashford's Southern Orbital Road and Brenzett, and between Aldington and Woodchurch on the B2067. The village used to be signed comprehensively in Tenterden and also from New Romney, Lympne and Appledore Heath. In spite of past campaigns for a return to better signage on grounds of being a junction point on a trunk road and a hub for local services, the village remains signed at the most basic level. Interestingly, there is a memorial at the southern exit for Hamstreet on the A2070 in honour of Liuetenant Johnson, a USA pilot who lost his life here during World War II after allowing his crew to parachute to safety. 

Details of useful cycle routes can be found in the 'Royal Military Canal and Associated Routes' blog, and circular walking routes can be found in the 'Smugglers and Saxon Shore Walks' blog. The A2070 and B2067 also have narrative blogs on this site detailing features along these routes, and the 'Ashford and Shepway Roads Database' blog details routes around the wider area.

Nostalgia 

The house on the corner of Ashford Road and Warehorne Road is believed to be the oldest in the village. It was a bakery until the 1980s, and a post office too until 1970, when a new post office was built at Bridgewell (now a private house in the one-way street). In the 80s the post office moved to the Mace store (now an office), finally settling at its current location in the Morrisons store, which itself was previously an independent store, then VG, Costcutter and McColl's. Hamstreet was briefly graced with a baker's shop again when the Chocoloate Box newsagency closed in 2012. There was a second newsagency (Harden's) located at Old Stores House in The Street until the 1990s.

Prior to use for beauty purposes (pre-2025), the shop at Woodville was an antiques shop, and before this a butcher's store. When the butchery closed in the 1980s, a butcher's counter was positioned at the rear of the VG store (now Morrisons) for a number of years. Villagers had a choice of garages, both with filling stations, at the time too. The second of these, Tippen's, was located where the small housing development between the former Chocolate Box and the church now stands.

Until the 1990s Hamstreet had a police house in Warehorne Road. The Indian restaurant was the original site of Hamstreet School until the current school was built in 1882. Prior to its current use the Old Schoolhouse was an antique shop, a photocopier centre, a tea room and the Masters restaurant.

The shopping area in Warehorne Road housed a greengrocer and a wool shop in the 1980s. It is also believed that when Viaduct Terrace was constructed in the 19th century, there were plans for the southernmost end of the terrace to be a pub. The Duke's Head is in fact a rebuild; the original pub opened its front door directly onto The Street and was originally named 'The George', 'The Three Mariners' and then 'The Duke of Cumberland'. The twin pub of the current Duke's Head was the former Stonebridge Inn at Woodchurch. Hamstreet also had a twin station building, at Winchelsea in East Sussex. 

Meanwhile, the former World's Wonder in Warehorne was one of five Kentish pubs which were built to the same design. The others were the now-bulldozed Ship at Lade (Romney Marsh), the former Bell Inn at Coxheath, The Redstart Inn at Barming and The Papermaker's Arms at Hawley (Dartford).

Hamstreet exchange phone numbers consisted of four figures prior to standardisation of the 01233 Ashford area code. The telephone exchange is still located next to the railway station. The old exchange is located at the top of a flight of steps to the south of the railway bridge in Ashford Road.

Development names for recent estates were Orchard View (Bankside), Saxon Woods (Lancaster Close), Brook Gate (Orlestone View), The Pippins (Ingoldsby Lane, etc.) and Nightingale View (Brimstone Road, etc.).

Campaigning

There are three vacant shop units in the village centre which the creator of this blog hopes will be filled to keep the village centre buoyant.

Two large new housing developments are being completed. The focus on expensive four and five-bedroom houses within new developments has been an issue, while the further fragmenting of the village across two parishes means a lot of the extra council tax going to neighbouring villages rather than Hamstreet. It would make sense for any new developments to be entirely within the parish of Orlestone to create cohesion.

In 2008 Pumpkin TV produced a DVD for geography students which used Hamstreet as a case study for challenges that affect many English villages. It has sometimes been very frustrating to see a minority fighting plans for new business when so many outlets have been lost over the years. Beginning in the late 1990s the author of this site has attempted to challenge the status quo. 

