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So here we have a collection of 40 of our favourite walks, revisited and largely rewritten since the previous edition was put together a decade ago. As you walk them, you’ll come to understand what a richly varied county this is. But wherever your footpaths lead, I hope you’ll gain as much pleasure as my wife and I continue to do every time we go walking in Kent. Enjoy every step, and treasure each new day as the gift it is.

Kev Reynolds

Summer, 2017

Orchards above Hunton and Yalding on the fertile greensand hills (Walk 18)

INTRODUCTION

The diverse nature of its landforms makes Kent a wonderland to explore on foot, and with more than 4200 miles/6876km of footpaths, bridleways and byways criss-crossing the county, the walker is spoilt for choice. Every natural feature has its own particular charm, and every season its own brand of beauty.

Sunburst on a misty walk adds a touch of magic

The North Downs

The chalk ridge of the North Downs stretches right across the county in an extensive arc reaching from Westerham to Dover. Covering almost a quarter of the county, the Kent Downs region was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1968. Though one side of the ridge slopes gently to the Thames and Medway estuaries, or off to the Swale or low-lying Thanet, its ‘front’ makes an abrupt, steeply pitched wall that acts as a natural boundary to the Weald. Far-reaching vistas from the scarp edge provide a bonus to explorations, while secluded hamlets nestle in folds of the back-country to underline their apparent isolation. The chalk being overlaid in places with clay and flint makes this a fertile land, and in both the back-country and on the broad downland crest, large arable fields and sheep-grazed meadows act as springboards from which larks rise singing. Step lightly as you explore, for deer may be seen straying from cover; there are fox-runs and badger trails, and wildflowers that adorn meadow and woodland alike – especially the orchids and cowslips that are so characteristic of the Downs.