Читать книгу The North Downs Way. National Trail from Farnham to Dover онлайн

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A shepherdess gathers her flock on Wye Downs

Dover Castle dominates the town as it has for 900 years (Stage 11 and Stage 12a)

The Canterbury Loop

The northern spur from Boughton Lees visits Chilham, one of Kent's most attractive villages, then Old Wives Lees, passing through acre after acre of orchard country on the way to Canterbury.

The architectural glories here are enough to tempt a delay, but pushing on takes the walk to Patrixbourne (whose church demands a brief visit), then across Barham Downs to Womenswold in the back country, continuing through pleasant but undownlike agricultural land to reach Shepherdswell. From here a final eight mile walk makes an exploration of gentle East Kent farmland that culminates in a remarkably easy entry into Dover, whose castle overlooks the town from a prominent site that has been fortified for nearly two thousand years.

Where to stay

A wide range of accommodation is available all along the North Downs Way, ranging through a handful of campsites, youth hostels and camping barns (independent hostels), to more frequent private bed and breakfasts (B&Bs), country pubs and a few high-priced hotels (for those who crave extra comforts). On each stage of the walk described in this guide an indication is made where, at the time of research, such accommodation could be found, but anyone planning to tackle the route end to end is advised to go online to visit www.nationaltrail.co.uk/northdowns and download current accommodation details.