Hamstreet to Ham Street Part III - a Walking Perambulation

 

As I predicted in last month’s post I have completed the ‘Hamstreet to Ham Street’ route for a third time now. I hiked it with my friend Tom in 2006, cycled it in 2019 (first half - Greensand Ridge) and 2022 (second half), and I’ve completed it again on foot in 2026. Sort of.

The two ‘cheats’ were that I skipped the section where one has to hike on roads between Haslemere (Surrey) and Four Marks (Hampshire) this time, and I stopped at Castle Cary in Somerset, a few miles short of the other ‘Ham Street,’ as will be explained.

So my first trip of the second half of the route began at the village of Four Marks, a few miles southwest of Alton in Hampshire. I was following a path called the St Swithun’s Way [sic], which runs from Farnham to Winchester, where the remains of St Swithun (or ‘Swithin’ if you prefer) were initially buried outside the abbey so that the rain could fall on him. They were later moved inside by monks. Hence we have the saying that if it rains on St Swithun’s Day (July 15^th) it will rain for forty days and forty nights.

The path was very pretty via Ropley (pronounced 'Ropp-ley'), with occasional hoots from the steam trains on the nearby Watercress Line. I stopped for refreshment in a cool barn-like annexe of a pub in Bishop’s Sutton. Then I pounded the tarmac around the south side of New Alresford (pronounced ‘Orlsford’). Here, a new housing development has blocked the path and I had to battle with the weeds up a steep bank to get around the high metal fences.

Signage for the path was also poor beyond this and I made the same navigational mistake that I made with Tom in 2006, ending up about half a mile too far north. This time I was able to contact Hampshire’s rights of way team via their website on my phone and report both issues.

Having rejoined the official route, I continued to Winchester and camped behind some nettles. The next day I followed Nuns Walk into the city and passed the remains of Hyde Abbey which comprise of just the arched entrance to a gatehouse.

My path back out of Winchester was different to last time as the next footpath, the Clarendon Way, has since been diverted to commence by heading southward along the river, before curving west and crossing the Roman road, which was its original course. This adds some distance onto the route but is more pleasant than pounding the tarmac.

The Clarendon Way is named after a ruined palace just outside Salisbury, for it links the two cathedral cities. When I reached the village of Kings Somborne, which was often used a location in the children’s programme ‘Worzel Gummidge,’ I had a rest and necked down a bottle of Coke outside the village shop. A man passing by exclaimed ‘You wanna foind a pub and get some coider’ which was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to hear in the West Country.

It was searing hot as I continued via Houghton (pronounced ‘How-tun’) and Broughton (pronounced as one would expect). The locals in the Greyhound pub were very friendly and I was given a large glass bottle of cool water when I asked if they could fill my water bottle. However, after a few more miles cycling, rain began to spatter as the Clarendon Way joined the Roman road, so I dived into the woodland at the side and got my tent up quick.

The next day was as hot as ever and I merely walked the final ten miles or so into Salisbury, departing from the straight Roman line after the village of Middle Winterslow. With around seven miles to go I kept hearing a flapping sound, later realising that the sole of my shoe was coming off. I tried to attach it with some puncture repair glue that I had in my rucksack, but this was ineffective so I merely looped my lace under my shoe to hold it on. I then had to catch two trains and a bus to get back to my sweltering car at Four Marks.

The second trip involved me continuing from Salisbury, but I wanted to retrace my original route as much as possible so I got a bus up to Winterbourne Dauntsey. A grouchy old man made a sarcastic comment about having to step around my rucksack as I waited for it. Personally I think a few extra steps would have done him good so he should have thanked me!

I backtracked about a mile to Figsbury Ring, a circular Iron Age hill-fort, and I walked an anticlockwise circumnavigation. The views were great.

I then descended back to Winterbourne Dauntsey, where a village fair of some kind seemed to be finishing, to pick up the Monarch’s Way. This footpath roughly follows the route of King Charles II following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester to his escape to France from Shoreham-by-sea in West Sussex.

