Woodlands, wine and wildflowers of the beautiful Elham Valley, 11 miles

The Elham valley between Canterbury and Hythe is a hidden gem of east Kent, running through beautiful scenery and picturesque villages. This 11 mile circular walk starts in the car park of the square in the village of Elham. We start by heading north through the Kent Downs National Landscape to the Park Gate Down nature reserve, a chalk grassland owned by the Kent Wildlife Trust. The reserve is set within stunning scenery and has the highest level of legal protection for nature in the UK, as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation. It is home to a number of orchid species, including the rare Monkey orchid. We carry on northwards through Forestry England woods, including Covert wood, an ancient woodland, where Kent Wildlife Trust plan to reintroduce the pine marten. After about 5.5 miles we stop for a picnic lunch at Jumping Down nature reserve. We then walk a further 2 miles to the Elham Valley Vineyard for coffee and cake. The vineyard and garden centre, are run by the Fifth Trust, which is a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities. We head south for another 3.5 miles, along the Elham Valley Way, passing close to the disused railway, to the hamlet of North Elham. We end the walk near the course of the Nailbourne stream, before arriving back in Elham village square.

Free car parking in Elham village square, or on the High Street. Public toilets at the start and end of the walk (on the High Street near the bus stop and phone box) and at the drink stop at Elham Valley Vineyard. Please bring a picnic to eat half way through the walk. The vineyard at the drink stop will not allow people to eat their own food on site. There is a pub in Elham for drinks at the end of the walk. We are walking through three nature reserves, so NO DOGS PLEASE.

Please note that there is a £2 payment required for non-Ramblers members to help cover our Meetup costs. Please help the walk leader by bringing the exact change.
Members of the Ramblers Association are welcome on any of our walks, but we would still encourage you to RSVP on Meetup. This will give our volunteer walk leaders an idea of how many are attending, and also to keep the numbers manageable. If, on the day of the walk, you are still on the waiting list and a Ramblers member, you can attend just let the walk leader know you are coming by adding a comment 'Coming as a Rambler'. You will find the start location via our website Our Walks (westkentwalkinggroup.org.uk).