Wesorp two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Wesorp here.

Charming and in places extremely steep (this is the North Downs after all) also very peaceful and remote, surprisingly so as it is mostly within Greater London. It is largely off-road: the road walking is either with pavements (near the end settlements) or along quiet lanes, most are very quiet indeed. Some paths used are on publicly accessible land and not shown on OS maps, and in one place not even on Open Street Maps.

It takes a very short time to get out of Westerham into the fields, although there is a background buzz from the nearby M25. The first major feature is the steep climb up the southern escarpment of the North Downs which has fantastic views and wonderful chalk downland flowers. Cudham Valley has shorter climbs but is also steep sided and has lovely meadow flora including orchids, it's similar to the famous Downe Bank further up the valley, much loved by Charles Darwin. I encountered red kites, fallow deer, sheep and a few cows with calves along these sections (there are well used bridleways later but I don't remember going directly through any horse paddocks).

After Cudham village things felt tamer and less remote. It cuts across farmland and horse pasture to Green Street Green then goes along the edge of High Elms Country Park to Farnborough. It's a pretty indirect approach to Orpington but does avoid a long suburban section and the rest of the walk is very direct. If you wanted to shorten it further, perhaps if you have a particular train to catch from the station, stay on Tubbenden Lane after Tubbenden Meadow (not before there's a stretch with no pavement). Obviously it's busier traffic but it's a leafy road with a wide verge shielding the pavement.

In the middle of the route is The Blacksmiths Arms in Cudham, very welcoming. There are picnic benches and public toilets in the recreation ground behind it. The R10 and R5 hail-and-ride buses go past too, including on Sundays. In Westerham the Deli Di Luca cafe was good and Squerryes Winery on Beggars Lane outside Westerham serves food too. There are several small shops, pubs and cafes between the A21 at Green Street Green and Orpington High St, and a few bus stops. All of the route is within the London transport area except Westerham but you can get there on the TfL/Oyster-compatible 261 from Bromley.

My review and survey are from May 2023 when I walked the route in in dry weather, not November. I tested WesOrp 1 and found this better way, some beforehand, some as I went along, and I wanted to test out some alternative sections (now ruled out) before posting this new route.

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