Walks from Sevenoaks

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 (45m in).

The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust; 45m in)

Knole Park (National Trust; 45m in)

One Tree Hill (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 (2h15 in).

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

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: Ightham Mote café (2h15 in; not bad), or the Bucks Head (3h30 in)

Warnings: Some mud inevitable.

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 (2h in).

One Tree Hill (National Trust; 2h45 in)

The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust; 3h30 in)

Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.

Knole Park (National Trust)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the Plough (45m in), or Ightham Mote café (2h in; not bad)

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 (3h30 in).

One Tree Hill (National Trust; 4h15 in)

The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust; 5h in)

Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.

Time: 7h30 (6h walking, 1h30 lunch)

3 lunch spots: the Swan on the Green (1h30 in), the Kentish Rifleman (2h30 in), or Ightham Mote café (3h30 in; not bad)

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

A National Trust extravaganza; Knole House and deer park, the Greensand Way, moated Ightham Mote, bluebell woods.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust)

One Tree Hill (National Trust)

Oldbury Hill (National Trust)

Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.

Ightham Mote (National Trust)

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Steep drops and climbs through the woodland sections.

Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).

Rolling Kentish farmland, fields, oasthouses, bluebell woods, steep greensand hillside and deer park.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

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.

Otford

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Kent Downs National Landscape (tips, photos and local insights).

Similar walk: Slow Ways (inc. GPX).

Greensand ridge, chart hills, undulating woodland, commons, deer park, historic estates and suburban old town.

Toy's Hill (National Trust)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Steep climbs.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Recommended: A long route that climbs onto the North Downs early at Shore Hill for uninterrupted views, following the North Downs Way for a few miles before crossing remote countryside between Kemsing and Meopham Green. There are two long steep ascents/descents and one longer gentler one, with cows, sheep and horses, stiles, gates, steps and a fair chance of mud; most road walking is on pavements through villages and with two short care-needed lanes. Follows the North Downs Way for a few miles. Crosses the M26, M20 and A20 on foot/hoof bridges. Reasonable rural bus services from Kemsing, Meopham Green and Culverstone Green.

Time: 8h30 (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

3 lunch spots: the Rising Sun, the Black Horse, or the Bell Inn

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Cricketers Inn, or Whitefinch Bakery and Tea Room

Warnings: Two short road sections need extra care: 150m on Exedown Road where you leave the North Downs Way, and 325m of Whitehill Road in Meopham. Two long steep ascents/descents. Cows, sheep and horses, plus stiles, gates and steps, with a fair chance of mud.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The views across Kent are beautiful when you get to Carter's Hill and Rook's Hill. A largely off-road route through Knole Park and along the Greensand Way, on a mix of tracks and grassy paths over hilly terrain with some steep climbs and narrow paths with steep drops. Heavy clay soil means it can be very muddy after wet weather and with a number of gates and stiles. Follows the Greensand Way for a long stretch through the Kent Downs; there is a bench with a pleasant view in Shipbourne churchyard.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust)

One Tree Hill (National Trust)

Knole Park (Deer Park) (National Trust)

Ightham Mote (National Trust)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the Chaser Inn, or Ightham Mote cafe

1 end-of-walk reward: Fuggles Beer Cafe

Warnings: Plenty of mud after wet weather, especially across the ploughed fields around Shipbourne; some downhill paths near Ightham can be slippery; a number of gates and stiles.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Pretty countryside. A walk through pretty countryside starting on residential roads, then a long valley-floor path, a steep climb up the North Downs escarpment, a series of small steep-sided valleys through pasture and woodland with steep stepped paths. A fair amount of road walking and mostly quiet but with some busier stretches; the going can be soggy and muddy in wet weather. Follows the Darenth Valley Path for much of the early section. Passes alongside Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve. Can be split using Otford station.

Time: 7h30 (6h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Otford, midway, has tea rooms and refreshment spots.

Warnings: A steep, stepped climb up the North Downs escarpment and steep stepped descents/ascents at Knatts Valley. Two long road sections are busier than ideal; the road through Hartley is a long grind but has pavements. The route crosses fields with horses near the equestrian centre and across a golf course. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A varied walk through parkland, woodland and farmland with some urban walking. The wooded sections near Seal Chart and over Oldbury Hill can be extremely muddy or wet and at least in winter.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Knole Park (Deer Park) (National Trust)

The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio (National Trust)

Oldbury Hill (National Trust)

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: A safer crossing of the Ightham Bypass is included. Woodland sections near Seal Chart and over Oldbury Hill can be extremely muddy in winter.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A commuter-belt rural walk over the North Downs through woodland, chalky fields and rolling downland, with a fair amount of up-and-down and a long road-walking section. Mixed underfoot with gates, kissing gates, stiles, earth steps, tree roots and rutted paths and moderately steep for short stretches. Knockholt station is about 1 km off route, allowing the walk to be split.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Pubs on the route at Pratts Bottom and Knockholt Pound, with a shop and a garden centre cafe at Knockholt Pound.

End-of-walk reward: A pub on the route at Riverhead, near the end.

Warnings: Several busy road crossings where traffic moves fast, though most have crossings or a central island. A stretch of road walking begins with no verges and high hedges on a tight bend. Pay attention to flying golf balls when crossing Chelsfield Lakes Golf Course. The footpath at Fairtrough Farm has been diverted and the OS maps are out of date.

Walk details: Slow Ways.