Golden Leaves and Gentle Trails - Autumn splendour in the High Weald
Details
Join us for an enchanting autumn walk through the beautiful High Weald. We’ll follow in Victorian footsteps in historic Royal Tunbridge Wells, before venturing into a landscape of ancient woods, smugglers’ lanes, and the route of a steam railway. Expect trees blazing with reds and golds, the crunch of leaves beneath your boots, and the rich scent of damp earth. We’ll end the day with drinks by the fire at the cosy Gothic Brecknock Arms — the perfect finale to a beautiful autumn Sunday.
SUMMARY (all info is approximate!)
Distance: 19km/12 miles linear route
Ascent: 300 metres
Duration: 5 hours walking
Grade: Intermediate, along good paths.
COST AND LOGISTICS
Cost: £10
Start: 10.10am Tunbridge Wells Station
Finish: 4.30pm Frant Station / Brecknock Arms pub
Recommended morning train from London
09:24 Dep: London Bridge
10:08 Arr: Tunbridge Wells
Recommended train ticket
Super Off-Peak Day Return to Frant
REVIEWS
Trip Advisor | Facebook | MeetUp
HIKE DESCRIPTION
We’ll begin in Royal Tunbridge Wells, one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Weald’, an historic spa town that once drew noble Victorians to ‘take the waters’, and we’ll trace their steps along The Pantiles — a Georgian colonnade now brimming with boutique shops and lively cafés.
As we venture to the High Weald, autumn unfolds in all its glory. Imagine frosty mornings and fiery sunsets, trees blazing with reds and golds, the satisfying crunch of leaves beneath your boots, and the rich scent of damp earth.
This is a land steeped in stories — of smugglers, orchards, and ancient farmsteads, where sunken lanes once carried iron from Britain’s Roman and Tudor furnaces.
Our route follows the Spa Valley steam railway toward the 14th-century moated manor of Groombridge Place, threading through the sandstone outcrops of Birchden Wood and the sweeping High Landscape Trail, near Eridge Old Park and the Chalybeate Spring — the very heart of the town’s famous spa.
We’ll finish the day with well-earned drinks by the fire at the Gothic Brecknock Arms, a traditional Harvey's Brewery pub just a few steps from Frant station.
A walk of beauty, history, and a touch of the supernatural — perfect for autumn wanderers.
PRICE INCLUDES
- Guided hike planned and led by an experienced AAA leader, trained in Outdoor First Aid.
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
- Travel costs
- Lunch, drinks or any refreshments
- PayPal fees
RECOMMENDED KIT LIST (complete list)
- Suitable hiking shoes or boots
- Packed lunch and snacks
- Water - 2 litres recommended
- Waterproof jacket and trousers (Please no jeans!)
- Warm windproof layer e.g. Down/Primaloft/Fleece
- Wicking base layer e.g. Polyester/Tencel/Merino
CANCELLING/REFUNDS
If you can no longer join the hike, please message the Host listed on here, and update your RSVP status to 'Not going', to allow others to take your place. If the hike is full, and you have messaged us and have changed your RSVP to 'Not going', we will refund you, less than the PayPal/Meetup fees. To obtain this, please email info@aaalondongroup.com after the event, with the email address you use on your PayPal account and transaction reference. If the hike is not full, unfortunately we will not be able to provide any refund.
QUESTIONS
If you have any other questions, please check visit our FAQ page. If you are still unsure, contact the event Host shown on this page.
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