This began by escalating complaints when the village's railway station ticket office was closed for a period of over six months in the late 1990s, and continued with expressing support for the Indian restaurant to be allowed to provide a takeaway service, for the doctor's surgery to expand, for a fish and chip shop to be allowed, for a new cafe to be allowed and for changes to the Woolpack Inn which ultimately enabled this popular pub to reopen in 2015. A plan to upgrade the canal towpath as a proposed cycle link between Hamstreet and Appledore has sadly gone quiet in recent years.

The truth is that one person cannot change a village, and I would personally encourage villagers to use the 'search' and 'comment' facility on Ashford Borough Council's planning website to support new amenities and object to further losses of business space whenever such proposals arise. I hope that the quote from 'Kent Life' magazine which began this post will be as true in years to come as it is at the time of writing.

Credits and links

This page has been put together by Adam Colton, a local author of UK travel, music reviews and psychological fiction. Please visit the author page on the Amazon website, Smashwords, iBooks, etc. for details of available books. Adam is also one half of the musical duo Adam Colton & Teresa Colton. Check out their songs on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes and other music sites. Also, please search for the names of any of the businesses, clubs, amenities or venues mentioned on this page that aren't listed below.

The twin village of Therouanne (link here) in France. 

Hamstreet Woods national nature reserve

BBC news report on the 2012 Olympic Torch relay here

Old Schoolhouse Indian Restaurant (The Street)

Early Birds Renovations (The Street)

Morrisons Store (The Street)

Dog grooming centre (The Street)

Annings Race & Restoration (Marsh Road)

Hamstreet Garden Centre (Marsh Road)

Joanne Fuller Beauty  (Ruckinge Road)

Nexus Programme Office (Ruckinge Road)

Doctor’s surgery (Ruckinge Road) 

Dental Clinic (Warehorne Road)

Angela Hirst Estate Agency (Warehorne Road)

Hamstreet Wines (Warehorne Road)

Warehorne Vineyard (Warehorne Road)

School (Ashford Road)

Dukes Head (The Street)

White Horse (Bilsington)

Woolpack Inn (Warehorne)

Scout and Guide Associations (shared with Ruckinge)

The Victory Hall committee

Link to 'bikejumble' events 

Visit by Train Website

The parish council's site is here

Hamstreet, Villagenet

Hamstreet Pictorial History

There is now a sister-page on this blog about the nearest town of Ashford

Hamstreet, Kent - Saxon Shore Walking Routes

[NEW EASY-TO-FOLLOW CIRCULAR WALKS. Last updated June 2025]

The information on this page may be freely copied for use on walks.

The village of Hamstreet is surrounded by public woodland including Hamstreet Woods, an area of special scientific interest renowned for the presence of wild service trees and nightingales. 

The routes in this guide explore the contrasting elements of the local area, including Romney Marsh and the banks of the Royal Military Canal. 

Hamstreet is a great base for walkers because of its railway station, coffee shops in both the High Street and garden centre, fish and chip shop, Indian restaurant, shops and the Duke's Head pub (lunchtime dining Tues-Fri and all afternoon on Sunday). Note: locations in capitals are reference points that appear in different walks; wordings in italics are optional alternatives.

Warehorne Loop (3½ miles) - Saxon Shore Way and Canal Path

Head towards Tenterden along the B2067 from the village crossroads. Use the road crossing beneath the arched railway bridge and continue to the road bridge (on the right-hand side there is a path parallel to the road along Waylett Crescent and back down to the B2067). After passing beneath the A2070 bridge, climb the steps on your left. A short distance along this stony path, there is a stile to your right. Climb over and follow the Saxon Shore Way in a straight line towards the church tower across the fields. Passing through a number of swing-gates, the route descends into a dip and climbs again to reach a stile surrounded by bushes at the top right corner of the final field. Cross the stile and follow the driveway ahead, turning right when you reach the lane.

On your right you will see the sixteenth century WOOLPACK INN, which is connected to the church of St Matthew by an underground tunnel. This was built and used for smuggling, a common activity in this area in centuries past.

Take the path, left, via the churchyard and walk around the west side of the building. If you imagine a straight line right through the church bearing slightly left, this is roughly the route of the footpath down to the lane via the bushes to the left of the house at the bottom. When you emerge back onto the lane, bear right to cross the level crossing and continue down to Warehorne Canal Bridge. The Royal Military Canal was built as a line of defence against a feared invasion from Napoleon. A footpath follows its banks for the full 28 miles from Cliff End (near Hastings) to Seabrook (near Folkestone). 

