This turned out to be something of a grey day even though the weather forecast has been for patchy sunshine. Of late the forecast seemed to be entirely fabricated, shifting from day to day and hour by hour making it very hard to plan. But still, it was an ok day and the trees were in golden, full splendour so that was nice. It would have been great if there were some sunshine though. It was a very still day. Completely grey and cloudy with hardly a breath of air but pleasantly cool, so even late into the morning, all the grass was covered in dew. And the birds seemed to be singing like crazy for some reason. Some places were slightly muddy but nothing really to worry about.
I drove to Ham Street and took the train to Ashford. Then much of the first part of the walk was taken up with getting from Ashford station to Great Chart where I had left the path last time. It was a pleasant walk along the river Stour.
It was also one of those late autumn days where the leaves come tumbling out of the trees in great showers for no particular reason. It was almost as if the first leaf to fall touched the next and the next and the next causing them to cascade down. I expected this was one of the very last weekends in autumn where the trees would still have leaves. The next windy or rainy day would likely cause everything to get stripped. It was really lovely.
There is a place (51.130180, 0.831116) where I did stop to wonder if the path went through a gap in the hedge but it looked on the map like it didn’t so I carried on. I was wrong. It meant that I ended up on the wrong side of a stream and had to climb over a five-bar gate to get out of the field. If I’d gone through the gap in the hedge I would’ve ended up the other side the stream and on a very reasonable path. There’s a couple of pictures to show where I mean.
You should see the number of houses that they’ve built on what was presumably a field (51.127346, 0.839613 ) just north of Willowbed Farm (south west of Ashford). They have really crammed them in. I took some pictures to show how crazy this is.
Bond Farm (51.112581, 0.862855 ) has a big sign on the road opposite its gate showing that the path goes through there but they have put up a big wrought iron gate right across it making it look like the entrance to a totally private driveway. However, the ironwork has a side gate that you can open and just walk right through; but it really doesn’t look like a public path at all; even though it is. You just need to know that you can go through there even though it looks like you can’t.
Not far from that same place if you follow the obvious track (51.112581, 0.862855 ) in the field you end up coming out on the road in the wrong place (51.109052, 0.863177 ) and because there is a footpath on just the opposite side of the road, you can think you are on track. Wong! So be careful.
There is a seriously overgrown section of the path just by Braeside Farm (51.104038, 0.869743) I took a picture pictures to show what I meant as it looks so impossible. There is a very clear sign pointing right down there so it is unmistakable and when you get going you will find it is actually quite an ok walk. It just doesn’t look like it will be.
It can be surprising how dark the inside of woodland looks from the outside. I took a picture of Golden Wood (51.093778, 0.871588 ) from halfway across the field as I approached it and honestly the inside of that woodland seems black as night. Once you get there really isn’t, but from some distance away it is.
The section of the path that goes along the side of the A2070 (51.091363, 0.872876 ) is a bit of a shock. It was not really dangerous because the hard shoulder is wide enough to walk in, but it’s a busy road and when big trucks go past you feel you have to squeeze over a bit to make sure you don’t get caught or hooked up by then. Just a bit tricky really. Crossing the railway right next to the road is interesting. See the pictures.
Ham Street woods were very peaceful and at this time of the year. They were gorgeous, almost idyllically beautiful with golden leaves everywhere. The only downside is that the A2070 makes a lot of noise which you can hear clearly. So the silence of the woods was lost. Visually they are stunning.
Something heavy had been through the woods and really messed up the path. It looked like an enormously heavy vehicle had been dragging something that’s been slithering and sliding and just left mud everywhere. Bit of a shame to be honest.
When I got back to Hamstreet I thought I go to what seems to be the only church in the village just to say thank you for keeping me safe on this trip and for all these years. But it was small, and very shut. So I will have to find another way another time.
Conclusion
So that completes the Greensand Way, even it has taken me seven years to get it done! What’s the overall impression? Well, it was a pretty easy walk. There are no crazy hills nothing too steep either up or down and there are some moderate views over the vales from the top of the hill ridges. It was though, a bit boring. It was a safe and very pretty in places. So, I’d say it was worth doing, but not if you’re looking for thrills. Most days are the same as every other day and it really doesn’t change very much at all from one section to the next. It can become a bit same-ish. Some of the woodlands are lovely and some of the views are nice and that’s it. Oh yes, and some of the orchards are lovely when the apples are all hanging in September and I bet they’d also be lovely in May when everything is in flower. Nothing to quicken the pulse or offer thrills. It’s a gentle, safe, calm and pretty walk with less pointless ups and downs than the North Downs Way. So, for that reason I prefer it. I suppose it’s yet another walk that would be worth doing at different times of year. Overall, yes, I am glad I did it. Am I in a hurry to do it again? Not really. It does have the benefit of being largely accessible from London though, but I think there seem to be others routes calling that offer something different. A coastal walk maybe? It also seems that every walk introduces you to the next one you never heard of before. I’ve seen signpost for the Saxon Shore Way which goes from Gravesend right down to Hastings (262 km) so that’s a long walk. We’ll see… maybe one day. For now though, another chapter closes. This walk is done and it’s time to go home.
