Lenham — Ashford (Kent)
Lenash two
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Lenash here.
Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Lenash here.
By Daisy C on 04 Apr 2024
Description
This is a shorter route and made easier to navigate by following the Pilgrims Way/North Downs Way. It was also designed to stay on higher land as much as possible because I was there during some extremely wet weather with very high ground water levels, some flooding and frequent waterlogged field in the area, even sometimes on the higher land. This also accounts for sometimes using lanes over footpaths, all were pretty quiet and safe.
The pub in Westwell is closed unfortunately. The new owners are refurbishing at a snail's pace, doing lots of the work themselves. Locals aren't pleased, it's been shut for three years and counting.
Near the midway point there's a small detour into Charing. It's a pretty village with several places to eat, shops and a station. It's a similar size to Lenham. They have the same public transport, you can get to London via both directions of the train service which is useful. There are also some buses but probably not on Sundays. Ashford is a very sizeable town
This is a shorter route and made easier to navigate by following the Pilgrims Way/North Downs Way. It was also designed to stay on higher land as much as possible because I was there during some extremely wet weather with very high ground water levels, some flooding and frequent waterlogged field in the area, even sometimes on the higher land. This also accounts for sometimes using lanes over footpaths, all were pretty quiet and safe.
The pub in Westwell is closed unfortunately. The new owners are refurbishing at a snail's pace, doing lots of the work themselves. Locals aren't pleased, it's been shut for three years and counting.
Near the midway point there's a small detour into Charing. It's a pretty village with several places to eat, shops and a station. It's a similar size to Lenham. They have the same public transport, you can get to London via both directions of the train service which is useful. There are also some buses but probably not on Sundays. Ashford is a very sizeable town
Status
This route has been reviewed by 1 person.
There are no issues flagged.
Photos for Lenash two
Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.
Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 1
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (1)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 3
Surveys
We are working to build-up a picture of what routes look like. To do that we are asking volunteers to survey routes so that we can communicate features, obstacles and challenges that may make a route desirable or not.
Slow Ways surveyors are asked to complete some basic online training, but they are not vetted. If you are dependent on the survey information being correct in order to complete a route, we recommend that you think critically about the information provided. You may also wish to wait until more than one survey has been completed.
Help people know more about this route by volunteering to submit a survey.
- Complete the survey training.
- Submit a survey for this route.
Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Lenham
Grid Ref
TQ8984152168
Lat / Lon
51.23710° / 0.71813°
Easting / Northing
589,841E / 152,168N
What3Words
salaried.bill.homework
Ashford (Kent)
Grid Ref
TR0129042218
Lat / Lon
51.14384° / 0.87637°
Easting / Northing
601,291E / 142,219N
What3Words
levels.extra.skip
| Lenham | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ8984152168 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.23710° / 0.71813° |
| Easting / Northing | 589,841E / 152,168N |
| What3Words | salaried.bill.homework |
| Ashford (Kent) | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TR0129042218 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.14384° / 0.87637° |
| Easting / Northing | 601,291E / 142,219N |
| What3Words | levels.extra.skip |
Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.
review
Daisy C
04 Apr 2024 (edited 12 Sep 2024)I started in Ashford and am posting this review over a month late. I designed this route and hoped it would avoid the waterlogging, flooding and mud I'd found over the previous few days of walking locally. It was definitely easier going than some nearby routes but there were still waterlogged fields near Westwell and several very wide deep puddles on the Pilgrims Way, towards the Lenham end, where I needed to leap and/or cling onto hedgerows. The rain had mostly eased though and I even saw rainbows. And happily I had a full complement of waterproof clothing including socks!
It's a nice 4.5 star route overall
The Ashford parts were quiet and /or green pathways and the rest varied between arable fields, grazing, woodlands, farm tracks, small lanes and separate footpaths which kept things fresh.
Pilgrims Way / N Downs Way only ever runs just below the steeper slope, so there were views across the vale but not as impressive as in other parts of the Downs. Between Charing and Lenham I found empty shells of edible Roman Snails, I looked this up later and found a few mentions from a very limited area (near Cobham Farm). Later there were a couple of places where you can buy fresh eggs from the side of the lane if you have change.
I didn't actually test the small detour from the Pilgrims Way into Charing as I wasn't planning to stop myself. I'm sure that local dog walkers and runners will make sure the footpaths close to the village are clear so I'm not worried. The extreme wet conditions over a few days walking in the area had been hard going and I wanted to get to Lenham, my final destination of the trip, in the light.
Share your views about this route, give it a star rating, indicate whether it should be verified or not.
Include information that will be useful to others considering to walk or wheel it.
You can add up to 15 photos.
Other Routes for Lenham—Ashford (Kent) See all Slow Ways
Review this better route and help establish a trusted network of walking routes.
Suggest a better route if it better meets our methodology.
Share your thoughts