To return to Hamstreet, cross the stile on your left immediately before WAREHORNE CANAL BRIDGE and head eastward along the bank of the canal. You will pass a World War II pillbox and upon reaching the A2070 (Hamstreet Bypass), cross the canal bridge and the road to continue eastward along the south bank of the canal. You will eventually reach another road bridge by Hamstreet Garden Centre. Turn left to walk along the grass verge beside the road, northward into the village. Just after passing Mountain Farm on your right, there is a footpath on your left, which runs parallel to the road behind the hedge as you enter the village – a quiet alternative across a field and Pound Leas recreation ground to the car park in The Street, beyond which you will pass the Victorian 'Church of the Good Shepherd' (former chapel).

Kenardington Loop (5½ miles) - Saxon Shore Way and Canal Path

Use the previous route to get to Warehorne, but continue along the lane past the church and WOOLPACK INN. Take the drive to a farm on the left, and almost immediately take the Saxon Shore Way through the swing-gate on the right, across the field. As you descend across the middle of the sloping second field, head for the right-hand-side of the row of trees at the bottom. Pass through the swing-gate and head southwest, diagonally across the field towards Kenardington church, lining yourself up with the three bridges that cross the dykes. At this low point, it is easy to realise why the Saxon Shore Way is so-called, for these fields would have been covered by water many centuries ago.

It is a gentle climb to St Mary’s Church, which occupies the site of a Saxon camp that was stormed by the Danes in the ninth century. After passing the church the Saxon Shore Way turns left into the field. Follow the right-hand field-edge until you reach a lane. Turn left onto this lane and follow it downhill. There is a T-junction at the bottom of the hill; bear left here.

When you reach the Royal Military Canal, turn left just before the bridge to follow the Canal Path. As you head back towards Warehorne you will notice the church on the hill ahead. The path is bridged by the railway line and eventually reaches a lane. Bear right and then cross the stile on your left immediately before WAREHORNE CANAL BRIDGE to continue eastward along the bank of the canal for the end of the 'Warehorne loop' to return to Hamstreet.

Hamstreet Village Circumnavigation (2½ miles) - mixed terrain paths

From the crossroads head south through the High Street, passing the Cosy Kettle cafe on your left. When you are nearing the village sign (pause to read the plaque), look for a passageway on your left. Take this footpath around the back of the houses and cross Cock Lane, continuing straight ahead along the edge of the playing field and across the loop of Fairfield Terrace housing estate. The path continues directly onward up the driveway and into the field, right over the top of Cotton Hill and down the other side. Don’t forget to enjoy the views both ways at the summit.

The path goes through the gate to the right of the farmhouse at the bottom of the hill and after then turns diagonally left to emerge onto the B2067 via a stile beneath a tree. Turn left to head back towards the village along the road, climbing the hill, taking great care. Just beyond the brow of the hill, you will notice a track-way on your right, signed ‘Orlestone Rise’. Wander up this track and at the end on your left you will find the entrance to Hamstreet Woods.

Follow the path (known as School Ride) into the woods, descending steeply. The path crosses Main Ride and descends some more, gradually curving right to end at a T-junction with ‘Stickles Path’; turn left to descend and cross the bridge, exiting the woods onto Bourne Lane. Pass through the swing-gate to your right and then another swing-gate immediately left. The path now heads along the left-hand field-edge. You will pass through a housing development and then climb a slope to the station. Use the steps or lift to cross the footbridge and walk down the car park on the opposite side of the station.

Turn right onto the opposite pavement along Ashford Road and then left up a steep gravel track. Where the track bends sharply to the right follow the surfaced path ahead, eventually descending across the field. Take the left-hand fork where the path splits and upon reaching Warehorne Road, turn left to follow the B2067 back to the village centre. Use the crossing beneath the railway bridge to change sides and follow the pavement back to the crossroads.

(For a quiet detour there is a footpath between fences on the right-hand side which is channelled around some ninety-degree bends and crosses a footbridge. It can sometimes be quite brambly and when you eventually reach a driveway, turn right and follow this back out to the main street. Turn left to return to the main village crossroads.)

Ruckinge Loop (6 miles) - surfaced sections of Saxon Shore Way and Canal Path

A variation on this route was featured in the 'Top 50 best summer walks in Britain' in the Independent newspaper.

Head towards Hythe along the one-way street from the village crossroads and take the second turning left onto Bourne Lane. At the end of the lane, bear right, through the gate into Hamstreet Woods. 

