insideKENT Magazine Issue 51 - June 2016 | Page 102

DAYSOUT

Sissinghurst
A WALK THROUGH TIME
Sissinghurst is situated in one of the most pretty parts of Kent – walk through
patchwork fields, ancient woodland, and even see the unmissable Sissinghurst
Castle as you make your way through the unspoilt landscape. Stop for unrushed
refreshments at a Kentish pub or sample delicious local produce at the National
Trust restaurant. This walk is an adventure steeped in history.

Your walk begins at the Weald Information Centre
in Cranbrook which is well worth exploring prior
to starting your walk. Cranbrook is home to a
pretty windmill complete with sails that form the
iconic landscape of the village. There are also
numerous independent shops and cafés to
explore all in fabulous Kentish weather-boarded
buildings – why not have a hearty breakfast to
set you up for the day?

paddocks and a pond on the left, and a fence
on the right. Take the right-hand fork where the
footpath divides and continue walking with the
woodland on your left, then enter the wood. Note
the evidence of old quarries in the wood (hence
the name Gravel Pit Wood), a lasting testament
to the wood’s former use and follow the
path over a bridge and up a drive to the main
road (A262).

From the Weald Information Centre, go through
St Dunstan's churchyard, and up past the former
Victorian Church of England Primary School –
now a doctors' surgery – on your left. The church
of St Dunstan’s is well worth exploring, often
referred to as the 'Cathedral of the Weald' it is
easy to see why.

The stream under the bridge leads to a pond,
formed by damming, at Spratsbourne Farm. This
pond provided water to power the Spratsbourne
corn mill until the 20th century.

Pass through a kissing gate and turn right onto
an enclosed path, and you will eventually reach
a field where you bear left through a gate, then
walk up to the main road (A229). Cross the road
with care. When you reach the drive opposite,
go through the gate, bearing left along a footpath,
before you reach Fir House. The path leads past

Cross the road to an enclosed path. Follow the
path and you will emerge on the driveway of a
modern house standing on the left. Turn right
down the driveway, towards the road. Cross the
road with care, and walk up the driveway towards
Hazleden Farm.
Follow the path between the cottages and the
pond on the right, bear right after the last
bungalow on the right, where it leads out to open

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fields. Continue downhill, with the hedge on your
left. Go through the gate at the bottom,
opposite Friezley House. After you come through
the gate, turn left down Friezley Lane towards
Hocker Edge.
Follow the track through the woodland and turn
right through a gate, just past a cottage, as the
track opens out. Bear slightly left across the field,
then follow the hedge line on your right until you
reach a path. Turn left and keep on the track until
a waymarker directs you through the wood.
Follow the path through the wood, and you will
come out where a gate has been built into fencing
to secure free-range chickens. Go through the
gate and walk straight across the field to another
gate on the far side. Follow the edge of the wood
and go through the gap in front of you. Follow
the markers through the wood until you reach a
track which leads up to the main road (A229).
Turn left and cross the road with care, walking
on the verge a short distance until you reach a
driveway on the right, with a gate across. Walk
up the driveway and turn right to follow a path