Ightham Mote

Saturday took us to Ightham Mote near Sevenoaks, another National Trust property.  I had downloaded a walk from the NT website some time ago but we'd never got round to visiting.  We took advantage of their parking facilities, membership does still have some advantages but they seem to be getting less and less these days.  I shall have a rethink when it comes to renewal.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the route we intended to take was now waymarked which simplified navigation, I'm beginning to get out of practice map reading and am mildly concerned for our visit to the Lake District in the summer.  Never mind, it all adds to the fun.

View across the Weald

Ightham Mote

Oast house near Mote Farm

View from Wilmot Hill

The walk itself totalled just over three miles according to my phone, not the four estimated in the description.  It was, however, a very pleasant stroll with lovely views over the Kent countryside, the fact the sun came out certainly helped matters.

Continuing on a theme from earlier posts, there were plenty of signs up warning of the damage dogs can do to livestock, however, there was no sign of any livestock anywhere along the route with most of the fields being full of rape.  I wonder exactly what damage a dog can do to this?

We attempted to visit The Old House pub in Ightham which has the rare distinction of being in both The Good Beer Guide and Doggie Pubs.  Unfortunately, despite it being well after midday, there were no signs of life and it looked like the pub may have closed although it could just be a relaxed landlord.  Anybody have any idea?

We ended up in The Chaser in Shipbourne.  This is an attractive pub with a nice garden but is clearly geared towards food and was very busy, not really surprising given it was Sunday lunch time.  We enjoyed our drinks in the garden and it was nice to see plenty of full water bowls for the dogs.

Thursley

Bank Holiday Monday took us to Thursley, between Guildford and Hindhead where we explored the Common and Nature Reserve.  Parking is available in the Moat carpark on Thursley Road just south of Guildford although this appears to be very popular and we were lucky to find a space.

The common is a nice mix of woodland...

and open healthland.

Heidi was enjoying herself although Kiki kept disappearing.

We also walked around the duckboards surrounding the nature reserve.  Signs politely request that dogs be put on leads due to ground nesting birds in this area. This can be something of a bugbear for me, many National Trust properties put similar signs everywhere despite there being no obvious risk or signs of the livestock mentioned, however, we were only too happy to oblige in this instance given the hunting nature of our two.  

We decided to try the Three Horseshoes in Thursley for a quick drink and I was very impressed.  The menu looks a little pricey but if the quality matches the beer then it should be worth it.  The pub is dog friendly and there is a large garden out the back.

All in, a lovely walk with a very nice pub.  We shall certainly return to the area.

Foxley Wood

The weather on Sunday morning was fairly awful and we weren't inspired to travel far so we decided to try Foxley Woods on the Purley - Kenley border.  We'd never been before but it had recently been recommended by a fellow dog.  We parked in Woodland Way, Purley and let the girls loose.

The wood itself is basically a rectangle which was relatively straightforward to find our way around.

The view could be quite impressive on a good day.

The girls enjoyed a good run around and thankfully didn't disappear.

All in, a perfectly enjoyable, short walk with no navigational challenges  It's one of those places which you wouldn't go out of your way to find but makes a pleasant option to have locally.  Thankfully the weather improved in the afternoon for the second walk over Farthing Downs.