It was very hot yet again as I crossed Salisbury Plain. I was amazed to see a large framework barn still there after twenty years. Tom and I had considered sleeping among the hay bails in 2006. After a long descent I stopped for refreshment at the pub in Great Wishford, where I was kept entertained with a rock playlist. I then camped in the woods after a significant climb to Cranborne Chase.

The next day my route differed from that of 2006 as I chose to follow the Monarch’s Way properly rather than to take a short cut along the Roman road through the woods. After this more southerly section I was back on the familiar drover's path, which begins as a concrete farm track.

Doglegging southward when the path hits the A303 trunk road, I descended to Fonthill Bishop, which had a nice little café where a pot of tea went down like a snake’s foot (as a friend of mine often says). As I approached the next village (Hindon) I was startled when a large dog ran at me. However, this proved serendipitous when its owners recommended the Grosvenor Arms to me, so I made a beeline. Here, the barman treated me to a free bowl of roast potatoes. The next stage involved quite a gruelling overgrown trek towards West Knoyle, where I had a snack break in the porch of the quaint church. Then came the little town of Mere, where I merely used the shop to stock up on supplies before heading off up towards Zeals Knoll for another night’s camping.

This time, my inappropriate footwear was wearing on my feet rather than the soles of my shoes and the next day was hard work, with blisters and discomfort at the back of my legs from walking funny! It was also searing hot and I passed a woman walking with a donkey as I commenced the day's perambulations. The donkey reminded me of the life of Christ, as did my breakfast of bread and tinned fish which I ate in a shelter at the National Trust's centre at Stourton / Stourhead as a man tested disability buggies and parked them outside ready for the use of visitors.

After a stone archway, a look at an old pumphouse and a glimpse of a lake and a Greek-inspired building (pictured), I picked up the Macmillan Way (named after the cancer care charity for whom it was devised) and headed for the little town of Bruton. A man in a gardening community at the hamlet of Redlynch pointed me in the right direction when I got lost and filled my water bottle. After a panoramic view across to Glastonbury Tor and a brief look at a dovecote which resembled a ruined church tower on a hill, I dived into Bruton's Sun Inn to cool off - literally going in the Sun to get out the sun. The pub still retains a separate public bar and saloon bar, which is a nostalgic throwback to the 1970s. I had a chicken kebab from the separate cooking area at the back of the pub and then continued towards Castle Cary, cutting off a long S-shape in the official path by nipping down a farm track.

However, the heat got to too much, and heeding the advice of the gambling adverts on TV, when the fun stopped, I stopped! I dived into the woodland and got some of my camping gear out, proceeding to snooze for a few hours. As it grew dusky I decided to add a tent into the equation!

The following day involved a short two-mile trek to Castle Cary station, with a fine glimpse of Glastonbury Tor in the distance as I descended from Ansford. I decided not to continue Ham Street in Somerset for the simple fact that there’s nothing there! Essentially, I felt that I had completed the walk and I began my five-train journey home to the Las Vegas-like 'Hamstreet' in Kent. Indeed, the inspiration for the initial walk in 2006 was simply to hike to the other village of the same name as the one where Tom and I lived.

My conclusion to this 20-year anniversary jaunt is that very little has changed. Even the development on the south side of Ashford, Kent has had relatively little impact on the rural feel of the footpath route, and the only other areas of new development I encountered were the annoying one on the south side of New Alresford and a modern 'village' development on the north side of Salisbury. What has changed is some of the text in my book of the initial walk, ‘Mud,Sweat and Beers.’ I’ve added some additional info about the places that I’ve gleaned on my two subsequent re-visits so if you wish to buy the book a third time the latest version (still called the ‘2022 Reload’ edition) can be ordered on that website named after a South American river!

Will I walk it again for the ‘ruby anniversary’ in the 45-degree heat of 2046? Who knows!

