A Circular Walk in Kent, England

One of my favourite things about walking in the countryside is that everything slows down and you are able to take in the sights and smells of your surroundings. This circular walk allows you to explore some outstanding natural beauty across woods, fields, and picture postcard villages in Kent.
There are so many places across Kent where it's very easy to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life. With numerous trains from London to Kent it's an easy journey.
Did you know? Walking for one mile burns virtually the same number of calories as jogging for one mile, it just takes a little longer!

Circular Walk - Luddesdown, Shorne Wood Country Park
How long is the walk? 8.3 miles (13.4km) with some steep slopes. They are steep (c.170 metres) but they don't last too long (honest!)
How to get there:
Postcode starting point: DA12 3HZ.
Getting there by car: Signposted from the A2 at the Shorne/Cobham junction, just south of Gravesend. 

Where can I park? Parking is available at Shorne Woods Country Park.
Getting there by train: Nearest stations: Gravesend, Higham, Meopham, Sole Street. National Rail Enquiries: 08457 484950 or check www.thetrainline.com

About the walk: This walk begins in Shorne Woods Country Park and takes you through the historic villages of Cobham and Luddesdown. There is a range of landscape including woodland and beautiful views over open countryside. The path through Cobham Park takes you past the imposing Darnley Mausoleum.

Toilets & Refreshments: at Shorne Wood Country Park

Circular Walk - Luddesdown, Shorne Wood Country Park 8.3 miles

Directions

1. Leave the Visitor Centre towards the main entrance. Turn right just before the main gate and follow the path through the woodland to a kissing gate next to Brewers Road. Turn right and follow footpath across the A2 bridge to the roundabout. Beware of traffic. Cross Brewers Road, then cross Halfpence Lane. 

2. Enter Ashenbank Wood through a kissing gate ahead of you. Follow the way marked route through Ashenbank Wood and pass through the remains of a WW2 camp. 

3. Fork left after the camp and head downhill then along a field boundary underneath some towering Chestnut trees. 

4. Turn right at the fence at the bottom of the hill, next to an interpretation panel. Go through the kissing gate and turn left. Follow the field boundary and footpath heading towards Cobham Church keeping an orchard on your left. Go straight ahead through a kissing gate with a sports field to your left. When you reach the tarmac main road through Cobham, turn left and follow the footpath up to the Leather Bottle pub. (For an alternative shorter route follow the main road through Cobham up to the roundabout and then follow Lodge Lane up to the Mausoleum and continue from point 18). Cross over the road and go into the churchyard. Follow the path keeping the church on your left, downhill and through another graveyard. 

The Leather Bottle pub, Cobham

5. Cross a stile into a field with an orchard on your right hand side. Follow field boundary down to road, then turn left across a railway bridge. 

6. Just before a house, turn right onto a footpath following a field boundary. 

7. Cross over a stile to your left, then through a kissing gate. Keep dogs on a lead as this field is used by horses. Leave the horse field through a second kissing gate and continue downhill towards the houses until you reach the road at Henley Street. At the road turn right and follow the road for approximately 80m. The white building in front of you at this point is The Cock public house. 

8. Turn left onto a bridle path and follow it uphill until you reach a signed path junction at the very top. 

9. Turn left and follow the Wealdway along the ridge and then down to the road at Luddesdown.

10. At the road turn left up to a triangle road junction. Turn right here and follow the road up onto a cobbled path. Continue straight ahead past the church towards the farm buildings.

11. Cross a stile on your left, then climb the hill and turn left over a stile. Head straight across the field then go through the hedge and turn left following the footpath along the field edge until you reach a road. Turn left at the road and head downhill past Luddesdown Organic Farm until you reach the car park of the Golden Lion pub.

12. From the pub, follow the road named Henley Street. 

13. As the road bends left, enter the field to the right at the way mark sign. Head straight across the field, towards the wood.

14. Cross the stile into Cobhambury Wood. Turn right immediately after crossing the stile and follow the path to the next junction. Turn right and head downhill into dense woodland. 

15. When you reach the road, turn to the left and head towards the phone mast on the hill. 

16. Take the first right up a track passing close to the phone mast and then go underneath the railway. Continue uphill until you pass two field gates on your right.

17. 10m further on, go through a small kissing gate on your right hand side and uphill through the woodland. Go through a kissing gate at the edge of the wood and then head straight across the field towards a large dead tree. 

18.At the vehicle track, turn right onto Lodge Lane (the shorter walk rejoins here). Follow the track, ignoring all junctions until you reach the Darnley Mausoleum. Continue past the Mausoleum and head straight along the track that follows the ridge for about 200m.

19. Go through the kissing gate and after 30m turn left at the Ranscombe information board, heading downhill into woodland.

20. At the bottom of this path, next to Knights Place Farm, go straight ahead through two kissing gates into some more woodland. Follow this path to the bottom and then cross over a stile next to the railway line. Turn left and follow this path down to the road. Dogs should be kept on a lead for the rest of the walk. 

21. Go through the gate, turn right underneath the railway and cross over the A2 road bridge. At the T junction, turn right.

22. After about 100m, turn right down a ramp into Brewers Wood. Follow the wide track through the wood and emerge at a pedestrian and horse crossing.

