Walks near Tunbridge Wells by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Tunbridge Wells and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Tunbridge Wells.
Wadhurst Circular via Bewl Water (Sussex)
7 minutes direct from Tunbridge Wells.
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.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
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.
Sevenoaks Circular via Ightham Mote (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Tunbridge Wells.
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.
Penshurst Circular via Chiddingstone (Kent)
30 minutes from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Highly recommended: Stately home.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Chiddingstone Village (National Trust; 45m in)
Penshurst Place (2h in)
Chiddingstone (National Trust; 45m in)
Penshurst (2h in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
4 lunch spots: Chiddingstone (45m 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).
Otford Circular via Shoreham (Kent)
30 minutes from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Highly recommended: Quiet country lanes, meadows, rolling wooded hills, and two very attractive villages.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Shoreham (1h30 in)
Otford (3h30 in)
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Shoreham (1h15 in) — the Samuel Palmer (Plenty of seating, including outdoors; excellent), 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.
Eynsford Circular via Otford (Kent)
45 minutes from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Highly recommended: Secluded valleys, chalk downland ridges, ancient woodland, golf course, chalk grassland nature reserves, riverside paths and farmland.
Shoreham (45m in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: Shoreham (1h30 in) — the Samuel Palmer (Plenty of seating, including outdoors; excellent), 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.
Pevensey to Battle (Sussex)
1 hour from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Highly recommended: Beautiful landscapes and multiple historic sights.
Pevensey Castle (15m in)
Herstmonceux Castle (2h30 in)
Battle Abbey and Battlefield (7h30 in)
Battle (7h15 in)
Time: 10h (8h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
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
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Winchelsea to Hastings (Sussex)
1 hour from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Highly recommended
Coastal: three quarters along the coast.
Hastings (3h45 in)
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: the New Beach Club (1h30 in), or the Cove (2h in)
8 end-of-walk rewards: the Jolly Fisherman, the Lord Nelson, the Royal Standard, the London Trader, the Hastings Arms, Ye Olde Pumphouse, the Cutter, or the Albion
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Borough Green & Wrotham to Sevenoaks (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Tunbridge Wells.
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.
Yalding to Sevenoaks (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Tunbridge Wells.
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.
Leigh to Penshurst (Kent)
15 minutes from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Highly recommended: Parkland, river valley, gentle farmland slopes, vineyard, woods and hamlet lanes.
Penshurst (1h in)
Chiddingstone Village (National Trust; 3h in)
Chiddingstone (National Trust; 3h in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: the Leicester Arms (1h in), or the Rock (2h in)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Source: A variant of Leigh and Penshurst (Saturday Walkers Club).
Chelsfield Circular via Down House (Kent)
30 minutes from Tunbridge Wells, with one change.
Recommended
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Down House: home of Charles Darwin (2h45 in).
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
4 lunch spots: Downe (3h in) — Down House café, the George and Dragon, or Rajdoot of Downe; plus the Blacksmith's Arms (2h in)
4 end-of-walk rewards: the Rose and Crown, the Royal Oak, the Queens Head, or the Chelsfield
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Hastings to Rye (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Tunbridge Wells.
Highly recommended: Clifftop coastal path, steep climbs, remote naturist beach, flat marshland, ancient hilltop towns and panoramic viewpoints.
Coastal: three fifths along the coast.
Lamb House (National Trust; 6h in)
Time: 7h30 (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
Warnings: Crumbly cliff edges.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: Railwalks.