The Greensand Way Part II - a Walking Perambulation

My twenty-year 'china anniversary' re-walk of the Greensand Way is now complete. I first walked the c.110-mile path from Hamstreet to Haslemere in May 2006, as the first phase of a challenge to hike to Ham Street in Somerset with my friend, Tom.

This second installment fills in the gaps between the sections explored in the 'Part I' blog.'

The mid-Kent section westward from Sutton Valence to East Peckham was achieved by catching trains to the village of Headcorn and then a bus to Sutton Valence. The first two thirds of this section feel similar to the section from Pluckley (documented last time), with the path remaining resolutely at the top of the range of hills, with excellent views across the Weald of Kent to the south. Orchards abound and the path passes the gated driveway to Linton Hall. Eventually the route tumbles off of the hills to reach Yalding, a village that used to flood severely on a regular basis. The route then follows a short navigation channel which was built to cut a corner off of the meandering River Medway for commercial vessels.

The hill range takes a while to get back into full flow after the path crosses the Medway Valley, but the next section westward includes the pretty village of Shipbourne (pronounced 'shibbun' and located a few miles north of the town of Tonbridge), with its grassy common land being a prominent feature. The moated manor house at Ightham (pronounced ‘item’) is well worth a short detour. Beyond this, the ridge reasserts itself and one is really quite high up when nearing Knole Park on the edge of Sevenoaks. You may spot a deer here and you will almost certainly pass the odd jogger! The path then falls off of the hills and becomes quite hard to follow, needing to tunnel beneath the A21 to reach the village of Sevenoaks Weald. After a pint of mild and a bag of crisps in the local pub I walked up to the Hildenborough Road and caught as bus to Tonbridge Station.

The next section west from Sevenoaks Weald takes the walker all the way to Surrey, climbing back onto the ridge again to pass the village of Ide Hill, with its conveniently located shop / cafe, and the wooded summit of Toy’s Hill, one of the highest points in Kent. The true highest point is actually Betsom’s Hill on the North Downs above Westerham, which musters over 820 feet in height.

The path then passes Chartwell, which was Winston Churchill’s home for over forty years, chosen by him mainly because the view across the Kentish Weald is so nice. Crockhamhill Common becomes Limpsfield Common as the walker passes into Surrey (it's all just 'woods' to me). Here, there is a marker-stone showing Hamstreet and Haslemere as each being 55 miles away in opposite directions. The walk beyond into Oxted is typically ‘Surrey’ with lots of common land around leafy suburban roads.

Having documented the sections between Oxted and Dorking in my last article, there is just the last 35 miles to report on. I decided to work backwards, catching trains to Haslemere to begin my walk eastwards. Haslemere is a pretty country town, where a plaque commemorates the first police officer in the Surrey Constabulary to die on duty in what is known as the 'Haslemere riot.' Clearly these were different times.

The Greensand Way climbs steeply to the Devil’s Punchbowl at Hindhead, a village that used to endure a near-permanent stream of traffic on the A3. The road tunnels beneath it today and there is not really any evidence that it used to run right through the village, with tasteful landscaping removing all vestiges of this arterial road from London to Portsmouth. After some magnificent northward views the path descends to Thursley village, from where it begins its long bumpy journey eastward to Dorking. The name 'Thursley' is a reference to the Norse god, Thor, and the Devil's Punchbowl was so named because the legend is that Thor and the Devil had a battle here and the punchbowl was created when the dark one scooped out a load of earth from the hills to throw at Thor. A great way to settle a dispute, hey?

I was crestfallen to reach the Dog and Pheasant at Brook to find 'To Let' signs. I had used the pub in 2006 on my initial walk and a beer would have gone down like a snake's foot (as people say down here on Romney Marsh). Instead I continued via Sandhills (the clue is in the name) and Wormley, and I had an evening meal in the Merry Harriers pub in Hambledon. Conversations in 'RP' English reverberated around me as I ate. A few miles beyond, I camped in the Hurtwood. The name has nothing to do with pain, as ‘hurts’ was a local dialect word for bilberries.

