At the left-hand corner of the car park take the path on the left, signed ‘Greensand Way’. Follow the track through the woods. Turn left at the waymarker and, in a short distance when the track divides, take the right fork. Pass through a barrier and reach a large grassed area. A tree planted here celebrated the late Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday (and Toy’s Hill’s 80th). Follow the track as it runs past this grassy clearing and branches to the left, and go down steps to Puddledock Lane.
Turn left, cross the road and walk down Scords Lane. Pass the house called Little Chart on your right, after which your route becomes a track, then widens and bears left along a bridleway leading into Scords Wood. This area of woodland is famed for its thick carpet of bluebells in the spring. At the waymarker post, take the right-hand path alongside a fence. At a junction, bear right and continue to another marker post. On your way there are good views of Bough Beech reservoir. Around 60 species of bird breed here each year and it’s a great place to see wildfowl such as teal and goosander, and wading birds like the green sandpiper. Take the track that bears right, go through a metal squeeze stile and turn left.
Walk along the top edge of this field, then bear right downhill to a gate. Make for the bottom right-hand corner of the field and go over a footbridge. Turn left through a gate and walk up the left-hand side of the field, then uphill following waymark signs ahead. Your way now takes you through two kissing gates and up into the village of Ide Hill. With the green on your right, walk through the village and fork left to pass in front of the Cock Inn. When the road ends, continue ahead along the footpath to a gate, then across the field to a gate and a lane.
Turn left, then turn right at the road and walk towards Ide Hill Cricket Club. Take a footpath on the left and follow it to Emmetts Garden. Take the track that runs to the side of the toilets into the woods.
Cross a stile and at a crossing of tracks turn left. Continue ahead at two more track crossings, passing a wooden barrier on your left. Bear right at the next crossing and continue. Go left just before the path climbs sharply upwards and continue until you reach the car park.
Early on in this walk you enjoy panoramic views over the Weald of Kent. The term Weald is derived from Andredsweald, the name that the Anglo-Saxons gave to the extensive, thick woodlands that once covered a large part of Kent. Toy’s Hill is the highest point in Kent and a beautiful area of... woodland, owned by the National Trust. The area was devastated by the hurricane or ‘Great Storm’ of 1987, which ripped through southern England in the early hours of 16th October. This storm was responsible for opening up the woodland to reveal these views. It was the most catastrophic storm in England since 1703. The Met Office famously failed to predict the storm. A trainee meteorologist called Anita thought that she’d spotted a hurricane on its way and rang the London Weather Centre to see if they had noticed it. They hadn’t. BBC weatherman Bill Giles said that it would be ‘breezy in the Channel’ and that evening on the BBC TV Forecast, Michael Fish reassured Anita with the words ‘don’t worry, there won’t be a hurricane’. But there was – and 18 people died. During the night a staggering 15 million trees in the south were uprooted, some of them up to 400 years old. The landscape was changed forever. One of the reasons so many trees were lost is because the storm occurred in October, when the leaves were still on the trees, presenting a greater resistance to the wind. In addition, the ground was waterlogged and the roots of the trees did not have a secure hold in the ground. The National Trust deliberately left much of this area untouched after the storm, allowing natural regeneration to take place and saplings to spring up in the cleared areas. Both Toy’s Hill and Ide Hill, which you visit on this walk, were well-loved by Octavia Hill (1838–1912), the Victorian philanthropist and social reformer who founded the National Trust. She lived nearby at Crockham Hill and, through her work with the poor of London, became convinced of the need for all to have ready access to green, open spaces. She worked hard to protect the countryside and save ‘…a few acres where the hill top enables the Londoner to rise above the smoke, to feel a refreshing air for a little time and to see the sun setting in coloured glory…’. Thanks to her, you can still enjoy these ancient woods today.
Kent is home to the White Cliffs of Dover, an English icon that marks the point where the Kent Downs AONB stretches from the Surrey Hills down to the sea. Visitors can explore historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell, or beautiful nature reserves, such as the coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank.
