20km Eden Valley, Garden of England. Ancient woodlands, medieval landscapes

📏 Key Info:
• Distance: 12 miles (20km)
• Grading: Intermediate
• Ascent: 135m
• Hiking time: 5 to 5.5 hours
• Cost: £30 plus Eventbrite fee they charge including the guided hike and return train travel, click “Get Tickets” to join.
• Payments are refundable upto 7 days in advance, after that they are non refundable and non transferrable.
• Toilet Breaks: On the train, nature (woods/bushes) during hike, and at the end pub

📍 Meeting Point
• Location: Victoria station. Meet between WHSmith (no 34) and Nero Express (no 29) - MAP
• Time: Meet 8:45am, leave 9am for the 9:16am train
• Return: 6pm arrival back in London (you’re committed until then)

🌟 Highlights
• Discover the picturesque Eden Valley in the High Weald — one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval landscapes
• Pass the Medieval Manor House Penshurst Place, once the hunting lodge of Henry VIII
• Hike along the rivers Eden and Medway, through ancient woodlands and rolling countryside
• Explore Tonbridge, a bustling medieval market town
• Pass the impressive 11th-century Tonbridge Castle, England’s finest example of a motte and bailey fortress

🥾 Hike Description
Our journey begins in Tonbridge, where we get views of Tonbridge Castle. This formidable Norman motte and bailey fortress, built in the 11th century beside the River Medway, provides a dramatic start to our day’s hike through one of Kent’s most historic landscapes.

Our route takes us past the village of Leigh and towards Penshurst Place, an extraordinary medieval manor dating from 1341 and one of the most complete examples of 14th-century domestic architecture in England. In Tudor times it became a hunting lodge for Henry VIII, and today it remains an evocative reminder of England’s aristocratic past.

From here, we head into Haysden Country Park, where the trail opens into lush meadows, tranquil woodlands and the gentle hills of the High Weald — a landscape renowned for its rich medieval character and ancient woodland. Following a sunken Saxon drovers’ lane, we trace the footsteps of travellers who once crossed these lands centuries ago, before arriving back in Tonbridge, a market town with medieval origins and once again see the remains of its mighty 11th-century castle.

🧭 Guide:
• Leader: GRAHAM
• Contact (hike day only): 07796 098487

🍽️ Food:
• Bring a packed lunch
• Pub visit after the hike (drinks optional)

🎒What to Bring
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Water (2 litres minimum)
• Packed lunch
• Waterproofs (jacket and trousers)
• Hat and gloves if cold
• Train tickets are arranged – just meet us at the meeting point

⚠️ Safety
Your guide is a trained hike leader and Outdoor Activity First Aider

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