After a hiatus of 2 weeks, I was desperate to get back on the trail! Weather today was going to be hot, hot, hot! Ugh...
Caught the train up to Otford and immediately picked up the trail as it passes by the train station. Otford is a delightful little village with a 1:50billion scale model of the solar system as it was at 00:01 on Millenium Day!
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| St Bartholomew's Church, Otford |
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| Those roses had a glorious scent |
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| Uranus |
I climbed out of Otford and headed back up on the ridge, passing Dunton Green as I went. The trail meets another walk here, The Darent Valley Walk. This part of the trail was dull as dishwasher, with our first glimpses of the M25 and a trek along quite a busy, dangerous road. However, we eventually come up to a style and head up further on the Downs. Some glorious views were had here, including one down the old Pilgrims Way (now a hedge) towards St Botolph's Church, famous with the pilgrims back in the day.
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| Views at Chevening |
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| St Botolph's in the distance |
Continued around through a series of fields near Knockholt Pound (don't ask!) Finally met some horse riders on the many bridleways present around here which is shared with the trail! Went through a series of woods, overtook some hikers (with very large packs!) from Africa, left them in the dust! Across Westerham Hill and finally cross the border into my home county, Surrey!
There was a North Downs Way marker, but you'd never have known that you'd crossed the border!
Past Park Wood Golf club, down a quiet lane for half a mile and then we enter the Oxted Hills Nature Reserve. Some lovely views to be had here, only ruined by the blot on the landscape that is the M25!
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| View from the highest point of the NDW - Botley Hill |
The trail now meets another walk, The Vanguard Way for the next mile or so. I get a good view of the Oxted Rail tunnel, albeit with a long run of steps! Groan. The NDW also goes along with some of the path of the Woldingham Countryside Walk, which is part of an initiative with the Downland Project. Some nice walking, but the terrain was increasingly worse, and I could feel it starting to affect my walking and my feet. We cross the A22 and then we're back on the bridleway, passing some very grand houses!
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| Oxted Rail Tunnel |
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| More steps... |
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| Crossing the A22 |
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| Whitehill Tower |
This was probably the first time on the walk where I've had to gee myself up to continue. I knew I wasn't very far from Merstham, but the back of my feet and the heat did get to me which made me very thirsty. However, this cute pub, the Harrow, saved me, with a large pint of Orangeade quenching my thirst!
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| The Harrow |
I passed under the M23, a grim, dank tunnel with another of those Roman snails on the wall! The NDW then crosses two railway lines, which then leads onto the road into Merstham, crossing the M25 as it does.
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| Rush Hour on the M25 |
It's been a long day today, with some hard miles, 35.97km and I'm now the proud owner of two fantastic blisters! Til next week where I'll be turning off of the North Downs Way and heading up the Thames Down Link to Mum and Dad's. And then a certain concert on the Saturday! ;o)
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| Ouch... :o( |
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| Otford to Merstham |
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