APPLE and CHESTNUT WALK: IGHTAM MOAT and KNOLE PALACE

MEDIEVAL IGHTAM MOAT and KNOLE PALACE with its DEER PARK.

FRESH AIR, MEADOWS, WOODLAND WALKS, HISTORIC SITES and PALACES plus Apple Orchards and abundance of Chestnut trees!!

A scenic countryside walk through the Kent (the Garden of England with orchards and chesnut trees in abundance), taking in the spectacular medieval manor house Ightham Mote and also the massive Knole Palace (medieval home of the bishops) with its sprawling deerpark. We may also have an apple or two as we walk through some Kent orchards. We walk from Borough Green and Wrotham Station to Sevenoaks, where we finish in a large Wetherspoons pub..

FRESH AIR: Give up the city streets for a day and breathe some fresh air. Improve your overall fitness levels. Get out, explore and enjoy London's abundant and sometimes secret green spaces and forest areas, and surrounding coutryside.

KNOLE PARK: The earliest recorded owner of the core of Knole estate, in the 1290s, was Robert de Knole. KNOLE MANSION is a country house and former archbishop's palace situated within Knole Park, a 1,000-acre deer park located immediately to the south-east of Sevenoaks in west Kent. The mansion or palace ranks in the top five of England's largest houses, covering a total of four acres. Ownership of the palace alternated between various bishops and monarchs through the centuries including the Bishop of Durham, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Bourchier, Henry VIII and Elizabeth 1. Henry often visited the estate for hunting deer. The current house dates back to the mid-15th century, with major additions in the 16th and, particularly, the early 17th centuries. Its grade I listing reflects its mix of late-medieval to Stuart structures.

WALK STARTING POINT: 11.45am outside Borough Green & Wrotham National Rail Station. If travelling from Central London, you can catch the train from London Victoria (about 45 minutes train journey). If you are travelling from London Victoria Station and wish to get the 1/3 off saving on a group discount ticket, please ensure you arrive outside the ticket office at Victoria by 10.15 am, to join wth other members. The trains are half hourly. We will catch the 10.56 train from London Victoria. If you miss the 10.56am train you will not be on time to join the walk. There are shops, near Borough Green station if people want to get snacks, drinks, etc.

WALK ROUTE: COUNTRYSIDE PATHS and WOODED AREAS. This beautiful walk passes Ightham Mote and Knole Palace with a deer park. We`ll be walking through woods and several orchards and will visit the old village of Plaxtol, Ightham Mote (beautiful moated medieval manor), and Knole Park containing the 365-roomed Knole House.

WALK FINISH: Sevenoaks high street (12 minutes walk from Sevenoaks station). We will finish our walk at Sevenoaks. There are frequent trains back to London from Sevenoaks Station. Journey time 35 minutes to Charing Cross, or about an hour to Victoria. A day return to Borough Green is valid for the return journey from Sevenoaks.

DROPOUT POINT: There are NO dropout points on this walk.

DISTANCE: Approx. 9 miles, between 4 - 5 hours walking at a moderate pace, There will be a 30 minute lunch break at Ightam Moat. You must be fairly fit to do this walk, there are several hills.

STOPS DURING WALK: There will be a 30 minute lunch break at Ightam Moat, a National Trust Property and additionally a further brief break at Knole Palace.

PUB AFTER THE WALK: The Sennockian - a Wetherspoons pub.

RISKS : All the usual risks of countryside walking apply, including country stiles to be climbed. Please dress appropriately for weather conditions and carry a bottle of water and necessary medication. You need to be moderately fit for this walk and be able to walk for four miles without a break. In these walks we use; pavements, cross busy roads, public parkland, towpaths alongside water, other public paths, rights of way, bridlepaths, country lanes and other established paths and tracks through woodland, bush and countryside. Please only wear good sturdy shoes, preferably walking boots and take care as surfaces may be uneven, tree roots may protrude, there may be low overhanging branches and some paths are also used by joggers and cyclists and sometimes cars (country lanes). Some tracks may be muddy and slippery. If you require insurance for these walks then you must arrange this yourself.

COST: Free for holders of the Ken's Events Card. Otherwise there is an £8 fee.

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