Kent Area News

Kent Ramblers: News

14 July 2025: Programme for High Weald Walking Festival Published

The High Weald Walking Festival will run from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 September 2025. The Festival is a joint effort between the Ramblers and the High Weald AONB Unit with Kent Ramblers' Groups leading a number of the walks. There is also a programme of self-led walks, many of them taken from our library of walking routes.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre where Kent Ramblers will have a stall at which volunteers will be happy to answer all your questions about walking in the Weald and the work of the Ramblers.

For more information visit the Festival web site.

27 May 2025: A Week's Walking With the White Cliffs Ramblers

The White Cliffs Ramblers are pleased to announce that their Walking Week will be held from 30 June to 6 July. There will be walks every day; most walks include a visit to a local hostelry or place of interest. The aim of the week is to showcase Kent and what it has to offer while introducing new walkers to the pleasures of exploring our fabulous countryside and coastline and socialising with the group. I hope you can join us.

Further details and the programme of walks are available on the White Cliffs Ramblers’ website at https://whitecliffsramblers.org.uk/white-cliffs-walking-festival/

26 December 2024: Cut-off Date for Recording Rights of Way to be Scrapped

In a very welcome announcement the Government today promised to repeal a provision in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 under which the right to use many footpaths, including both ancient routes and many that we currently rely on for our favourite walks, would otherwise have been lost on 1 January 2031. There is a full article on the subject on page 5 of our Annual Review which is linked below. In short, many rights of way were omitted when definitive maps were prepared in the 1950s and 1960s and any still not added to the definitive map by 1 January 2031 would have been immediately extinguished. Hundreds of volunteers have been busy trying to identify the omitted paths and apply to local councils to have them added to the definitive map but there was no hope of finishing the job in time and to make matters worse some councils have been taking more than 20 years to deal with applications.

We thank the Government for this senible decision which may have been influenced in some small way by a letter to Ministers sent by the Kent Countryside Access Forum – see item dated 29 November 2024 below.

20 December 2024: Kent Ramblers' 2024 Annual Review Published

The 2024 Annual Review is now available to read online:

High resolution version (47MB)

Medium resolution version for those with slower internet connections (19MB)

All members who have not opted out of paper copies should receive their copies in the post no later than the first week of January.

If you receive a paper copy but would prefer just the on-line version next year, please email your membership number and postcode to nopaper@kentramblers.org.uk.

If you have views on the content of the Annual Review, please email them to info@kentramblers.org.uk. We would love to know what you would like more of next year, what you would like less of and what you would like that isn't there now. A lot of effort goes into producing the Annual Review so we really would like to make sure that we are delivering what you want to read.

29 November 2024: Kent Countryside Access Forum Calls on Minister to Abolish Cut-off Date for Recording Historic Paths

The definitive maps prepared in the decades after 1950 were intended to create a reliable record of our rights of way but in practice many paths were omitted. There has long been a process for getting omitted paths added to the definitive map but legislation in 2000 provided for this process to expire on 1 January 2026 and for any pre-1949 paths not by then recorded to be extinguished. In return the government undertook to identify all the omitted paths but found the task to difficult and gave up in 2008. Since then dedicated volunteers have been working away to get the job done but have no hope of finishing by 2026. Representations to the previous government resulted in a promise to abolish the cut-off followed some time later by a U-turn and merely a deferral of the cut-off to 1 January 2031.

The case for abolishing the cut-off altogether remains strong and the Kent Countryside Access Forum, an independent statutory body consisting of volunteers representing countryside users, landowners and businesses, has written to the Secretary of State making that case. The letter can be accessed from the Forum's website here:

https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/volunteering/countryside-volunteering/kent-countryside-access-forum (look under Correspondence)

You can read more about the consequences of not scrapping the cut-off date in an article in our Annual Reviews 2023 – links below (pages 22 & 23).

UPDATE: The Government announced on Boxing Day 2024 that it will abolish the cut-off date as requested by the Kent Countryside Access Forum's letter – see nesws item dated 26 December 2024 above.

