Easy walk through orchards

Description

(D/A) The walk starts at Rainham railway station.

(1) When you arrive at the A2 & standing next to a pub, cross the road & slightly to the left will be the first footpath.

(2) Follow this past some houses turning sharp left. Cross the road at the end & rejoin on the other side.

(3) Look for the stile halfway along the open field. Continue following the footpath crossing roads as you go. Through these fields will be pear & apple orchards plus one Christmas tree field.

(4) Enter Hartlip Church from the rear & cross the road to continue the footpath once through the Church. The footpath opens to a large field with horses, down a gentle slope to another road.

(5) Turn left, walk 50yds and enter another orchard. Cont' through the orchard & towards the end the footpath is overgrown. Follow track through to the road passing the back of a small farm.

(6) Cross the road and up a few small steps & up the hill to a nice view from Standard Hill. At Standard Hill you get a nice view all around. The Medway/Swale Estuary can be seen in the distance. Follow the path through a small field of horses onto a small enclose footpath with houses on the left and the old wall of Newington Manor on the right.

(7) Onto the road, follow Bull Lane down to the A2. A couple of hundred yards will be a turning on the right. The footpath goes past houses and under the railway. An agricultural field with vast 360° views. The OS map shows a straight path but the owner of the orchard makes you take a different path. Once through this, you will enter a field of sheep that eye you suspiciously. Exit the gate, onto the road & walk straight across down the lane. The footpath is just past a driveway and a bit overgrown. The footpath goes across the driveway, is unclear but follow the track to the top right. Through the gate, turn left onto a track that is hardly marked and walk diagonally across the field to a white gate. Follow the footpath around to a road.

(8) At the end of this road, turn right then after 50yds turn left. A golf course will be on your left. After a few minutes walking on the road, you will seen the footpath sign. Take this turning and walk down the clearly marked open wide footpath.

(9) At the end you will be next to the Three Sisters on your right. Follow the road forward. An orchard will be on your right and when this end there will be a road with the Angel PH & Station Road on your left which leads to Rainham railway station. Do not take this but continue forward

(10) Take left to come across an entrance a nature reserve. This is the old chalk quarry with wash mills that transported chalk on a small railway to the river which made its way under road you are on a couple of hundred yards away. After leaving the nature reserve the track makes its way through Rainham up to the Railway station or a little further to shops and back to the start of walk.(D/A)