The next day was searing hot. Hascombe was quaint with a winding lane, a pond and a pretty church. When I reached the village of Shamley Green, where the ridge has another break to let a river through, I was seriously considering throwing in the towel. However, the next section was mercifully shady as the ridge is heavily wooded here. There are some great viewpoints, and the path descends to pass by the Duke of Edinburgh School and again to pass through the village of Holmbury St Mary. Beyond is Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey. It is crowned with a tower and seems to be quite a tourist hotspot.

There was just the long slow descent to Dorking to go after this. Time was limited before the train that I needed to catch home, so a ‘meal deal’ in an Esso garage had to make do. There's no point lying - this last section was gruelling in the heat, with no public transport on a bank holiday Monday and no refreshment facilities between Holmbury St Mary and Wotton, by which point I needed to get a spurt on.

All in all, it’s been fascinating to re-walk this long distance path, and I’ve made a few tweaks to my book, ‘Mud, Sweat and Beers’ which documents the route and our continuation westward to the other ‘Ham Street’ in Somerset. It is perhaps inevitable that I will eventually re-walk those paths too. The book can be found on most major digital platforms for those who want to explore more.

The Greensand Way Part I - a Walking Perambulation

‘It was twenty years ago today…’ begin the lyrics of one of the many legendary songs of the Beatles. Twenty years must have seemed a long time to the young Paul McCartney when he wrote these lyrics which opened the 'Sgt. Pepper' album in 1967. After all, in 1947 we were barely over the Second World War and Paul was four or five depending which side of June the 18th we are!

Personally, I think the twenty years since I walked the entire Greensand Way footpath across Kent and Surrey have passed in a flash. The 110-mile trail begins in the village of Hamstreet, about nine miles from the English Channel and ends in the town of Haslemere in a far flung corner of Surrey. For my friend Tom and I, the Greensand Way formed the first half of a challenge to walk to the other 'Ham Street' in Somerset, which I documented in my travel book 'Mud, Sweat and Beers.'

For the 'china anniversary' re-walk I began with the local section, which falls under the borough of Ashford, back in the winter. The very beginning of the path is currently not signed at Hamstreet Crossroads, although I believe there are plans for a local info board to mark the start very soon. The gravel trail up through Hamstreet Woods (one of the UK's oldest national nature reserves) is a gentle and pleasant incline for cyclists, but upon reaching the brow of the hill, it's footpaths all the way to the settlements of Kingsnorth, Chilmington and Great Chart. I was pleased to see that the route of the trail around Chimington hasn’t been severely marred by the recent housing development, retaining a mostly rural feel throughout. Chilmington is essentially becoming a 'new town' bolted onto the southwestern fringe of Ashford. Beyond Great Chart, the route bridges the Ashford to Tonbridge railway line, and I had to abandon my walk due to the path being flooded all the way down to the Great Stour River near Godinton Park. I’ve never been a fan of swimming!

My second recent dabble at the Greensand Way covered the section which runs along the edge of Godinton Park, again not hugely troubled by the suburban developments, before heading west to pass to the south of Hothfield, descending towards the edge of Hothfield Common (a natural peat bog) and then up and over to Little Chart. From here on, I followed the Stour Valley Path to the village of Lenham, where ponds provide the source of one of Kent's longest rivers, which flows via Ashford and Canterbury, out into the English Channel at the little town of Sandwich, which gave its name to, er... sandwiches!

I walked my third section of the Greensand Way backwards (i.e. west to east), catching a bus from the village of Headcorn to pick up the trail at Sutton Valence, heading eastward. This was, and probably still is, my favourite section of the walk. Kent lives up to its epithet of being the ‘Garden of England’ here, with numerous orchards along the route. Whilst the section around Great Chart and Chilmington on my previous amble has the feel of a ridge, this is where the Greensand Hills, which give the path its name, really find their feet. The views southward from the top of the ridge are panoramic, and the path remains fairly high up the slope until dropping off beyond Boughton Malherbe. After Egerton (pictured), the route dips and then climbs again to Pluckley (reputedly England's most haunted village), where the orchards take over again for the descent to Little Chart. After a pint in the Swan’s beer garden, I negotiated a route to Pluckley Station, being somewhat gutted to find that Dering Arms was closed and the next train was in 55 minutes time. Time for some stoicism.

