DAYSOUT
Ide Hill
PEACEFUL PATHS AND INSPIRING HILLS
This walk from the picturesque green at Ide Hill follows the Greensand
Way, passing breathtaking views over the Weald.
From the green, follow the path to join the
Greensand Way. Here you’ll catch your first taste
of the panoramic views that lie along the route.
Cross the bottom of the valley and the gentle
brook before striding uphill towards more
rewarding views over the Weald. Right at the top
of the hill a bench offers the chance to sit and
enjoy the views that inspired Sir Winston Churchill
to declare: “This is what we are fighting for.”
Toys Hill, the 200-acre spread of woodland to
the right was the birthplace of the National Trust
as the inspiration for Octavia Hill to found the
trust. This Site of Special Scientific Interest has
an abundance of wildlife and glorious views.
Evidence of the charcoal pits that supported the
medieval economy can be seen in Scords Wood
along with the chert pits, a stone used in road
building.
Follow the path along the valley as it opens out
into a field. Small streams trickle through the
lower slopes of the Greensand escarpment,
providing plenty of drinking water for the cattle
that graze here.
As you make your way along the valley floor, the
shield of woodland on the hillside creates a
peaceful shelter.
Follow the small footbridge across more open
farmland, passing historic Henden Manor Farm,
which covers more than 600 acres and has been
trading milk since 1997. The manor was gifted
to Sir Thomas Boleyn, father of the future queen
by Henry VIII in 1516.
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Head through Chains Farm at the top of the hill,
passing a series of ponds to reach Boar Hill Road
and the fringes Stubbs Wood Country Park,
perched on the Greensand Ridge. The woodland
in this Site of Special Scientific Interest is
interspersed with English oak, beech, ash, holly,
whitebeam, chestnut, hazel and rowan.
The hill finally drops away on the left as you join
the ridge crest to follow the path downhill. Strolling
down the hill you’ll pass glorious views across
the roofs of the houses set on the hillside.
Rejoin the main highway over the crossroads to
re-enter Ide Hill. From here proceed uphill to the
green as the road opens out along the Cock Inn.