insideKENT Magazine Issue 68 - November 2017 | Page 54

DAYSOUT
COUNTRYSIDE WALKING
WITH STYLISH FLAIR
CRANBROOK HAS A RICH HISTORY IN TEXTILE PRODUCTION WITH BROADCLOTH TEXTILE
PRODUCTION REACHING ITS PEAK IN THE TUDOR PERIOD. FOLLOWING THIS, AGRICULTURE
FLOURISHED AND CRANBROOK BECAME AN IMPORTANT MARKET TOWN KNOWN FOR
ORCHARDS AND HOP GARDENS. CRANBROOK IS ALSO HOME TO THE TALLEST SURVIVING
SMOCK MILL IN THE BRITISH ISLES WHICH PRODUCES STONEGROUND WHOLEMEAL FLOUR
FOR THE MILL SHOP. VISIT THE PRETTY VILLAGE OF SISSINGHURST AND SISSINGHURST CASTLE,
OWNED BY THE NATIONAL TRUST; THE GARDENS WERE CREATED BY VITA SACKVILLE-WEST,
THE KENT AUTHOR AND POET, WITH HER HUSBAND SIR HAROLD NICHOLSON.
Your walk begins in the High Street near the
White Horse Inn, a pub that has undergone
extensive redecoration over the last year and
is a good place to stop for a quick drink before
starting your walk if you need to fuel up!
After the pub, head up the steps past the
church and follow the path through the
cemetery. The church is known locally as the
Cathedral of the Weald and is an impressive
landmark.
Continue along the path as it enters into a
playing field. Pass the play area and follow the
fence line to the road.
Go down the steps and cross the road to
continue on the footpath. Pass through a
kissing gate and follow the path close to the
fence line with the field on your right. Look
out over the expanse of farmland and orchards
before you.
On reaching a waymarker post, turn right to
follow the High Weald Landscape Trail along
the hedgerow. Continue to follow High Weald
Landscape Trail signs along the field edges
until you reach a footbridge.
54
Cross the footbridge and follow the footpath
along the edge of the field on the left. Bear left
through a gap and head across the field
towards houses and gate at the road.
Go through gate and turn left to walk along
the pleasant country road for a short distance.
Turn left to follow the footpath sign towards
Crane Farm. On reaching a junction, bear left
to continue on the surfaced path. This is
another good opportunity to check out the
autumnal landscape that surrounds you!
Cross the bridge ahead and follow the path
ahead past a house on your right. Follow the
well-surfaced path through a wooded area
which will emerge onto more farmland.
Go through gate and continue following the
path ahead.
Turn left at the waymarker post to pass through
the wooden gate and follow the track towards
the house. Nearing the house, as the track
bends round to the left, bear right to follow
path through two gates. On reaching the
stables, turn right to follow the track through
the stable area.
There is a short climb ahead! Turn left off the
track to follow the footpath straight across the
field. Turn right here if you want to visit
Sissinghurst village, home to Sissinghurst
Castle and gardens. There is a collection of
pretty white clapboard properties including a
stripy one and a handful of shops perfect for
browsing! It’s well worth the short detour to
visit this pretty English Country village.
Retracing your steps back across the field from
Sissinghurst and continuing on your walk, go
through kissing gate into the woods and follow
the path to another kissing gate.
Come out of the woods and follow the path
ahead. Follow this straight path all the way
back to the road and retrace your steps past
the church, back to where you started.
This is a walk that combines heritage and
English country delights all in one walk. It’s a
perfect autumn or early winter walk to take if
you wa nt to catch the last of the autumn
splendour with the opportunity to visit a
wonderful garden too!