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.

Leatherhead and Dorking - a Cycling Perambulation

 

Remember the furore when plans were announced to do away with railway station ticket offices? After such an outcry locally, it amazed me that while buying the train ticket for my most recent cycling trip, I observed the majority of people walking straight past the ticket office to use the machine. When it comes to saving any amenity, it's the usual thing - use it or lose it. I used it!

Soon, I was being whisked across the Weald on Kent to Tonbridge and the Surrey town of Redhill. Upon alighting in the Dorking, the drizzle intensified to a steady downpour, so I eschewed my plan to cycle to Leatherhead and caught another train. Why Leatherhead? In truth, the hotel was cheap. Now, this may seem an unusual choice for a 'short break' destination, being a place that you usually bypass on the M25 without so much as a thought, but I can confirm that it is a pleasant little town and it was the home of Michael Caine for many years. And not a lot of people know that! The many-arched road bridge over the River Mole is perhaps the town's most striking feature. The Mole discharges into the Thames in West London. 

On the day of my visit I frequented the local branch of Wetherspoons and asked the friendly barman what the 'must see' features of Leatherhead are. He struggled to come up with any and consulted an equally bemused local. In short, it's not a tourist hotspot. I also found a pleasant 'local' down by the river.

The weather was slightly better the following day and I rode northeastward. I bridged the M25 on a footpath which led to the suburban Green Lane. Eventually I picked up a wooded byway. The fallen leaves were a particularly striking russet in this area. Climbing steadily, I eventually turned right onto another byway which was once part of Stane Street, the Roman road that ran from London to Chichester. The modern A29 is a significant part of this route and the 'South Downs bridleway' section is a lot more open than its 'North Downs' counterpart which undulates through woodlands, eventually descending to the village of Mickleham.

Here, I did a U-turn northward to ride a loop on farm roads almost back to Leatherhead and down along the sweeping curve of the A24 (the London to Worthing road), which must be one of the most picturesque sections of dual carriageway in the southeast. The above photo reminded me of the 1990s TV series 'Twin Peaks' somewhat. Alas, there was no diner serving cherry pie, but there is a cafe which is claimed to be the oldest biker cafe in England.

I was unlikely to fit in with the 'Easy Riders' on my pushbike, so instead I chained up my steed and sprinted over the seventeen stepping stones across the River Mole (learning from observing the people before me who got wet feet by taking it slowly). I then climbed the stepped path up Box Hill to the summit, with stunning views over Dorking town to Leith Hill, six miles away, which is the highest point in Surrey. Whilst Box Hill is on the chalky North Downs, Leith Hill is on the Greensand Ridge which runs parallel to the Downs. A long-distance footpath, the Greensand Way, follows the ridge all the way from Hamstreet in Kent to Haslemere in the southwest corner of Surrey. I once wrote a book about hiking this route called 'Mud, Sweat and Beers.' Kindle or a physical copy? It's up to you!

I descended from the busy viewing platform via Zig Zag Road, where a lot of cyclists were testing their mettle on the ascent, replicating the cycling event in the London 2012 Olympics. The Olympians, however, had to do nine laps, which must have been absolutely gruelling. I cut off one of the zigzags by using a steep footpath, which was slightly perilous in flat-soled shoes.

Tweaking my brakes, I returned to my bike and rode the paths beside the A24 and A25 to Brockham, a pleasant village around a central green – typically 'Surrey' in feel. I headed for the pub and a man let me put my bike in a shed, informing me that he hoped to fill this with meerkats. Well, why not? I had visited this pub in 2006 on a the aforementioned 'MS&B' walk, and I guess this is what makes the perfect exploration – something old, something new. Adventure with a splash of nostalgia!

Next up, was Reigate. The town centre had the feel of a country town which wouldn't have seemed out of place in the Kentish Weald. I rode through a road tunnel where the access to Reigate Caves can be found, and as I pounded the A25 to Redhill the drizzle began again, and in the words of the gambling adverts, 'When the fun stops, stop.' So I did, and caught my three trains home.

And that was 2024. Not the most cheerful year in terms of world news. When COVID struck, wars stopped, homeless people were brought in from the cold and people worked together to defeat a common enemy (the virus). As soon as it was over, the fighting began again and the homeless were booted back out onto the streets. It's not a good advert for our species, and goodness knows what 2025 will bring now that the Americans have decided to take a second trip to 'Trumpton.' Testosterone is back in fashion around the globe. It looks like humanity had a go at tolerance and went back to hate again en masse. Something old, something new, hey? :-(