As you enter the woods the Saxon Shore Way bridges a stream and bears sharp left. Then after around a hundred yards it forks right. Stay on the wide surfaced trail which runs right through the middle of the woods, gradually climbing for around a mile until it reaches a GATE AT THE TOP OF THE WOODS. Go through the gate and continue up to the T-junction with Gill Lane byway. 

Bear left and climb out of the woods along the byway. The Saxon Shore Way then exits right along a farm track, while we continue ahead on Gill Lane (Greensand Way). 300 yards later you will reach a junction; turn right, taking great care as this lane is narrow and bounded by hedges.

Several hundred yards later, you will reach another junction with a gravel surfaced byway leading straight ahead eastward. Follow this all the way into the woods, around the sharp right-hand bend and on for around a mile descending to meet the B2067 near Herne Farm.

Turn right, walking westward along the road for a quarter of a mile to Ruckinge village. This is a historic settlement because of its smuggling connections; it is believed that the notorious Ransley brothers were hanged at Penenden Heath, Maidstone and buried in Ruckinge churchyard (St Mary Magdalene). 

Our route turns left at the T-junction after passing the former Blue Anchor pub to pass the former chapel. (Feel free to continue along the B2067 for an optional detour to visit the parish church of St Mary Magdalene. If you enter the churchyard, look for the footpath on the left-hand-side of the church and follow this roughly due southeast down to the lane.)

Cross the bridge on the lane over the Royal Military Canal. It is now just a simple matter of turning right to follow the canal path back to Hamstreet. When you reach Hamstreet Bridge around a mile and a half later, turn right, and follow the road past the garden centre (including coffee shop) back into the village. Just after passing Mountain Farm on your right, there is a footpath on your left, which runs parallel to the road behind the hedge as you enter the village – a quiet alternative across a field and Pound Leas recreation ground to the car park in The Street, beyond which you will pass the Victorian 'Church of the Good Shepherd' (former chapel).

(If you wish to try an alternative route into Hamstreet Woods, head south from Hamstreet Crossroads and turn left down the alleyway opposite the church. Follow this over the little bridge, past the bowling green and straight over the road (B2067) to pass the duck-pond and climb through Carters Wood housing estate. Turn left when you reach a T-junction of estate roads, and when the road reaches a dead end, turn left through the narrow entrance into the woods. This path curves to the right and soon becomes wider and dead-straight (Main Ride). Follow this all the way to the end where it meets the surfaced Gill Farm Track. Turn right to continue up to the GATE AT THE TOP OF THE WOODS and on as instructed above.)

Orlestone Loop (2 miles) - mixed terrain paths

Head towards Hythe along the one-way street from the village crossroads and take the second turning left onto Bourne Lane. At the end of the lane, pass through the swing-gate and continue straight ahead. Heading north along the left-hand edge of the field, you will soon reach the railway embankment, climb this and cross the line carefully. This Ashford to Hastings line is one of only two remaining diesel lines in the provincial South-East.

Descend the embankment to a modern housing development. Follow the footpath roughly northward along the edge of the estate. Beyond this, you will climb to pass underneath the bypass, opened in 1994.  Bear right after the underpass and continue along the left-hand side of the next field. Continue as you pass a house and tennis courts on your left. Next you will pass a pond behind St Mary's Church where the path bears slightly left to continue across the field.

You will soon reach a CROSSROADS OF FOOTPATHS. Turn sharp left at the post to take the path which is slightly diagonal across the field to reach the lane. Our walk continues straight across, but those wishing to explore the church can detour left at this point. This hamlet, centred around St Mary’s church was once the centre of population. When the flat-lands of Romney Marsh were drained, the population decamped to the more southerly location of Hamstreet, then known merely as ‘Ham’. It was the coming of the railway in 1851 that ultimately led to the growth of this village.

Our footpath crosses a lawn and passes to the left of a pond to descend across the next field to the old Ashford Road - beware, the stiles out to the road can be brambly. Turn left and return to the village centre down the hill on the pavement, passing the school and railway station. (If you fancy a bramble-free surfaced route back, the lane from St Mary's Church also meets the old Ashford Road where a left turn can be taken back to Hamstreet along the pavement.)

