Wye Figure of Eight, July 20, 2024
Despite a very warm week and the warning of a long and steep morning, sixteen Morley Ramblers turned up for this walk round the pretty and ancient Kent village of Wye .
We soon entered fields of cereals on a straight path up to Wye Downs aiming for our first snack stop – the Wye Crown. We paused half way for a drink and were rewarded by a lovely view over our route so far. Happily the steepest part of the ascent is through dense woodland from which we exited to splendid views over the Great Stour flood plain.
The next section of the walk is along ridge great views to the South all the way. We stopped to explore the Crown – made of flint and cut into the chalk of the Downs in 1902 to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII. It has been freshly whitewashed for Charles III. In 2000 a millennium stone was created to the North of the Crown and there is also a beacon, established in 2022 to celebrate the platinum jubilee of The Queen (Elizabeth of course!).
After passing the spectacular coomb called the Devil’s Kneading Trough the route descends through more welcome shady and steep woodland. However our way was blocked by a group of cows – also seeking the shade – and right in front of the swing gate to our path. Thanks to confident and assertive admonition by Julian they mooched off leaving the way clear for even the most apprehensive ramblers.
Once at the bottom of the scarp the way led straight to the lunchtime pub along more field paths between billowing cereals.
The New Flying Horse pub did not disappoint – reasonable prices, big bowls of hot, fat chips and coffee in civilised cups! Picnickers enjoyed the shady churchyard of the fifteenth century church just beyond the 1447 buildings of Wye College – formerly the agricultural college of London University – now being sadly developed into luxury dwellings. (I could rant on about this…)
It had been a long, hot morning and after lunch the group dwindled to eight walkers who enjoyed a pleasant stroll through fields crossing the Great Stour flood plain.
The Tickled Trout in Wye is the perfect end point for a walk: a decent range of ales, good tea and coffee, acceptable cakes (albeit pre-packaged slices) and a river at the bottom of the garden to paddle in. And it is right next to the station!
This walk is a new one for our group and the consensus was that it is a lovely one. I think I’ll try a variation next time – a longer afternoon and a short cut in the morning.