Tonbridge and Malling Ramblers welcome London Blind Ramblers to the West Kent countryside

Sunday 9 June was a special day in the summer walks programme for Tonbridge and Malling Ramblers. 19 members of the group welcomed 11 guest walkers from London Blind Ramblers for a 7.5 mile circular walk from Borough Green to Basted, Plaxtol, Dunks Green and Yopps Green, including a picnic stop at the Kentish Rifleman pub.

London Blind Ramblers (LBR) is a Ramblers-affiliated group for blind and partially sighted people who meet regularly for guided walks in and around the London area. Where public transport allows, the group ventures further afield to join up with local host walking groups such as Tonbridge and Malling Ramblers.

Simon Parsons, from Snodland, prepared and led the walk. Simon, who previously worked for Kent Association for the Blind, explained how the preparation for the walk was slightly different than usual. “We needed to start and finish at a station with quick access to and from London so the LBR could get to us easily. The route needed to have stiles in good condition and footpaths without too many obstructions or trip hazards. Also, I needed to ensure that any lanes on the route were quiet with few cars.”

A Week's Walking With the White Cliffs Ramblers

The White Cliffs Ramblers are pleased to release their programme of walks for their walking week to be held between the 15th to the 21st July. There are walks every day designed to showcase the scenic coastline and beautiful countryside of Kent; most walks include a visit to a local hostelry, place of interest or a theme.

Deborah Quow the White Cliffs Ramblers walk coordinator said, “The main thrust of the Walking Week is to provide at least one walk a day for a week and offer start times and locations which we do not usually offer with a focus also on socialising during or after the walk in a café, pub or restaurant.

This year, we are pleased to say that we have two walks on six of the seven days and they range from earlier morning to late evening, the first one being a 9am walk around the Pegwell Nature Reserve ending with elevenses in the Viking Ship Café and the last one being a sunset walk in St Margaret’s taking in a drink at the Zetland Arms.

There are three new Royal Kentish Camino walks on offer and also two legs of the Via Francigena, both initially starting from Canterbury, but taking in several scenic parts of the Kentish countryside on the way to the south coast.

Other walks include a full moon walk starting in Swingfield, St Mary’s Island, Chatham and Docks, a tour of the Royal Marine Barracks in Walmer and Deal and a memorial walk from Bleriot Memorial, Dover. A walk around the Leeds Castle countryside and the Medway Valley also feature.”

Walks are free and for most walks you do not have to book just turn up. Food, beverages and entry into places of interest will be at your own expense. All are welcome - further details and the programme of walks are available on the White Cliffs Ramblers’ website at https://whitecliffsramblers.org.uk/white-cliffs-walking-festival/

12 January 2023: BBC finds nearly 32,000 places where paths are blocked in England and Wales

Throughout the day BBC news broadcasts have been reporting the BBC's research disclosing how underfunded local authorities are struggling to deal with obstacles on public rights of way. You can read the Ramblers' take on this here:

BBC finds nearly 32,000 places where paths are blocked in England and Wales

BBC Radio Kent covered the story and interviewed Kent Area Chairman Colin Sefton. You can listen to the item here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gzsgrm

The item starts at around 49:20.

If you encounter footpath problems in Kent, Medway, Bromley or Bexley, please report them in the first instance to the relevant council as described by clicking the Path Problems menu item at the top of this page. If you have received no meaningful response after six months, please let us know and we will consider whether the issue should be escalated, bearing in mind that whenever and issue is moved up the priority list others have to be moved down. We may also be able to deploy our own volunteers to deal with problems such as vegetation growth. If you feel that the council's response is inadequate this will probably because of insufficient funding of the rights of way service and if you live in the council area concerned you could consider raising the matter with your local councillor.

We never have enough volunteers to undertake all the activities we would like in order to protect the interests of walkers in Kent. If you would like to help, please click on Support Us on the menu bar above for more information.

