Just a reminder that on Saturday 24 October, we have a Rock around the Weald Walk - a long walk exploring the sandstone rock outcrops of the Weald around Tunbridge Wells and ending at a beer & cider festival on the Spa Valley heritage railway. Details below.
Rock Around the Weald Walk
Saturday 24 October
13 miles. Moderate pace; not suitable for slow walkers
Highlights:
This is a walk around sandstone outcrops in the Weald. It's a linear walk from Tunbridge Wells to Groombridge via a very circuitous route ending with a bus or heritage train back to Tunbridge Wells where there is a beer and cider festival if you wish to stay on.
Pace & terrain:
Moderate pace not suitable for slow walkers. No rock climbing is involved on this walk but there are some hills to climb and some great views.
Food & drink:
Bring a packed lunch for a picnic. Afternoon pub stop. At the end there is a real ale and cider festival at Tunbridge Wells West Station with a barbecue serving local sausages and burgers into the evening. Admission is free and there's also entertainment of the usual variety.
Getting there:
Look out for other Cloggies about 9am at Charing Cross Station near the National Railways ticket office. Take the 9.15am train from Charing X to Tunbridge Wells; this train calls at Waterloo East at 9.18am. The train is due to arrive 10.09am at Tunbridge Wells. Alternatively take the 9.03am train from Cannon St to Tunbridge Wells; this train calls at London Bridge 9.07am and New X 9.13am, arriving Tunbridge Wells 9.57am.
Tickets:
Buy a return to Tunbridge Wells. About £10 with a Railcard (£14.90 without). Bus or heritage train back from Groombridge to Tunbridge Wells (about £5).
Getting back:
We end at Groombridge where you can get a bus or heritage train back to Tunbridge Wells. Buses back to Tunbridge Wells depart Groombridge at 5.09pm, 5.48pm and 6.46pm. There's a nice pub on the village green (The Crown) if you have to wait for the bus. Alternatively you can get the Spa Valley Railway back to Tunbridge Wells. Heritage diesel trains will be running into the evening. There are regular trains from Tunbridge Wells back to London every 15-30 minutes.
Meeting point:
Meet Tunbridge Wells station under the picture of "Toad Rock" at 10.10am. You will find this halfway along the platform under a bridge. I can guarantee that this is the only walk where you will ever meet under a painting of a toad.
Mount Edgcumbe Rocks & Wellington Rocks:
The walk starts in Tunbridge Wells. We make our way across Tunbridge Wells Common via Mount Edgcumbe Rocks and Wellington Rocks. These are some small rocks which are popular with families.
Toad Rock:
After 1 mile we reach Rusthall Common. The rocks here have loads of great names – Toad Rock (which looks like a toad) but also Little Toad, Footsteps, Loaf Rock, Ship, Bishop's Head, Dog's Head, Fox's Hole, Water Rock, Table, Fireman's Ladder, Elephant, Parson's Nose, Lion, Bull's Hollow and Cheesewring Rock. We shall see what we can make out but I'm not making any promises. Remember, I never promised you a Rock Garden.
Happy Valley:
We then cross over the road to Happy Valley where there is a rock pinnacle, cave with a fireplace (The Sweeps' Cave) and The 101 Steps which used to lead down from the town to a cold bath in the days when Tunbridge Wells was a fashionable spa.
High Rocks:
After 2 miles we reach the High Rocks. These are another area of huge sandstone rocks but they form part of a tourist attraction comprising a hotel/restaurant, the High Rocks themselves and a station on the Spa Valley Steam Railway. We won't be going in (it costs £6) but we may get some glimpses of another "Giant Toad" and the Aerial Walk (a series of bridges built in the 1800s to give you a view from the highest points as you walk round). They have found evidence of Stone Age settlements in the rocks. For several centuries visitors have come here from Tunbridge Wells as part of the "rest cure" that made that town fashionable. The High Rocks restaurant has a beautiful large stepped terrace which is often used as a wedding venue.
Broadwater Warren:
After 4 miles we reach Broadwater Warren. We will stop here for an early picnic lunch. The warren is a new nature reserve opened by the RSPB in 2007. It is one of the prime sites for observing "star species" such as the goldcrest, woodcock and especially the nightjar. It has been extensively repaired, removing unwanted species such as rhododendrons, clearing the ponds and reproducing the physical features that earlier land dwellers would have known. The heathland is reminiscent of nearby Ashdown Forest with extensive views (on a clear day you can see East Grinstead Church 15 miles away). We will walk along a zig-zag boardwalk to get close to the tussock sedges and iron-rich pools, look out for the turret of a Churchill tank left by Canadian troops who trained here before D-Day and walk past the decoy pond into the pine forest.
Eridge Rocks:
After 5 miles we reach Eridge Rocks nature reserve. These are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the rare mosses, liverworts and ferns and woodland birds found there. The rocks are 135 million years old (i.e. early Cretaceous) although beneath the visible part they belong to a single stony projection extending some 600 metres horizontally, the result of compacting the great sheets of sand that formed in a vast Wealden Lake during the Ice Age. The popular climbing routes here also bear fanciful names, such as "Sandstorm", "The Crunch" and "More Cake for Me". Rock climbing is a complex science. Because of the fragility of the sandstone, the technique of "top-roping" is always used, with an anchor at the top, a carpet to protect the shell of the sandstone, a series of carabiners (metal loops) and a belayer (person at the bottom who gradually plays out the rope). We continue across Eridge Park, part of the Nevill Estate owned by the Marquess of Abergavenny.
Bowles Rocks:
After 8 miles we reach Bowles Rocks. These are part of an Outdoor Pursuits Centre. We walk past the rocks and a dry ski slope to reach The Boars' Head where we will stop for a quick drink.
Harrison's Rocks:
After 11 miles we reach Harrison's Rocks. This final set of rocks are a series of limestone crags, publicly owned and managed by the British Mountaineering Council. The Rocks have been mapped out to an incredible degree over time and there are 379 routes, each with a grade and a name, such as "Groovy Graeme", "Breadknife Buttress" and "Rum and Ribena". Several mountaineers first discovered their destiny here, including Julie Tullis, film-maker and conqueror, and ultimate victim, of K2.
Sunset on the Rocks?
After 13 miles we end in Groombridge. Sunset 5.45pm.
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