{"id":2282,"date":"2021-07-04T08:20:55","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T07:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2282"},"modified":"2022-10-01T13:27:18","modified_gmt":"2022-10-01T12:27:18","slug":"hucking-and-the-north-downs-way-kent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2282","title":{"rendered":"Hucking and The North Downs Way, Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1230,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Hucking.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51197088542_11cef93941_z.jpg\" title= \"51197088542 flowery slopes of Cat&#039;s Mount\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51197088542_11cef93941_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51197088257_ec3dc97515_z.jpg\" title= \"51197088257 remnants of Thurnham Castle\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51197088257_ec3dc97515_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198578914_2d01f2aedc_z.jpg\" title= \"51198578914 sweep of the North Downs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198578914_2d01f2aedc_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198009438_a9039a1fdb_z.jpg\" title= \"51198009438 path along the flowery chalk grassland of the North Downs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198009438_a9039a1fdb_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198864350_f07f3247be_z.jpg\" title= \"51198864350 IMG_4244\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198864350_f07f3247be_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198864440_3618ef1ed8_z.jpg\" title= \"51198864440 bright berries of the wayfaring tree\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198864440_3618ef1ed8_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198864575_5bdbfa6045_z.jpg\" title= \"51198864575 lady&#039;s bedstraw and wild marjoram\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198864575_5bdbfa6045_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198009993_524836e9c1_z.jpg\" title= \"51198009993 any suggestions??\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51198009993_524836e9c1_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nFacebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=2282\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2282','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nA cloudy summer\u2019s day across the Kentish Downs, with rain simmering not far away.<br \/>\nThe remnant flint walls of Thurnham Castle couldn\u2019t keep a mouse at bay these days.<br \/>\nFrom their shelter we admired a prospect over Wealden valleys tangled with thick<br \/>\ndark woods, then dropped down the castle mound to find the North Downs Way.<br \/>\nPilgrims, packmen, rogues and vagabonds have been travelling this ancient trackway<br \/>\nfor many millennia. It ribbons along the flanks of the downs, a pale line scribbled<br \/>\nthrough the woods and across chalk downlands where sheep nibble the rich<br \/>\nvegetation, a salad of herbs and wild flowers.<br \/>\nWe looped round the head of a dry chalk valley, the olive-green turf bitten to a close<br \/>\nsward of smooth grass. A shower came rattling through Civiley Wood, polishing<br \/>\nleaves and stems. Nettle-leaved bell flowers glowed a milky blue in the shade of yew<br \/>\ntrees whose knotty forms resembled limbs flayed back to muscle and bone.<br \/>\nOut in the open, the chalk grassland of Cat\u2019s Mount lay washed with an astonishing<br \/>\nspatter of colour \u2013 yellow froth of lady\u2019s bedstraw, gold twists of bird\u2019s-foot trefoil,<br \/>\nsky blue powder-puffs of scabious, purple thistle tufts and white florets of yarrow. A<br \/>\nmulti-hued haze of flowerheads that stretched ahead along downland flanks preserved<br \/>\nto maintain this precious and rare environment.<br \/>\nThe North Downs Way ran on across the slopes. One or two bees were braving the<br \/>\nmizzly air to forage among the flowers, but the butterflies were all in shelter and<br \/>\nwaiting for a peep of sun.<br \/>\nAt Broad Street Hill we left the old trackway for the woodland paths of the Hucking<br \/>\nEstate. The Woodland Trust bought this 230 ha estate back in 1997 when only one-<br \/>\nthird was under trees. Now it\u2019s two-thirds wooded, a mix of ancient woodland and<br \/>\nnew plantings, with broad paths mown through the trees and across the open grassland<br \/>\nthat link the woods.<br \/>\nMuch of the surrounding farmland of this part of Kent is tricky for walkers, with<br \/>\nneglected rights of way, a lack of waymarks and footpaths smothered under crops.<br \/>\nBut at Hucking the Woodland Trust actively encourages walkers to wander and enjoy<br \/>\nthis varied mosaic of landscapes.<\/p>\n<p>At the peak of the hill stood a wooden sculpture of a shepherd in cap and baggy<br \/>\njacket, one of the sturdy, silent men that spent their lives minding the downland<br \/>\nsheep. He seemed a fitting spirit for these wide hills and woods.<\/p>\n<p>How hard is it? 7\u00bc miles; downland and woodland tracks; easy, but NB several steep<br \/>\nflights of steps on NDW.<br \/>\nStart: White Horse Wood Country Park, Detling, Maidstone ME14 3JE (OS ref TQ<br \/>\n808586)<br \/>\nGetting there: Signed off A249 (Sittingbourne-Maidstone)<br \/>\nWalk (OS Explorer 148): From car park head south across grass; cross track; follow<br \/>\n\u2018Castle\u2019 signs to cross road (808583). Fenced path to castle. Left across mound<br \/>\nopposite; path down to North Downs Way\/NDW (809582). Left, and follow NDW for<br \/>\n2\u00a0miles to cross Broad Street Hill road (836571). In 100m, dogleg left\/right<br \/>\n(\u2018Viewpoint\u2019); follow Woodland Trust\/WT arrows past shepherd sculpture (840569).<br \/>\nIn 150m fork left (WT); in 100m left (843569, kissing gate\/KG, WT); ahead on path<br \/>\nthrough wood. In 300m at bench, fork left; in 400m leave woodland (839574, KG).<br \/>\nHalf right to go through KG opposite (WT sign); woodland path to Broad Street Hill<br \/>\nroad (838577). Left for 800m to meet NDW (836571). Right; retrace route to car<br \/>\npark.<br \/>\nLunch\/Accommodation: Black Horse Inn, Thurnham ME14 3LE (01622-737185,<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blackhorsekent.co.uk\">blackhorsekent.co.uk<\/a>)<br \/>\nInfo:<br \/>\nHucking Estate \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/woodlandtrust.org.uk\">woodlandtrust.org.uk<\/a><br \/>\nWhite Horse Wood Country Park \u2013 01303-266327, <a href=\"http:\/\/kent.gov.uk\">kent.gov.uk<\/a><br \/>\nMaidstone TIC (01622-602169)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A cloudy summer&#8217;s day across the Kentish Downs, with rain simmering not far away. The remnant flint walls of Thurnham Castle couldn&#8217;t keep a mouse at bay these days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}