16 December 2023: Kent Ramblers' 2023 Annual Review Published

The 2023 Annual Review is now available to read online:

High resolution version (38MB)

Low resolutions version for those with slow internet connections (5MB)

All members who have not opted out of paper copies should have received their copies in the post by now.

If you receive a paper copy but would prefer just the on-line version next year, please email your membership number and postcode to nopaper@kentramblers.org.uk.

24 September 2023: Medway Group to take Stall to Wild about Capstone

We will be at Capstone Farm Country Park for the Wild about Capstone celebration of being outdoors and enjoying the natural environment from 11.00am to 3:00pm on Sunday 24 September. Our volunteers will be offering advice on all aspects of walking and a selection of guidebooks will be on sale.

5 September 2023: White Cliffs Group installs Gate in Memory of Margaret Lubbock and Les Preston

On a warm September day the Memorial Gate in tribute to Margaret Lubbock and Les Preston was installed on path HE334 near Elham to replace the difficult stile for the benefit of all walkers.

Margaret and Les were stalwart volunteers not only in White Cliffs Group but also in the running of Kent Area of the Ramblers for many years until their untimely deaths during the Covid pandemic. We miss them very much.

There are more details on the White Cliffs website. The photograph is by Andrew Swarbrick.

7 August 2023: New Guide to Wealdway Published

The Wealdway is one of the South East's finest long-distance walks, crossing Kent and East Sussex from Gravesend to Eastbourne. The 82-mile route crosses the North Downs, the Greensand ridge, the Medway valley (twice), the High Weald (including Ashdown Forest), the Low Weald and the South Downs. Few walks offer such a variety of scenery and our new guide helps you appreciate the geology, history and landscape as you pass.

There have been at least five previous guides to the Wealdway but the most recent of these was published in 1999 and has long been out of print. We hope that our new guide will revive interest in a walk that was largely created by volunteers from Kent and Sussex Ramblers.

To buy a copy, visit our publications page.

White Cliffs Ramblers Walking Week 17 to 23 July 2023

From the 17th to the 23rd of July the White Cliffs Ramblers (WCR) will be hosting a week of walking around the beautiful coast and countryside of East Kent. The event is open to Rambler’s members and anyone who wishes to join us on a walk. There will be 2 or 3 walks a day, led and supported by WCR volunteers. Details of the programme, once it has been finalised, will be available in the walks section on our group website:

www.whitecliffsramblers.org.uk.

There will be no White Cliffs Walking Festival this year. Unfortunately, many of our dedicated team of volunteers who used to give up a great deal of their time and put in the enormous effort to organise our Festival have decided to take a well-earned rest. We are in the process of recruiting willing volunteers this year so that the festival can return in the future.

19 March 2023: New Information Board Unveiled at Tonbridge Castle

For perhaps thirty years an information board promoting the Wealdway stood in Tonbridge High Street in front of the castle walls. Last year it disappeared during an exceptional storm and now we have replaced it with a board promoting not just the Wealdway but also the Eden Valley Walk and the Medway Valley Walk as all three meet at this point. Today walkers from Tonbridge & Malling Ramblers met to celebrate the new board which was funded from the sale of our walking guides and installed by the Public Rights of Way Team at Kent County Council.

These are wonderful walks and spring is here. Time to get out into the lovely Kent and Sussex countryside.

19 January 2023: Canterbury Walking Week Announcement

Canterbury Ramblers has published the programme for this year's Canterbury Walking Week which will take place from 23 to 29 April 2023.

Photograph is of Wingham.

14 January 2023: Darent Valley Path Improvement

Thanks to the efforts of one of our Parish Footpath Observers, Rob Archer, improvements to a section of the Darent Valley Path just north of South Darenth were completed recently. Previously the 100 metre section of the DVP had been narrow, often muddy and not officially recognised as a public right of way. It has now been widened, its surface improved and recognised as a public right of way by diversion onto it of a path through a nearby garden which had long been unusable.

