Description
This route is a response to the reviews of MaiHuc 1. It hits the same main points but within Maidstone it swaps some of the “paths through housing estates” with Vinters Valley Nature Reserve. Given that I was changing the route I decided to mostly avoid using the North Downs Way. The gradients here are gentler (max around 16% instead of 27%) and there is less total elevation because it doesn’t drop down again after climbing to the top. The N D Way here doesn’t have as many viewing points as you might imagine because a lot of it is through woodland. This route has some fine views, particularly near the junction with Broad Hill Road and near Coldharbour Farm.
Where the route goes through the Hucking Estate (a popular Woodland Trust site noted for bluebells) several different options were tested. This way avoids road walking, is fitted to the path layout so it’s easy to follow, and is the most direct way across to the Slow Ways meeting point.
MaiHuc 2 does have two manageable issues, both shared with MaiHuc 1. There is some non-pavemented road walking which is all very quiet lanes, but Thurnham Road was only moderately quiet and needs more care, it’s wider and fairly straight, so the traffic is faster. And from a MaiHuc 1 review, perhaps the public footpath between Tesco and Ware St is off putting. Perhaps it’d help to know that there are fingerposts but they are, oddly, placed on the opposite sides of the roads within vegetation.
Break points: Tesco (with stops for bus route 9). The Bell pub on Ware Road, Bearsted Station (not quite on the route, 500m further along Ware Rd from the turn off). The Black Horse pub in Thurnham (also has rooms). Coldblow Farm Campsite. The Hook and Hatchet pub outside Hucking village, also a campsite is about 450m from the gate at TQ 8380 5799, paths on both types of map.
Note that Hucking village is very small indeed, with a church but no public transport and no other facilities.
Unfortunately it was tricky to incorporate Weavering Heath Nature Reserve in the route because the road crossings at either end aren’t safe, this isn’t shown on Ordnance Survey maps (OS), it’s labelled Gidd’s Pond Farm. However some locals use those entries, so if you are willing to take the risk they are at TQ 7808 5668 and TQ 7864 5662, again the internal paths are (mostly) shown on Open Street Maps.
For the paths through Vinters Valley - https://www.vintersvalley.co.uk/downloads/ReservemapV4.pdf
This route is a response to the reviews of MaiHuc 1. It hits the same main points but within Maidstone it swaps some of the “paths through housing estates” with Vinters Valley Nature Reserve. Given that I was changing the route I decided to mostly avoid using the North Downs Way. The gradients here are gentler (max around 16% instead of 27%) and there is less total elevation because it doesn’t drop down again after climbing to the top. The N D Way here doesn’t have as many viewing points as you might imagine because a lot of it is through woodland. This route has some fine views, particularly near the junction with Broad Hill Road and near Coldharbour Farm.
Where the route goes through the Hucking Estate (a popular Woodland Trust site noted for bluebells) several different options were tested. This way avoids road walking, is fitted to the path layout so it’s easy to follow, and is the most direct way across to the Slow Ways meeting point.
MaiHuc 2 does have two manageable issues, both shared with MaiHuc 1. There is some non-pavemented road walking which is all very quiet lanes, but Thurnham Road was only moderately quiet and needs more care, it’s wider and fairly straight, so the traffic is faster. And from a MaiHuc 1 review, perhaps the public footpath between Tesco and Ware St is off putting. Perhaps it’d help to know that there are fingerposts but they are, oddly, placed on the opposite sides of the roads within vegetation.
Break points: Tesco (with stops for bus route 9). The Bell pub on Ware Road, Bearsted Station (not quite on the route, 500m further along Ware Rd from the turn off). The Black Horse pub in Thurnham (also has rooms). Coldblow Farm Campsite. The Hook and Hatchet pub outside Hucking village, also a campsite is about 450m from the gate at TQ 8380 5799, paths on both types of map.
Note that Hucking village is very small indeed, with a church but no public transport and no other facilities.
Unfortunately it was tricky to incorporate Weavering Heath Nature Reserve in the route because the road crossings at either end aren’t safe, this isn’t shown on Ordnance Survey maps (OS), it’s labelled Gidd’s Pond Farm. However some locals use those entries, so if you are willing to take the risk they are at TQ 7808 5668 and TQ 7864 5662, again the internal paths are (mostly) shown on Open Street Maps.
For the paths through Vinters Valley - https://www.vintersvalley.co.uk/downloads/ReservemapV4.pdf
Status
This route has been reviewed by 1 person.
There are no issues flagged.
Photos for Maihuc two
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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 - 1
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Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Maidstone
Grid Ref
TQ7590255982
Lat / Lon
51.27583° / 0.52054°
Easting / Northing
575,902E / 155,982N
What3Words
rising.barn.pushed
Hucking
Grid Ref
TQ8448258297
Lat / Lon
51.29391° / 0.64461°
Easting / Northing
584,482E / 158,297N
What3Words
apprehend.glass.assets
| Maidstone | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ7590255982 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.27583° / 0.52054° |
| Easting / Northing | 575,902E / 155,982N |
| What3Words | rising.barn.pushed |
| Hucking | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ8448258297 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.29391° / 0.64461° |
| Easting / Northing | 584,482E / 158,297N |
| What3Words | apprehend.glass.assets |
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review
Daisy C
18 Sep 2023I walked this on two consecutive weekdays, at different times of day. The conditions were dry and very hot.
The route from Maidstone town centre to Vinters Valley is straightforward and relatively quiet; the nature reserve was lovely in the hot weather, going up a very shady and quiet valley. Signs in the reserve are sporadic and paths are only on OSM maps, not the OS ones. I used the (free) plotaroute app to navigate but keeping the valley bottom on your left and taking the gentler rises at junctions should get you there, you can turn east after passing the MacGrory’s Path sign.
I confess I didn’t test the next part of the route between Tesco and Ware St. but it was walked by the two reviewers of MaiHuc 1. I’d tested a couple of alternative options, plus a detour to Costwold Outdoors in the nearby Newnham Court Shopping Village to try on some walking boots, so I decided not to cover the extra ground in favour of getting to the hotel before dark.
Bearsted Golf Course was about par for a golf course public footpath; but as always I wish they’d make the posts easier to spot from a distance, white paint or something. I’d rather not disturb the players by wandering around until I spot the next one.
Thurnham Road was faster than entirely comfortable, and there was a lot of fresh roadkill, more than anywhere else in the area over 3 days walking. But the traffic was very polite and much quieter than any road before the golf course, somehow even though some of those were partially closed for roadworks.
From the Black Horse pub (super crispy fish and chips) to Hucking I actually walked in the other direction but I’ll write this in sequence. Between the pub to Coldharbour Farm the route follows a young long distance route, the Augustine Camino, which has reliable but discreet white and purple stickers on fences and posts. From here if it’s on lanes rather than paths they are very quiet, I saw only 5 cars, about the same as on the earlier, shorter Thurnham Rd section. The path up from Pilgrims Way to the base of the hill hadn’t been reinstated since the *very young* new crop was sown, hopefully an aberration; it looks fine on satellite views. Otherwise the paths were good. There was occasional livestock and it was clear of nettles and brambles but perhaps I was lucky, given the heat and thus bare legs, as it had been strimmed quite recently. Great views as I climbed (came down!) the ridge, but particularly along the field near TQ 8327 5734.
Hucking village is pretty, but absolutely tiny. You have been warned.
https://augustinecamino.co.uk/aylesford-to-cold-blow/.
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