Sevton three

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Loved walking this route. Thanks for sharing it Ingrina!

We hiked this route while having some deep conversations. It was great for that.

I actually walked this route back in March, but it had been dry and we didn't have any issues with mud.

We walked from Tonbridge to Sevenoaks and enjoyed stopping at Knole Park cafe for some bean stew and massive chunks of bread.

Mud, mud, glorious mud. Wear boots if you can.

There was plenty of mud, but the fields around Shipbourne were recently ploughed. My shoes were a lot heavier after the crossing. The bootscraper outside the pub just couldn't cut it, but there was a row of muddy boots on the covered porch outside. I've been there later in spring with the same issue.
Same applies for the other field in SevTon 1.

Knole Park is gorgeous, keep an eye out for the occasional white deer. Great views from all along the hillside on the Greensand Way (definitely worth adding this route for that alone). Following the Greensand Way all the way from Knole to Shipborne also makes navigation more restful, there are plenty of signs. Some downhill paths towards Ightham were slightly slippery. Ightham Mote is a beautiful NT house you could visit, or use their cafe. The pub in Shipborne is probably the only other stop off point, and has a handful of buses on Mon-Fri. After Shipborne is a low level walk across the Weald - which means more heavy clay soil. I came off the route early at Hilden Ave (Hildenborough) and walked the main road into Tonbridge because the light was going. I reckon from Hildenborough to Tonbridge High St is used a lot, e.g. dogwalkers though, so is likely to be ok.

Previous review mentions lack of visible crossings of the B245 in Hildenborough which is true.
There is a traffic island quite near but hidden by a slight bend head east, it's just past Farm Lane. There's a light controlled crossing further the other way, close to Hilden Ave.

I think the GPS is a record of a walk, so there are a lot of points on the line. You might need to simplify it depending on the device you use.

ETA
I finished this route another time. It was fairly straightforward and I probably could have done it in
the dusk. Outside the residential bits it's more or less straight and flat. I took a slightly different route to the end point inside Tonbridge, first along Hawden Rd and then following cycle and foot signs for the castle and station. Went to a park, past the swimming pool, around the castle then beside the river. I did walk down the high street last time and it does look good for restaurants, past the castle your choice is mainly takeaways.

A very pleasant, pretty walk from Sevenoaks to Tonbridge. It was nice to take in the high streets of both towns, which have a lot of amenities and facilities, and the views across Kent are beautiful when you get to Carter's Hill and Rook's Hill. We took a packed lunch break in the church courtyard at Shipbourne, which offers a tranquil view of the landscape and a nice break at the halfway point. If you end at Tonbridge, Fuggles Beer Cafe is a great place for relaxed drinks, with a huge range of drinks (alcoholic and alcohol free). You can easily take a train from the station, or you can get a bus back to Sevenoaks, which we did (using the £2 bus fare deal) and ended with a delicious takeaway from Budare in Sevenoaks.

The route is mostly well maintained the whole way and a mixture of track, grassy paths, and wide to slightly narrow paths. Some parts can be muddy, so if the weather has been particularly wet, paths might be a bit tricky without good footwear. There are a number of gates and stiles, so this wouldn't suit prams, wheelchairs, or any who might not be able to step over stiles.

A few things to look out for:
- There are a couple of short sections where you are sharing a country road with vehicles, but compared to other roads I've walked on, they're fairly quiet (we were there on a Saturday afternoon). Unfortunately, it's unclear whether there are better alternatives.
- Near Tonbridge, crossing the B245 (London Road) feels fairly treacherous. Speeding vehicles, no protected crossing within sight. Be careful at this part!

Other than the above, overall a great route and day out in the countryside.

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