Walks near Gravesend by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Gravesend and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Gravesend.
Folkestone Central to Dover Priory (Kent)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
Highly recommended: Coastal cliffs, chalk downland, sea defences, wild landslip area, wartime installations, ridge between valley and sea and town crossing.
Hilly: a third on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Coastal: four fifths along the coast.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Time: 4h–8h30
1 lunch spot: Camping Café (1h–2h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Malvern, or the Priory Hotel
Warnings: Cracked sea defences.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Yalding to Sevenoaks (Kent)
1 hour from Gravesend, 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.
Dover Priory to Deal (Kent)
1 hour from Gravesend, with one change.
Highly recommended: Clifftop chalk paths, two significant climbs, level pebble beach coastpath, open sea views and historic town.
Coastal: almost all along the coast.
Dover Castle: A vast medieval fortress overlooking the port and the Channel to France.
Time: 5h30–11h
3 lunch spots: Saint Margarets Bay (3h–6h in) — the Pines Tea Room, or the bay kiosk; plus Walmer Castle and Gardens (3h–6h in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Port Arms, the Sir Norman Wisdom, or the Queen Street Tap
Warnings: Mobile may switch networks.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club, Walking Post (inc. GPX) and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Sandling to Folkestone Central (Kent)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
Highly recommended: Chalky escarpment ridge, steep climbs, open downland with Channel views, cliff top promenade, shingle beach and historic harbour.
Hilly: two fifths on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Time: 5h30–10h30
1 lunch spot: the Gatekeeper Inn (1h30–3h in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: Valiant Sailor, the Lord Morris, or the Park Inn
Warnings: Steep climbs near start.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Folkestone Central Circular via Castle Hill (Kent)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
Highly recommended: Verdant coastal cliffs, rolling hills and suburban streets.
Hilly: a third on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Coastal: three fifths along the coast.
Time: 5h–9h30
2 lunch spots: Capel-le-Ferne (3h–5h30 in) — Cliff Top Café, or the Royal Oak
7 end-of-walk rewards: the Royal George, the Harbour Inn, the Kipps' Alehouse, the Samuel Peto, the Pullman, the East Kent Arms, or the Lord Morris
Warnings: Begins, necessarily, with a lengthy suburban segment, but then becomes very beautiful and surprisingly quiet. Particularly lovely on the walk along the cliffs east of Folkestone, where there are also a number of lunch spot choices. The narrow overgrown paths are best. But note that there is a LOT of steep ascents and descents on this walk.
Source: Trains2Green.
Yalding Circular via Yalding (Kent)
1 hour from Gravesend, 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)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
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)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
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).
Swanley to Sevenoaks (Kent)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
Linear Darent valley sides on the North Downs Way and Darent Valley Path: three nature reserves including Lullingstone Country Park and Polhill Bank, panoramic Kent Downs views.
Time: 4h30–9h30
Walk details: Kent Downs National Landscape (tips, photos and local insights).
Swanley to Eynsford (Kent)
45 minutes from Gravesend, with one change.
Linear walk into the Darent Valley countryside, with breathtaking views, Lullingstone Roman Villa, the Eynsford Viaduct and the village's humpback bridge and ford.
Walk details: Kent Downs National Landscape (tips, photos and local insights).
Yalding to Borough Green & Wrotham (Kent)
1 hour from Gravesend, with one change.
River Medway start, open fields, deer-fenced woodland, Kentish Weald countryside, vast managed woods, bluebell woodland valleys, orchard edges and small villages.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Yalding to Wateringbury (Kent)
1 hour from Gravesend, with one change.
Rolling upper Medway Valley — woodland, wetland, orchards and farmland, two historic river bridges and old hoppers' huts on the Greensand Way.
Yalding Bridge (Town Bridge): A medieval ragstone bridge across the River Beult, said to be the longest medieval bridge in Kent.
Warnings: Five stiles.
Walk details: Explore Kent (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).