Saxon Shore Way - Sandling to Hamstreet.

Wow. What a walk!

Route

Context

Walked on 22/04/24, a cool but sunny April day. Temperatures around 10C with light Northerly breeze.

General

A pretty good section of the Saxon Shore Way. Maybe even the best. Panoramic views over the Marsh and Channel, even to France beyond. Lots of interesting places. The Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Beauty lived up to its name particularly on the first section from Sandling on to the Greensand Ridge. Lympne provided castle, church, site of Roman remains and views into the zoo. Wooded sections were alive with bluebells and other Spring flowers.

Footpaths

Way marking, footpath condition, gates and styles good in the first 5 miles out to Postling Green. After that , there was a fair amount of disrepair. Lots of wire mesh added in places to keep livestock, including lambs, safe and in their fields with the consequence that the dog had to be lifted over many barrier. I don’t know how a larger dog could manage some of this section.

Public Transport

End to end walks always pose a problem for walkers. For this walk we parked at Ashford and used the train to Sandling, returning to Ashford from Hamstreet. The walk straddles the boundary between two regional rail companies, South Eastern and Southern.