Capel Road Loop (4 miles) - mostly unsurfaced paths

Follow the route of the ‘Orlestone Loop’ on the first leaflet as far as the CROSSROADS OF FOOTPATHS just after passing behind Orlestone Church. For this route, continue straight ahead, briefly passing through woodland and emerging into a large field. The path soon bears diagonally right across the field out to Capel Road where you turn right. (If you are unable to cross the field, continue ahead and slightly left past the two trees in the middle of the field and look for the hole in the hedge to emerge onto the road and turn right to walk along it.)

Walk along the road until you see a small public footpath on your right (note this is around 300 yards beyond the wide entrance to the woods). This path leads into Packing Wood, which was estranged from the rest of Hamstreet Woods when the bypass sliced through the middle in 1994.

Upon reaching a wide grassy ‘ride’, turn right to follow this through the coniferous forest for half a mile. At a staggered junction of paths turn right onto a grassy public footpath and then right again a hundred yards later to head back into the trees. Continue on this public footpath for the next half a mile, out of the woods and on across the field, back to a familiar CROSSROADS OF FOOTPATHS, where you will be able to continue onward and slightly left to the lane at Orlestone to complete the ‘Orlestone loop’ back to Hamstreet.

Route to Orlestone Forest (1½ miles each way) - mostly unsurfaced bridleway

To reach Fagg's Wood, which is part of Orlestone Forest, head along the road towards Tenterden from the crossroads. Use the crossing beneath the arched railway bridge and continue to the road bridge (on the right-hand side there is a path parallel to the road along Waylett Crescent and back down to the B2067). After passing beneath the A2070 bridge, continue to the top of the hillock where there is a byway on your right. Follow this, and eventually it will emerge into open fields. Follow the right-hand field edge as the path gently climbs. The path follows the line of the fence to your right and eventually reaches a small gate into woodlands. 

Continue up through the woods and then diagonally left across an open field to the northwest corner. Another short wooded section will bring you out to Malthouse Lane. Turn right along the lane and several hundred yards later turn left into the gravel entrance to Faggs Wood. There is a picnic area here, and if you continue to the end of the gravel track you will find a path into the woodlands. Feel free to explore the reserve and return to Hamstreet the way you came.

Hamstreet, Kent - Saxon Shore Cycling Routes

[NEW EASY-TO-FOLLOW RIDES. Last updated June 2025]

The village of Hamstreet is situated on the ancient Saxon Shoreline in Kent, now separated from the sea by Romney Marsh. The wooded hills around the village contrast with the Royal Military Canal, a 28-mile defensive structure built in response to a feared attack by Napoleon. 

Hamstreet is a great base for cyclists because of its railway station, coffee shops in both the High Street and garden centre, fish and chip shop, Indian restaurant, shops and the Duke's Head pub (lunchtime dining Tues-Fri and all afternoon on Sunday). The routes here include circular routes for all abilities and quiet routes to local Kent towns. Note: locations in capitals are reference points that appear in different routes; wordings in italics are optional extras.

Quick 'four seasons' route to Ashford (6½ miles) - former main road and suburban cycle paths

This is a quick route to Ashford for cyclists who are reasonably comforatble with traffic. It uses the old road to Ashford which heads north from the crossroads in Hamstreet under the railway bridge. Follow this road for around four miles, up the long hill, along the straight, ahead at Bromley Green Crossroads and past the entrance to Ashford Town's 'Homelands' football ground. Turn right at the next crossroads (signed 'Mersham') onto Steeds Lane. Take the next turning left onto Bond Lane. At the end of this road, turn left onto the road and then turn right onto the gravel path near where the road enters a 30 limit.

Follow this path across grassland down to Reed Crescent. Cross via the traffic island as the route joins the road and continue. At the end of this short section of path cross Bluebell Road, so that you are now riding the cycle route beside Sheepfold Lane (there is a park to the left). 

After crossing Roman Road, use the crossing over Sheepfold Lane and follow the path out to the A2070 between fences. Cross the main road and follow the cycle route northward past the roundabout, beneath the road bridge and on across meadows beside the railway line, until reaching the end by an Asda store.

Turn left here and follow the natural course of this cycle path past the bus stops, over the zebra crossing at Kimberley Way and bearing left to run along the outside of the tented designer shopping outlet (with the A2042 dual carriageway on your left-hand side). At the end of this section, cross Newtown Road and continue ahead towards the international railway station. For the town centre, turn right to pass beneath the brick subway - mind your heads - and turn left immediately afterwards, following the signs beyond.

