Walks near Chatham by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Chatham and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Chatham.
Margate to Broadstairs (Kent)
1 hour direct from Chatham.
Beginner-friendly: Just keep the sea on your left and follow it to Broadstairs.
Coastal: almost all along the coast.
Time: 3h–6h
1 lunch spot: the Captain Digby (1h30–3h in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Tartar Frigate, the Neptune's Hall, Siam Kitchen, the Magnet Micropub, or the Prince Albert
Warnings: Very popular and busy.
Adapted from: Railwalks.
Eynsford Circular via Otford (Kent)
45 minutes from Chatham, with one change.
Highly recommended: Secluded valleys, chalk downland ridges, ancient woodland, golf course, chalk grassland nature reserves, riverside paths and farmland.
Time: 3h–6h
3 lunch spots: Shoreham (1h–2h in) — the Samuel Palmer, the Honey Pot, or the Kings Arms
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Castle Hotel, the Five Bells, or the Malt Shovel
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Otford Circular via Shoreham (Kent)
45 minutes from Chatham, with one change.
Highly recommended: Quiet country lanes, meadows, rolling wooded hills, and two very attractive villages.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Time: 4h–7h30
3 lunch spots: Shoreham (1h30–2h30 in) — the Samuel Palmer, the Kings Arms, or the Mount Vineyard
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Sevenoaks Circular via Ightham Mote (Kent)
1 hour from Chatham, with one change.
Highly recommended: Deer park, fields, woods, coppiced woodland, escarpment ridge, bluebell and wild garlic woods and Weald views.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.
Time: 5h–9h30
1 lunch spot: Ightham Mote café
1 end-of-walk reward: the Bucks Head
Warnings: Some mud inevitable.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Borough Green & Wrotham to Sevenoaks (Kent)
45 minutes from Chatham, with one change.
Highly recommended: Greensand hills, apple orchards, woodland paths, streams, deer park, open parkland and historic manor grounds. Mostly secluded.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.
Time: 4h30–9h
2 lunch spots: the Plough (2h–3h30 in), or Ightham Mote café (2h–4h in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Chequers, the Restoration, or the Sennockian
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Yalding to Sevenoaks (Kent)
45 minutes from Chatham, with one change.
Highly recommended: Undulating Kent farmland, orchards, bluebell woods, greensand escarpment and deer park.
Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.
Time: 6h–12h
3 lunch spots: the Swan on the Green (1h30–3h in), the Kentish Rifleman (2h30–5h in), or Ightham Mote café (3h30–7h in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Chilham to Canterbury East (Kent)
45 minutes direct from Chatham.
Highly recommended
Time: 3h–6h
2 lunch spots: Chilham (30m–1h in) — the Chilham Square, or the Star Inn
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Monument, the Unicorn Inn, the West Gate Inn, the Carpenters Arms, or the Old Buttermarket
Warnings: A fifth urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Ramsgate to Margate (Kent)
1 hour direct from Chatham.
Recommended: Low chalk cliffs, sandy bays and coves, cliff-top grassland, seaside promenades and historic coastal towns.
Coastal: nine tenths along the coast.
Kingsgate Bay: A chalk-cliff cove on the Thanet coast near Broadstairs, framed by a natural sea arch.
Time: 4h30–9h
2 lunch spots: the Royal Victoria Pavilion (30m–1h30 in), or Forts Café (1h30–3h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Mechanical Elephant, or the Cinque Ports
Warnings: Very popular and busy. Check tide timings.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Walking Post (inc. GPX).
Canterbury East Circular via Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve (Kent)
45 minutes direct from Chatham.
Flat Kent countryside, arable fields, woods, ancient villages, oast houses, polytunnel farms and riverside.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Yalding Circular via Yalding (Kent)
45 minutes from Chatham, with one change.
Flat riverside paths, farmland fields, orchards, quiet lanes and a floodplain.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Farningham Road to Eynsford (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Chatham.
Linear middle Darent Valley Path beside the tranquil River Darent, Lullingstone Roman Villa, Eynsford Castle and valley views.
Walk details: Kent Downs National Landscape (tips, photos and local insights).
Farningham Road to Otford (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Chatham.
Ancient woodland, field edges, riverside Darent Valley Path, low hills, chalk downland, quaint villages, golf course and nature reserves.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Motocross path closures possible.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).