The line of the Darent Valley Path remains the same. This long distance route runs from Sevenoaks and Chipstead to the confluence of the Darent with the Thames north of Dartford. The route is one of those fully described in our guide to Three River Valley Walks in West Kent.

We depend on volunteers like Rob for most of the benefits we bring to walkers in Kent. If you would like to become one of them, please look at our volunteering page then get in touch.

19 December 2022: Kent Ramblers' 2022 Annual Review Published

The 2022 Annual Review is now available to read online:

Annual Review 2022

All members who have not opted out of paper copies should have received their Annual Review by now.

If you receive a paper copy but would prefer just the on-line version next year, please email your membership number and postcode to nopaper@kentramblers.org.uk.

20 October 2022: Opening of New Section of England Coast Path in Kent Announced

Natural England has announced that the 28 mile section of the England Coast Path from Whitstable harbour to Kingsferry bridge will be officially open from 26 October 2022. As well as historic Whitstable famous for its oysters, the route passes the ancient market town of Faversham, the birdlife-rich marshes at Oare and the picturesque hamlet of Conyer.

Click on map to view enlarged version

We plan to publish a guide to the whole of the coast path route from Ramsgate to Kingsferry bridge plus Sheppey once the rest of the route is open. If you don't want to wait and would like to help check the draft guide, click here for more information.

10 October 2022: Annual Meeting on Rights of Way Issues

This is a great opportunity for those interested or involved in public rights of way issues in Kent to get together to listen to the experts and mix with like minded people. This is the first time in more than three years that we have been able to get together in the same room so do please come along - but booking is essential, if possible by 3 October. For more details, visit lenham/index.htm.

15 September 2022: Get Outside Day

On Sunday 25 September, Ordnance Survey’s annual #GetOutsideDay returns. To celebrate, Kent Ramblers' groups are inviting everyone to join them for a free taster walk.

The Ramblers is a partner of #GetOutsideDay. It’s a chance to enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits the outdoors has to offer. With experienced walk leaders across Britain, the Ramblers has thousands of tried and tested group walks on offer. A free taster walk is a great opportunity to experience a new route, right on your doorstep.

20 August 2022: Programme for High Weald Walking Festival Published

The High Weald Walking Festival will run from Saturday 10 to Sunday 18 September 2022. The Festival is a joint effort between the Ramblers and the High Weald AONB Unit with Kent Ramblers' Groups leading a number of the walks. There is also a programme of self-led walks, many of them taken from our library of walking routes.

For more information visit the Festival web site.

15 August 2022: Secretary of State Announces Decision on Route of Coast Path on South Sheppey

We have long been awaiting the decision of the Secretary of State on three objections to the proposed route of the England Coast Path around the Isle of Sheppey. One objection related to the route between Sheerness and Leysdown and two objections related to the route between Leysdown and Sheppey Bridge via Harty. An Inspector visited both sites last November and this week the Secretary of State announced that the two objections on the south shore had not been upheld so that the Coast Path will follow the route originally proposed by Natural England.

We still await a decision on the northern objection and also on an objection relating to a section of path on the Kent mainland just east of Lower Halstow which the Inspector also visited last November.

There is more information about the England Coast Path in Kent here.

27 June 2022: White Cliffs Walking Festival 2022 Programme Published

The programme for this year's White Cliffs Walking Festival is now available. For more information, please visit the Festival website.

25 January 2022: White Cliffs Walking Festival 2022 Announced

This year's White Cliffs Walking Festival will take place from 25 to 30 August.

Welcome to this beautiful and historic area of Kent recently identified by Lonely Planet as 4th on the list of the world's best regions to visit in 2022.

The White Cliffs walking festival aims to showcase the many varied scenic delights, historical and natural through a variety of walks suitable for all ages and abilities. Everyone welcome. Walks are mostly free. Donations are appreciated.

Visit the website at whitecliffswalkingfestival.org.uk for more information.