Tenash one

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Walked 22nd November 2024, eastwards - Tenterden to Ashford. This one's a bit too problematic in my estimation:

The route is really very good between Tenterden and Woodchurch. Very well chosen start to this walk. Lots of interest and the paths are generally in good condition. The gates and bridges are good, everything feels cared-for. Not perfect for people with mobility issues as there are some slippery bits between barbed wire fences and I could foresee some nasty accidents but this stretch is well worth a go overall, I'd rate this part 4 stars out of 5.

However, as soon as you leave the windmill in Woodchurch you hit a ploughed clay field which is a horrendous walk. A few steps in and you literally have a couple of kilos of clay around each foot. Shake it off and metres later you have to do it again. The field is ploughed all the way to the edge so there is no respite or circumnavigating it. There is a road to the north but from my position in the middle of the field it looked fast and busy, not a suitable slow way alternative. I wonder if it's better in summer in the field, historic satellite imagery seems to show a path straight across so in baking weather it might be nice. After any rain this is truly horrible. Once you've crossed that you have another smaller clay field to cross with the same issue. Then 5 minutes later there's a stile topped with barbed wire (!) so the general feel of this part of the walk just isn't at all comfortable. One field further and there was no path at all through vegetable crops so you just have to stomp across and hope you aren't stepping on the eggs of the ground nesting birds you're scaring into the air. Watch out coming onto Harlakenden Farm as there's a deep and partially-concealed drainage ditch across that you can easily fall into. Here there is another very large clay field to cross but you can at least walk the grass verge if you need to this time. The byway from Bethersden Road to Mock Lane starts out quite reasonably but soon I had to push through damson tree thorns at chest height. The path then ruts terribly with 3ft deep water in places so you have to leave the byway to get around it - watch out for barbed wire around your feet! Some of the trees along the byway are also growing 95% across it, with the remaining 5% being flooded ditch so at one point I had to hold my knees and shuffle through the gap underneath the trees. The next section is a huge building site and ugly. Children speeding along the road, on actual motorbikes, without helmets, in the middle of the school day, for extra despair. You chew up the miles desperate to make headway towards the end of the walk.

Happily you are then rewarded with the lovely village of Great Chart. Lots of beautiful architecture and a pub for refreshment. It is a mood lifter for sure. The rest of the walk into Ashford is along the River Stour path and is basically an urban park walk. It's quite pleasant despite the traffic noise and notably increased amounts of dog poo. The lakes are pretty and there's a brilliant fountain to discover just before you get to Ashford town proper.

In summary I'd walk Tenterden to Woodchurch again any time but then teleport to Great Chart so that I could walk to Ashford. I have no idea how to overcome the horrible middle section but my gut instinct is that you simply shouldn't try to walk from Tenterden to Ashford at all. Nor would I recommend Ham Street to Ashford further south as I've also had severe problems walking that area in the past. Maybe a curve even further north, thereby dipping into Ashford from the northwest would work? But for now I'm going to leave Ashford alone.

Would you walk it again? - No
Would you suggest it to others? - No
Is it reasonably safe? - Needs work in places
Is it reasonably accurate? - Yes, the mapping is accurate
Does it have access issues? - Yes, technically impassable at one point on the byway.

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