A Guide to the Wealdway: From the Thames to the English Channel

The Wealdway is an exceptionally fine walk running 82 miles from Gravesend on the Thames Estuary to Beachy Head and Eastbourne on the south coast. It crosses the North Downs, the Greensand ridge, the Medway valley (twice), the High Weald (including Ashdown Forest), the Low Weald and the South Downs. This is quintessential English countryside with rolling downs, archetypal village greens on which cricket has been played for centuries, deep wooded valleys and traditional pubs. History abounds with numerous furnace and hammer ponds reminding us of the iron industry that characterised the Weald in the times of the Tudors and Stuarts and many fine old houses constructed of materials that vary along the route with the underlying geology. Despite its proximity to many towns and with London not far away, much of the route has a surprisingly remote feel to it. The book offers a full description of the route, newly-drawn maps at 1:25,000 scale, background information on geology, history and land