(For a longer but quieter route to Ashford, follow the 'Shadoxhurst circular route' (below) as far as SHADOXHURST ROAD. Turn right upon reaching this road at the end of the byway, and follow the blue cycle route signs to Ashford. This involves turning left by the King's Head in Shadoxhurst onto Bethersden Road, right onto Criol Lane, left at the end and then right onto Bartletts Lane which climbs steeply. At the end, turn left onto Chart Road and then right to descend Singleton Hill. Continue across the roundabout, and at the bottom of the hill turn right and then immediately left onto Bucksford Lane. Upon reaching Singleton Lake, turn right onto the cycle path which runs all the way to the town centre, crossing Brookfield Road (B2229) and running into Victoria Park. Bear left upon reaching the central area of the park. To reach the town centre, turn left onto the narrower northward path after passing the ornamental fountain.)

Ruckinge circular route (6 miles) - surfaced trails (possible mud in winter)

Head towards Hythe along the one-way street from Hamstreet crossroads and take the second left turn onto Bourne Lane (by the World War II pillbox). At the end of the lane, bear right, through the gate into Hamstreet Woods. The bridleway (Saxon Shore Way) bears immediately left, and around a hundred yards later it forks right. Stay on the surfaced path for a mile to the top of the woods. Go through the gate at the end, and shortly afterwards turn left at the T-junction with Gill Lane byway. 

Continue ahead where the Saxon Shore Way exits right along a farm track. 300 yards later you will reach a road junction; turn right. At the next junction continue straight ahead onto the byway and follow it all the way into the woods, around a sharp right-hand bend and then down to the B2067. Turn right to Ruckinge (you will pass the former Blue Anchor pub just before the T-junction). 

Turn left at the T-junction, and then right onto the canal path immediately after crossing the bridge. The first 3/4 mile is designated 'footpath.' The landowner is tolerant towards cyclists if they show respect, although it may be best to walk with your bike until a byway joins from the left after you pass the brick pumping station. You may have to lift your bike over a gate although the path is usually unobstructed. Continue ahead to the end of the trail at Hamstreet Bridge (by the garden centre) and turn right to return to the village centre.

Shadoxhurst circular route (11 miles) - lanes and surfaced trails (possible mud in winter)

From Hamstreet crossroads, take the B2067 towards Tenterden. You will pass beneath two bridges and climb gently for a mile past vineyards. Take the right turn onto Malthouse Lane which climbs some more and enters Orlestone Forest. The Weald of Kent was once completely covered with thick woodland of this kind. A mile later, we reach the T-junction with Birchett Lane. Turn left, and after a few hundred yards turn right onto the hard-surfaced trail heading northwest. Be warned, this route can be quite muddy in winter.

After a mile, there are two ninety-degree bends (left then right). Continue straight ahead at all subsequent junctions. You will eventually emerge to open farmland and meet SHADOXHURST ROAD. Turn right here and ride for around a mile to Shadoxhurst. Turn right onto Church Lane as you enter the village (the King's Head pub is 100 yards straight ahead here). Follow this lane past Shadoxhurst church, and after a sharp right-hand bend look for the byway on your left. 

Follow this byway through woodlands, eventually emerging onto Hornash Lane, where our route turns right. Take great care crossing the old Ashford to Hamstreet Road at the end of the lane and continue ahead onto Bromley Green Road. Continue ahead at the next crossroads onto Poundhurst Road, which bridges the railway and the A2070.

1/3 mile after the bridge the lane bears sharply left; continue straight ahead (southward) at this point, onto Gill Lane. This will eventually become a track descending gently into woodland. Bear right to follow the bridleway (Saxon Shore Way) down to a gate and onward through Hamstreet Woods nature reserve. Stay on the surfaced trail right through the woods, and at the other end exit the woods to follow Bourne Lane into the village. Turn left at the end onto the one-way street (by the World War II pill-box), then right at the end onto Cock Lane, and right again into The Street.