At the left-hand corner of the car park take the path on the left, signed ‘Greensand Way’. Follow the track through the woods. Turn left at the waymarker and, in a short distance when the track divides, take the right fork. Pass through a barrier and reach a large grassed area. A tree planted here celebrated the late Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday (and Toy’s Hill’s 80th). Follow the track as it runs past this grassy clearing and branches to the left, and go down steps to Puddledock Lane.
1 of 5
Turn left, cross the road and walk down Scords Lane. Pass the house called Little Chart on your right, after which your route becomes a track, then widens and bears left along a bridleway leading into Scords Wood. This area of woodland is famed for its thick carpet of bluebells in the spring. At the waymarker post, take the right-hand path alongside a fence. At a junction, bear right and continue to another marker post. On your way there are good views of Bough Beech reservoir. Around 60 species of bird breed here each year and it’s a great place to see wildfowl such as teal and goosander, and wading birds like the green sandpiper. Take the track that bears right, go through a metal squeeze stile and turn left.
2 of 5
Walk along the top edge of this field, then bear right downhill to a gate. Make for the bottom right-hand corner of the field and go over a footbridge. Turn left through a gate and walk up the left-hand side of the field, then uphill following waymark signs ahead. Your way now takes you through two kissing gates and up into the village of Ide Hill. With the green on your right, walk through the village and fork left to pass in front of the Cock Inn. When the road ends, continue ahead along the footpath to a gate, then across the field to a gate and a lane.
3 of 5
Turn left, then turn right at the road and walk towards Ide Hill Cricket Club. Take a footpath on the left and follow it to Emmetts Garden. Take the track that runs to the side of the toilets into the woods.
4 of 5
Cross a stile and at a crossing of tracks turn left. Continue ahead at two more track crossings, passing a wooden barrier on your left. Bear right at the next crossing and continue. Go left just before the path climbs sharply upwards and continue until you reach the car park.
Early on in this walk you enjoy panoramic views over the Weald of Kent. The term Weald is derived from Andredsweald, the name that the Anglo-Saxons gave to the extensive, thick woodlands that once covered a large part of Kent. Toy’s Hill is the highest point in Kent and a beautiful area of... woodland, owned by the National Trust. The area was devastated by the hurricane or ‘Great Storm’ of 1987, which ripped through southern England in the early hours of 16th October. This storm was responsible for opening up the woodland to reveal these views. It was the most catastrophic storm in England since 1703. The Met Office famously failed to predict the storm. A trainee meteorologist called Anita thought that she’d spotted a hurricane on its way and rang the London Weather Centre to see if they had noticed it. They hadn’t. BBC weatherman Bill Giles said that it would be ‘breezy in the Channel’ and that evening on the BBC TV Forecast, Michael Fish reassured Anita with the words ‘don’t worry, there won’t be a hurricane’. But there was – and 18 people died. During the night a staggering 15 million trees in the south were uprooted, some of them up to 400 years old. The landscape was changed forever. One of the reasons so many trees were lost is because the storm occurred in October, when the leaves were still on the trees, presenting a greater resistance to the wind. In addition, the ground was waterlogged and the roots of the trees did not have a secure hold in the ground. The National Trust deliberately left much of this area untouched after the storm, allowing natural regeneration to take place and saplings to spring up in the cleared areas. Both Toy’s Hill and Ide Hill, which you visit on this walk, were well-loved by Octavia Hill (1838–1912), the Victorian philanthropist and social reformer who founded the National Trust. She lived nearby at Crockham Hill and, through her work with the poor of London, became convinced of the need for all to have ready access to green, open spaces. She worked hard to protect the countryside and save ‘…a few acres where the hill top enables the Londoner to rise above the smoke, to feel a refreshing air for a little time and to see the sun setting in coloured glory…’. Thanks to her, you can still enjoy these ancient woods today.
Kent is home to the White Cliffs of Dover, an English icon that marks the point where the Kent Downs AONB stretches from the Surrey Hills down to the sea. Visitors can explore historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell, or beautiful nature reserves, such as the coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank.
