Best walks near Edenbridge by train

Beginner-friendly: No coast or river to follow, but pretty straightforward long lines nonetheless, and Watt’s Chapel provides a lovely reward for reaching the midpoint of the circuit. The lunch stop is a simple café in the vicinity of Watt’s Chapel, so no messing around with booking a table in advance.

Watts Chapel: Beautiful Arts and Crafts creation of Mary Watts (1h45 in).

Watts Gallery (1h45 in)

St Catherine's Chapel Ruins (30 mins in)

1 lunch spot: Watts Gallery café (1h45 in)

5 end-of-walk rewards: the Withies Inn, Ye Olde Ship Inn, the Britannia, the White House, or the George Abbot

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Similar walk: Walking Post (inc. GPX).

Beginner-friendly: This short walk is nearly all National Trust territory and signposted. If you want to make it even shorter and simpler, just skip the detour through the woods. The lunch stop is a simple café, so no messing around with booking a table in advance. Mostly secluded.

Standen House (National Trust; 1h15 in; 2h30 to visit)

1 lunch spot: Standen House café (1h15 in)

Source: Trains2Green.

Highly recommended: Stately home.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Chiddingstone Village: One of the most beautiful and oldest villages in Kent (National Trust; 45 mins in; 30 mins to visit).

Penshurst Place (2h in)

Chiddingstone: One of the most beautiful and oldest villages in Kent (National Trust; 45 mins in; 30 mins to visit).

Penshurst (2h in)

4 lunch spots: Chiddingstone (45 mins in) — the Tulip Tree, or the Castle Inn; Penshurst (2h in) — the Leicester Arms Pub, or Penshurst Place café

1 end-of-walk reward: the Little Brown Jug

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Highly recommended: Pleasantly rolling hills and dales, fields and vales, oast houses and hay bails. Beautiful expansive views to the South, which make you appreciate well preserved the wooded hills of the Kent Downs are. Wandering through Knole Park is idyllic, especially toward the evening when the humans are gone and the deer are in force. 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 (National Trust; 45 mins in; 3h to visit).

Knole Park (National Trust; 45 mins in; 3h to visit)

One Tree Hill: A beautiful slice of Kent countryside (National Trust; 1h30 in).

Ightham Mote: Immaculately preserved medieval manor house with idyllic gardens. Touring the house thoroughly takes an hour, and the gardens another 30 minutes (National Trust; 2h15 in; 2h30 to visit).

Deer in Kent Downs National Landscape (National Trust; 3h45 in; 3h to visit)

3 lunch spots: Knole House café (45 mins in), Ightham Mote café (2h15 in), or the Bucks Head (3h30 in)

Warnings: Some mud inevitable.

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Escarpments.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

2 lunch spots: Frant (1h30 in) — the Abergavenny Arms, or the George

3 end-of-walk rewards: the Crown Inn, the High Rocks, or the Pantiles

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Quiet fields and country lanes running through rolling wooded hills. Mostly secluded.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Wadhurst: Quaint little village (1h45 in).

Bewl Water: An aqua park, and the largest body of water in South East England.

2 lunch spots: the Old Vine (1h30 in; excellent), or La Petite France (3h45 in)

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Abinger Roughs and Netley Park: Hidden woods with ancient trees and flower-sprinkled grasslands, just off the North Downs and Pilgrims Ways (National Trust).

Saint James's Church: see the remains of where a devout anchorite was encased within the church walls (30 mins in).

Shere (45 mins in)

7 lunch spots: Shere (30 mins in) — the Dabbling Duck Café (excellent), Hillys Tea Shop, the William Bray, or the White Horse; plus the Drummond Arms (1h in), Mandira's Kitchen at Silent Pool (1h15 in), or Carb Up and Go (1h45 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Compasses Inn, or the Gomshall Mill

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Highly recommended: A very beautiful and varied walk through woodland ridges, open chalk downland, picturesque villages. Crosses the M25 but not significantly marred by the noise. Mostly secluded.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Godstone (2h in)

4 lunch spots: Godstone (2h15 in) — the Hare & Hounds (not great), the Old Forge Deli, the White Hart, or the Bell

1 end-of-walk reward: the Oxted Inn

Warnings: Chalk paths can be slippery.

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Vineyard, wooded hills, chalk downland, open grassland. Very beautiful. Magnificent views at Box Hill. Begins fairly quiet, but anticipate a constant Londoner horde near Box Hill itself.

Hilly: two fifths on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Salomons Memorial Viewpoint (3h45 in)

Box Hill Café & Visitor Centre (National Trust; 3h45 in)

3 lunch spots: Mickleham (2h15 in) — the King William IV (excellent; reservations recommended), or the Running Horses; plus Box Hill Café & Visitor Centre (3h45 in)

1 end-of-walk reward: the Stepping Stones

Warnings: Relatively busy. Can be muddy.

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

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.

Ightham Mote: Immaculately preserved medieval manor house with idyllic gardens. Touring the house thoroughly takes an hour, and the gardens another 30 minutes (National Trust; 2h in; 2h30 to visit).

One Tree Hill: A beautiful slice of Kent countryside (National Trust; 2h45 in).

Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself (National Trust; 3h30 in; 3h to visit).

Knole Park (National Trust; 3h to visit)

3 lunch spots: the Plough (45 mins in), Ightham Mote café (2h in), or Knole House café (3h30 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.

Highly recommended: Undulating Kent farmland, orchards, bluebell woods, greensand escarpment and deer park.

Ightham Mote: Immaculately preserved medieval manor house with idyllic gardens. Touring the house thoroughly takes an hour, and the gardens another 30 minutes (National Trust; 3h30 in; 2h30 to visit).

One Tree Hill: A beautiful slice of Kent countryside (National Trust; 4h15 in).

Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself (National Trust; 5h in; 3h to visit).

4 lunch spots: the Swan on the Green (1h30 in), the Kentish Rifleman (2h30 in), Ightham Mote café (3h30 in), or Knole House café (5h in)

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Beautiful landscapes and multiple historic sights.

Pevensey Castle (15 mins in)

Herstmonceux Castle (2h30 in)

Battle Abbey and Battlefield (7h30 in)

Pevensey Levels

Battle (7h15 in)

2 lunch spots: Nuthatch Kitchen and Terrace (2h30 in), or the Ash Tree Inn (4h45 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: the White Hart Pub, or Battle Abbey and Battlefield café

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).