Snargate circular route (9 miles) or Fairfield (13 miles) - flat lanes 

For a pleasant route using lanes that is almost entirely flat, head south from Hamstreet village along Marsh Road (signed 'New Romney'), crossing the canal bridge, until reaching the A2070 at Johnson's Corner. Johnson was a heroic pilot who lost his life crash-landing his plane here after allowing his crew to parachute to safety. Take great care turning left onto the A2070 and then turn right immediately onto Ham Mill Lane, which bears right, away from the A2070 as it heads southwards. After a couple of miles continue ahead at the crossroads (where Snargate is signed in two directions). The lane passes through a farm and winds its way to the B2080 near Snargate Church, opposite the RED LION pub - a unique alehouse serving beer straight from the barrel, with a decor that has been virtually untouched in the last century (closed Mondays).

Turn right to ride westward along the B2080 towards Tenterden and take the second turning right onto ARROWHEAD LANE (signed 'Warehorne'). Follow the lane northward, ahead at all junctions for two miles, eventually crossing the canal and the railway line and then climbing to the scattered community of Warehorne. You will pass St Matthew's Church and the sixteenth century Woolpack Inn. 1/3 mile beyond this you will reach Leacon crossroads. Turn right here for a one-mile gentle cruise downhill on the B2067 back to Hamstreet.

(If you wish to make a 4-mile round trip to see St Thomas a Becket church at Fairfield, which is located in the middle of a field, turn right onto the B2080 at the RED LION pub but take the first turning left off of this road onto Snargate Lane instead. You will cross a level crossing, and at the end of the lane, turn right for the final mile to the church along Brack Lane. It is 'footpath only' across the fields to the church so you will need to secure your bike and walk. Return by retracing your route to the B2080. Turn left when you reach this road, and then right 1/4 mile later onto ARROWHEAD LANE).

Canal route to Hythe (13m) and Seabrook (15m) - flat ride on towpath and lanes

Head south from Hamstreet village along Marsh Road (signed 'New Romney'), crossing the canal bridge. Turn left immediately onto the canal towpath, a gravel byway. The second half of the towpath to Ruckinge is designated as ‘footpath,’ so our route turns right onto a grassy byway just before a PUMPING STATION. 

(If you wish to continue beside the canal to Ruckinge you may have to lift your bike over a fence/gate. The land-owner is tolerant if you show respect, and the author advises walking with your bike. Upon reaching the Ruckinge Bridge, turn right onto the lane and then left onto TAR POT LANE at the junction a mile later).

From near the PUMPING STATION take the byway route heading south. Bear sharp left after crossing a small bridge and then follow the route around the right angle bends to the right and then left. The final section to Lords Farm camping site is along the edge of a grassy field. Continue past Lords Farm, where the route becomes a driveway. When you reach a lane, continue across it onto TAR POT LANE, heading east and then northward to Bilsington. The lane eventually rejoins the canal albeit breifly. Note, the monumental obelisk on the hill is dedicated to a local landowner, Sir William Richard Cosway, who died in a coaching accident. At the T-junction by the Bilsington Bridge, turn right onto Newchurch Road.

This lane heads back out onto Romney Marsh for around a mile. Take the first left turn onto Honey Wood Lane. At the end of this lane you will reach a T-junction with Frogmore Lane - turn right.

A few hundred yards later you will reach a T-junction with the road from Newchurch - turn left. Shortly after this is a staggered junction - the building on the corner was once Bonnington’s pub. 

Turn left and then right onto Lower Wall Road, which runs along the bottom of the greensand ridge of hills. After a few miles turn left towards the hills along Aldergate Lane. After bridging the canal, turn right onto the gravel trail which runs beside it all the way to Hythe. As you ride, you may see the wild animals of Port Lympne Zoo Park to your left. A little further along, the hills are occupied by Lympne Castle and the remains of the Roman ‘Stutfall’ Castle further down the slope.

The trail continues across the lane when you reach West Hythe village, and further on there is a ‘listening ear’ dish upon the hillside, designed to detect incoming enemy aircraft from across the English Channel in the days before RADAR. 

Upon reaching Scanlons Bridge Road (the A259) at Hythe (nearest railway station = Sandling), cross the bridge and then cross the road using the crossing. The canal path continues ahead along the south bank. The path crosses Dymchurch Road (the A259) and Stade Street  a couple of hundred yards later. Continue ahead until reaching Twiss Road, where the cycle path returns to the north bank. 

This final section of the path runs for a further two miles until reaching  the A259 at Seabrook - the end of the canal. 

(Turning right and picking up the sea wall is the best traffic-free option if you wish to continue to Folkestone where there are two railway stations.)