Section 1
Faversham to Painters Forstal
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
Robust Ramble – Kent Triangle - Faversham – Wadhurst – New Romney – Faversham
Section 1 Out
Faversham Station to Painters Forstal
Total Circular Distance: 6 miles (3 hours)
OS Map: Explorer 149 Sittingbourne & Faversham
Start: From Faversham railway station, there is a car park on the south side of the station, with charges.
Comment: A shortish walk but one with lots of variety. There is road walking to exit the town but once the motorway is crossed there is unbroken countryside with the special Kentish mix of orchards, oast houses and ancient farms. The walking is generally easy, although muddy in wet weather. There are few stiles. The final climb into Painters Forstal is steep but short. The reward is The Alma pub, open seven days a week and offering superb food and ale.
Leave Faversham Station on the south side (platforms for trains to London) and turn right to cross the car park to the entrance.
Turn left on the road and continue uphill. Cross, to turn right up the second road on your right, Edith Road. At the T-junction at the end , turn left and walk up to a second T-junction with a main road. Turn right along it for a short distance. Reach a footbridge and cross to a footpath going up the vehicle entrance to a school.
Pass the school car park on your right, and on, past Perry Court Farm. Continue forward up a grassy area with new housing over on the left.
Reach and go on up an asphalt path to a new road. (Currently there is new building taking place ahead. When finished it ought to be possible to follow a footway bearing right to emerge onto Brogdale Road. Turn left, to cross over the motorway).
Otherwise, turn right on the new road and follow it as it turns back right, then left, then reaches a T-junction with an older road (Brogdale Road). Turn left on this with care looking for steps and a gap up onto a raised path along the side of the road.
Cross a motorway and continue up the road, past the Brogdale Farm National Fruit Collection (shop and café), and on past houses.
Where to pavement ends, just before an Oast on the left, turn left off the road up an enclosed path, then on past a wooden fieldgate onto a grassy way.
The path is soon enclosed between fences and is pleasant and easy to follow. Reach a road.
Cross straight over down onto a path going diagonally left through and orchard. Reach and cross a grassy farm track and keep on in the same diagonal direction through the trees.
At the top corner, bear right, still uphill, along the edge of an orchard with a treeline on your left. At the very top emerge onto a road. Turn left along it.
Just before reaching an oast ahead, by Kiln Cottage, look for tracks off right. A public footpath goes almost straight ahead. However, turn sharper right on a permissive track, towards a barn. Pass the barn on your left and continue on an easy track for ¼ mile.
Where the track swings left downhill, look for a footpath off right into bushes. Soon reach and cross a stile and continue along the edge of the field with trees and a drop on the left.
Where the fence swings left continue down and across the meadow, slightly diagonally left to a stile. Cross and go up through trees, between houses to a road. Turn left.
Pass a house on your left and look for a footpath off right, up steps, then steeply up through trees. Soon pass alongside a building (a former Wesleyan Chapel) to reach a road at a junction.
Cross straight over to The Alma pub beyond and the end of the section in Painters Forstal. There is a grassy garden area opposite.
Robust Ramble – Kent Triangle - Faversham – Wadhurst – New Romney – Faversham
Section 1 Return
Painters Forstal to Faversham Station
Total Circular Distance: 6 miles (3 hours)
OS Map: Explorer 149 Sittingbourne & Faversham
Start: From The Alma pub. Pub car park and some on street parking.
Comment: An easy walk back, suddenly emerging into urban Faversham by the side of the busy A2 road. Short sections of road walking link footpaths, but generally there is little traffic on the country roads. The view across Ospringe Church to Faversham beyond is satisfying. The crossing of the A2 for the final return to Faversham Station can be problematic due to constant traffic. If all else fails, turn right along the main road to reach the footbridge by the school, used on the outward route, and return the same way to the station.
Standing on the road with the Alma pub behind, turn right, staying on the main road as it swings gently right.
Pass a Cider Farm on your left and a private school on your right. Immediately before the next house on your left, turn left, up the side of an orchard with a treeline on your right.
Where the orchard ends go forward towards oasts on an enclosed path. Emerge onto a country road and turn right.
At a T-junction turn left, over a motorway, to a further T-junction. Turn right a few paces, then left into a long sloping field (good views). Bear diagonally right along the edge of the field with a wire fence on your left.
Enter the next field and continue diagonally right along a line of poles. Ospringe church sits down in the valley.
When opposite the church, by a pole, turn right down to the churchyard and enter by a gate. Continue down the side of the church to reach a road.
Turn right for 20 metres, then left on an enclosed path by a house. Reach a metal kissing gate and turn left into a field.
Go along the top edge of the field to the far corner ahead. Exit through another metal kissing gate onto a road.
Turn right a few paces then left down a side road. Pass an ancient timber-framed farm down on the left.
Look for a path going steeply up the bank on your right. It continues diagonally right between paddocks to emerge onto the main A2 road.
Cross with great care to the playing field opposite. Walk down the field to the bottom right corner. Find a footpath and turn right along it with the railway on your left.
Reach a road, ignore the footbridge over the railway. Instead, turn right a few paces, then left into a residential road, continue along this for 200 metres.
Reach a crossroads at the end. Cross to a short cul-de-sac opposite going steeply uphill. At the top enter an enclosed path between buildings and soon emerge onto a road. Turn left a few paces to Faversham Station car park and the start of the section.