Then on the first May bank holiday, I booked myself a Travelodge in Dorking, with the aim of completing the sections of the Greensand Way west from Reigate to Dorking and east from Reigate to Oxted. Alighting the train at Reigate Station, the town is reached via a foot tunnel, which was the first road tunnel to be built in the UK, opening in 1823. This was constructed for the ease of stagecoaches, travelling from London to Brighton, so-called because these long journeys were completed in stages, with a change of horses being needed at regular intervals. The route of the Greensand Way to Dorking was far more scenic than I remembered it from 2006. The path drops dramatically into the valley of the River Mole, which runs from Gatwick to the Thames. The Greensand Ridge doesn’t reassert itself until Dorking area, leaving the North Downs on the right hand side to dominate the skyline. I passed through the pretty villages of Betchworth and Brockham and passed a small woodland that I camped in during that original thirteen-day hike. I described this as ‘cake shaped’ in my book and I can confirm that it still gives that impression! The 'cherry on top' was passing a blue plaque in Dorking marking Strawberry Studios where 10cc, Paul McCartney, Steveie Wonder and others had all recorded music.

On the following day I would catch the train to Reigate and walk the ‘GW’ eastward. It was nice to walk a section of the trail that my friend Tom and I had completely missed twenty years ago, having made a hash of the map-reading, ending up in Redhill town centre. Thankfully, modern smartphone apps make following a trail of this kind much easier today. However, signage for the trail was still non-existent on the lanes to the west of South Nutfield so I reported this to Surrey County Council. Modern smartphones make this easier too!

My lunchtime refreshment break was at a pub in Bletchingley, a village straddling the A25 at the top of the ridge. It was doing brisk business and the barmaid was clearly feeling the pressure. The next section feels similar to the Pilgrims’ Way, a more famous trail which runs along the (also more famous) North Downs. Here, the 'GW' runs along the lower part of the ridge’s scarp slope in an easy-to-follow straight line. Crossing the busy A22 near Godstone was more of a challenge, but the section via Tandridge to Oxted passed very quickly. Oxted is perhaps most famous for the being the childhood home of a certain Keir Starmer. Not far from here is the furthest known mention of Hamstreet, where the ‘GW’ crosses the Kent border, with the village signed as being 55 miles away but we'll be visiting that in 'Part II' of this report. For now, we'll trundle down to Hurst Green Station and catch the first of four trains home.

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.

New Book on Hamstreet OUT NOW

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). Note: locations in capitals are reference points that appear in different walks; wordings in italics are optional alternatives.

Warehorne Loop (3 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 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 at the bottom, 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 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 surfaced path roughly due north along the edge of the estate. Beyond this, the path climbs along the edge of a field and passes underneath the bypass, opened in 1994.  After the underpass the path curves to the right and then left to 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.

 (If you fancy a bramble-free surfaced route back, turn right onto the lane heading away from St Mary's Church. This eventually meets the old Ashford Road where a left turn can be taken back to Hamstreet along the pavement - approx ¾ mile.)

Beyond the lane, 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.

Packing Wood Loop (4 miles) - mostly unsurfaced paths

Follow the route of the ‘Orlestone Loop’ as the CROSSROADS OF FOOTPATHS just after passing behind Orlestone Church. For this route, continue straight ahead northward, briefly passing through woodland and emerging into a large field with the edge of the wood to your right. Continue ahead along the field edge. The path soon bears diagonally right (roughly due northeast) across the field out to Capel Road where you turn right.

Walk along the road until you see a small public footpath on your right (note this is around 300 yards beyond the wide gravel 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 trail, turn right to follow this through the woods for half a mile. At a staggered junction of paths bear 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.