23. Turn left after crossing the road and return to Shorne Woods Country Park.

Did you know? Regular walking helps reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Interesting facts about Greece

Greece continues to enjoy a steady influx of foreign visitors is easy to explain but how much do you know about Greece? While Greece is a country with a hallowed past and an at-times turbulent present. It's world famous for a great number of things including being one of the oldest civilisations in the world. With such an old civilisation there are a few lesser known facts about Greece. 
Here are four things you might not have known about Greece:

 1. The Olympic Games were a religious event

The Ancient Greeks started the Olympic Games – that is a well known fact – however what is less well known is the fact the games were part of a religious event to celebrate the father of the Gods, Zeus. Athletic contests were one way to honour the Gods, so it made sense to hold a recurring event at an important religious temple, Olympia. Olympia was situated in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnisos (Peloponnesus), through which runs the Alpheus River. It was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. Outside the Altis, to the east, were the Stadium and the Hippodrome, where the contests took place. To the west were the Palaestra (wrestling school) and the Gymnasium where all competitors were obliged to train for at least one month.Only free Greeks (i.e. not slaves) could enter and all participants were male and competed in the nude.

Zeus temple, Olympia, Greece

In the Ancient Olympia Museum you will see many treasures including Dedication by Miltiades, as the inscription informs us "Miltiades dedicates to Zeus". It is the same helmet worn by the Athenian general in the battle of Marathon, where he defeated the Persians, and thus offered it to Zeus as a sign of gratitude. 

2. Greece has 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Greece has an incredibly rich history and with it comes a wealth of historic monuments, many dating back thousands of years. From the Acropolis in Athens to the fortified medieval city of Rhodes, the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus and many more, Greece has one of the largest numbers of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the World. Other UNESCO sites around the world include the Palace of Versailles, Paris, France and Westminster Abbey, London, England.
3. The first ever cookbook originated in Greece

While you might think of France and Italy as having some of the best cuisines in the world, Greece has a number of nationally renowned dishes to tantalize your taste buds. It is believed that the Greek poet Archestratos published what is regarded as the first ever cookbook in 320BC.
If you plan to travel to Greece, make sure you try the moussaka, Greek salad (made up of tomato, cucumber, feta cheese, black olives, red onion and a light olive oil dressing) and souvlaki – delicious! If you're not intending of jetting off to Greece just yet, why not make a moussaka yourself at home? This Jamie Oliver recipe serves 4:

Ingredients
5 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
500g minced lamb
glass of red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cinnamon stick, about 4 inches long
pinch of cumin seeds
3 aubergines, sliced
salt and ground black pepper
FOR THE WHITE SAUCE
75g butter
75g plain flour
600ml milk
60g parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg yolk
pinch of nutmeg

Method
1.In a large pan, gently cook the garlic and onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until the onion has softened.
2.Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the mince until browned. Pour off any excess fat and add the mince to the onion and garlic.
3.Add wine, puree, chopped tomatoes, oregano, cumin and cinnamon stick. Simmer uncovered for 1 and a half hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the cinnamon stick and season to taste. Preheat oven to 190C.
4.Fry the aubergine slices in the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil until golden on both sides. Season well with salt and black pepper.
5.Make the white sauce. To make, melt the butter in a pan. Add the flour, stirring until mixture forms a smooth paste. Stir in milk gradually, bring to the boil, stirring, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the nutmeg and, egg yolk, and parmesan.
6.Place a layer of aubergines on the bottom of an ovenproof dish (12inch by 8 inch), followed by half the mince mixture. Add another layer of aubergine, the rest of the mince and finally a final layer of aubergine. Top with the white sauce.
7.Bake the moussaka, uncovered, for about 25-30. Stand for 10-15 minutes and serve & devour.

NOTE: The wine gives depth of flavour & colour - if you can't use alcohol for any reason try adding some tomato puree mixed with a wine glass of water and a teaspoon of swiss bouillon, and blend in well. Ground cinnamon can be used instead of the stick if you like a more pronounced cinnamon flavour. I use a whole egg in the sauce - not just the yolk, and it's also nice (if not as authentic) topped with a mix of wholemeal breadcrumbs and cheese. True, it doesn't look much but then again neither does lasagne!

Yummy Moussaka, Greek recipe

4. Greece is battling with the UK over ancient treasure
The 'Elgin Marbles' is a popular term that can refer to the collection of stone objects - sculptures, inscriptions and architectural features acquired by Lord Elgin during his time as Ambassador to the Ottoman court of the Sultan in Istanbul. They are more usually used to refer to the sculptures, inscriptions and architectural features that Lord Elgin acquired in Athens between 1801 and 1805. The British Museum also has other fragments from the Parthenon acquired from collections that have no connection with Lord Elgin. These 'Elgin Marbles' have been in the British museum since 1816 thanks to a controversial permit from the Ottoman authorities which allowed him to move pieces from the Acropolis over to the UK and date back to the C4th BC. Greece believes they were illegally removed in the 19th century, but the UK is not yet willing to give them back. It's worth noting that much of the material from the Parthenon was dispersed both before and after Elgin's time. The remainder of the surviving sculptures which aren't in Athens are in museums all around Europe. Learn more about the 'Elgin Marbles' including watching a video by playwright, author and British Museum trustee, Bonnie Greer celebrating the enduring beauty and humanity of the Parthenon Sculptures

Read about my top ancient sites in Greece