Cooling walks

This Kent walk takes you onto the southern shores of the Thames Estuary. The route is easy to follow (apart from the start). The area visited during the walk provided Dickens with the perfect scene for his prison huls in his novel 'Great Expectations'.

Through several of Kent's fine apple & pear orchards plus one field of Nordic fir Christmas trees ending through open fields of sheep and cattle.

A walk across salt marshes with numerous birds and returning inland via the ruined Hadleigh Castle. Highly accessible from London as the Fenchurch Street line takes under an hour to get you to the start.

A return rural walk between one of Kent's most interesting medieval churches and the remains of a 2,000 year old Romano-British temple.

A mainly flat walk in countryside surrounding a small Kent village which dates to pre-Roman times and that was on the route for Chaucer's pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales. Walk in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, see the remains of a Roman town and the site of World War I trenches and visit a fine 13th century church. Along the way are former watercress beds, historic orchards and centuries-old farms and houses. The figure of eight walk twice passes near an 18th century pub for refreshments.

A lovely walk through Kent orchards, past bird-rich lagoons and onto a hill with views across the Medway estuary. It takes you past historic settlements and the site of WWI inland defences before finishing with a birds-eye view of the fine tower of St Mary's church. This is walk 3, Newington.

This pleasant walk takes you both sides of Newington's historic watercress beds and past lagoons and open spaces filled with birds. This is Newington Walk 4.

A pleasant walk through apple orchards, past an ancient denehole and a beacon marking the site of WWI inland defences and over Standard Hill, reputed to be a stopping point for Julius Caesar. This is Newington Walk 1.

The walk takes you through typical 'Garden of England' orchards, across a centuries-old farm and past historic landmarks and former WWI inland defences. This is Newington Walk 2.

The walk climbs a small hill reputed to have been used as an encampment by Julius Caesar and which overlooks former WWI defences with a commemorative beacon erected by Newington History Group. It gives lovely views over ancient settlements and to the Medway estuary. The descent takes you through orchards - fruit-growing has been a major part of the local economy for centuries.

Learn how to read a landscape for clues to its military past. From 1914 to 1918, Newington was at the heart of a sophisticated military defence line against a potential German invasion. The walk takes you through the defences, leading you to four information boards that enable you to visualise the trenches, gun emplacements and observation posts that helped protect Britain.

From start, we go north to soon join a path along the River Thames. Then turn left & upstream along the riverbank, soon under the towering Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge which takes the M25 over the Thames. The River Thames is wide here & industry is evident, mainly on the opposite bank. At 3.5 miles we join the Darent Valley Path near the large Darent Creek Flood Barrier. We follow the path all the way to the finish, near Dartford Station.

Starts at Thames Chase Forest Centre, the headquarters of the Thames Chase Community Forest, at Broadfields Farm. Route passes thru' the old village of Cranham, then Cranham Marsh Nature Reserve, Corbets Tey, Belhus Country Park, Belhus Chase & the town of Aveley. For the last two miles we follow the Mardyke Way thru' Davy Down, then thru' Stifford Green and Warren Gorge Nature Reserve to finish at Chafford Hundre Railway Station.

From wooden bus stop we follow Hutton Village, then off-road to the old church. We go cross-country to Ingrave, past the huge pile of Thorndon House & thru' Thorndon Park North. As well as the park, the route takes in many other properties owned by the Thames Chase Community Forest, including Warley Gap, Codham Hall Woods & Franks Wood. We pass thru' Little Warley, Great Warley and skirt the outside of Upminster on our way to the finish at the Thames Chase Forest Centre at Broadfields Farm.

A pleasant walk through the Kent countryside of the North Downs. The route uses a paths and sections of trackways to complete the circuit. The start can be reached by train from London Victoria station.

A circular walk from Purleigh that passes close to three excellent pubs using footpaths, bridleways, byways and short sections of country lanes. It joins St Peter's Way here and there, follows a disused railway track and goes through vineyards before meeting a WW1 airfield. A walk for all seasons, although sections can be muddy after rain. Please see the Useful Information section for important information regarding the aerodrome.

3 village circular walk through Howegreen, Great Baddow, and Sandon Along pavements, footpaths and bridleways and across fields.

A circular route offering a mix of scenic contrasts and adventure. The outward leg includes a rewarding climb to a short but highly rated stretch of the Greensand Way, where you’ll be treated to spectacular views from the Greensand Ridge, looking out across the Weald of Kent and even into East Sussex on a clear day. Just over halfway round, a strategically placed pub stop offers the perfect break. The return leg brings you back through peaceful, picturesque countryside—typical of the farmed landscapes of the Kentish Weald—with plenty of open space and rural charm. A short detour to Ightham Mote, a beautifully preserved 14th-century moated manor house (National Trust), adds a splash of history to the route. Even a brief look may tempt you back for a full visit another time. Shipbourne is an ideal start and end point, with ample parking and excellent food and drink at The Chaser Inn, which serves meals all day on weekends—perfect for a relaxed post-walk lunch or early dinner.

We divert off the Essex Way to take in some of the histories of this old town. Rejoin the Essex Way for a short distance, before leaving it for one last time. Then follow St Peters Way thru' High Ongar & most of the way to Blackmore. We follow St Peter's Way for over a mile to Fryerning then thru' the village & across fields to Mountnessing. A short walk thru' a housing estate & industrial estate to enter Hutton Nature Reserve to soon finish at Hutton Village.