insideKENT Magazine Issue 80 - November 2018 | Page 46

DAYSOUT
AUTUMNAL KENTISH CHARM IN
HORTON KIRBY
TAKE A RELAXING RIVER WALK ALONG THE MOST PICTURESQUE STRETCH OF THE
RIVER DARENT, WHICH FOLLOWS THE RIVER THROUGH BEAUTIFUL FIELDS AND COPSES.
THE GENTLE WINDING PATHS MAKE THIS AN IDEAL WALK FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY IN
ANY SEASON WITH AUTUMN BEING ESPECIALLY SPLENDID DUE TO THE GOLDENING OF
THE LANDSCAPE, THE CROPS BEING COLLECTED FOR HARVEST AND THE LEAVES FROM
THE TREES PRESENTING A PATH OF RICH YELLOW. SHEEP AND PONIES DOT THE
LANDSCAPE AND HISTORICAL BUILDINGS ARE IN ABUNDANCE ON THIS WALK, WHICH IS
IDEAL FOR LOVERS OF BOTH HISTORY AND WILDLIFE.
Leaving the car park, you’ll be greeted
immediately by the river, which will be swirling
over the weirs. Follow the tree lined path.
Crossing the road, continue to follow the path
that runs alongside the wonderfully kept village
cricket field. Horton Kirby Cricket Club was
founded in 1882 and plays competitive league
cricket every weekend between April and
September. You will also pass Franks Hall, an
impressive brick-built Tudor mansion set in
substantial grounds. It is reputed that Queen
Elizabeth I may have stayed at Franks Hall.
Rejoining the river, look at the delightful view
of the Darent Valley before you. Here you can
see ponies grazing in open fields and sheep
on the hillsides. Heading towards Farningham,
a lively village with a Neolithic history, you
will come across the Lion Hotel, which has
been a popular spot in Farningham since the
16th century and was once paid a visit by
Charles Dickens while he was out on a trout
fishing trip. It remains a frequent haunt with
anglers to this day. Across the road from the
Lion Hotel stands one of the finest mills and
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mill houses in the valley, be sure to stop to
admire this white-weatherboarded mill, which
ground corn until 1900. Residents at the mill
house have included Captain Bligh, who
served on the famous ship, The Bounty.
Farningham has been a bustling village since
the 18th century when it was an important
overnight stop on the coach road from London
to the coast and its three fine inns are still
popular with visitors and locals alike.
Nowadays, it remains a busy village with
picture book village shops including three
pubs, an Indian restaurant, a furniture shop,
an antique shop and a village store all sitting
alongside traditional weatherboard and flint-
faced cottages.
Cross the town bridge passing the site of a
former medieval fair and castle. Farningham
hosted a large weekly market and was the site
of four-day annual fairs in the 14th century.
It is now the village green space known as
Market Meadow. Continue up the main street
with its well-preserved Georgian houses and
turn left just after Farningham House, opposite
the Pied Bull pub, to follow the path across
fields and back along the riverbank.
This is a great point in your walk to see some
wildlife. The yellow breasts of grey wagtails
are regularly seen along this stretch of river
and numerous holes in the banks are home
to small creatures such as water voles. Look
for wrens foraging around the base of the
many trees that line the river with tree creepers
circling up the ivy-clad trunks.
Crossing over the road to return to Horton
Kirby, you’ll follow the path over a bridge across
the weir and back to the car park. Before you
leave, be sure to explore Horton Kirby, which
dates back to the Roman times, and pay a visit
to the pleasant pub on the main street. It’s the
perfect end to a late autumn walk before
heading home.