4/8/2016 Ightham Mote's circular walk to Wilmot Hill | National Trust

Ightham Mote's circular walk to Wilmot Hill map | Ordnance Survey

Start: Ightham Mote visitor reception; grid ref: TQ584535

IghthamMote's 1 With visitor reception behind you, walk through the walled car park and up the entrance
driveway to a ve-bar gate and stile on the right, which is the entrance to Scathes Wood.
Cross the stile and follow the footpath ahead, ignoring paths to the right and left, until the

circularwalkto path ahead begins to turn left. At this point, look for a path to the right, with a stile leading
to a parallel path.

2
WilmotHill
Take this path and cross the stile to turn right down a slope into a eld. Continue on
along the edge of the eld with the hedgerow on the right, mostly downhill to a T-junction
and a National Trust sign. Turn right onto the bridleway and continue on ahead, walking
past Ightham Mote house. The bridleway bears to the left, up to the rear entrance gate
and Mote Road. Turn right onto Mote Road and walk a short distance to the entrance
track to Mote Farm on your left.
Walking
Enjoy the Kentish countryside from the Ightham Mote estate as you walk the periphery of
a large part of its 580 acres. The walk incorporates Scathes Wood, the Greensand Way, ViewacrossKentishcountryside
Wilmot Hill and Broadhoath Wood. Choose from two options when you near the end of This is the view that awaits you as you leave Scathes Wood and is just one of the
your walk. wonderful views that you will see on your walk.

Ightham Mote, Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0NT
3 Walk up the track past the farmyard, bearing right to follow the track in a westerly
direction to Wilmot Cottage, ignoring a track forking to the right on the way. Proceed past
Moderate the cottage (formerly a blacksmith's and pack horse station) and an old brick lter house
or spring, to steps up on the right, turning left to head west again. Continue on for
2 hours approximately 87yd (80m) to a footpath on the right. Now leave the Greensand Way and
follow the green walk at this right turn, bearing right up steps then turning 180 degrees to
4 miles (6.4 km)
head west again on up a narrow path up a steep incline (there is a steep bank sloping
Explorer 147; grid ref: TQ584535 away on the left-hand side). At the top of the path, cross a stile with a National Trust
sign.
Dog friendly

WalkuptoWilmotHill
This tree-lined pathway leads you up through this Special Site of Scientic Interest
(SSSI) towards Wilmot Hill.

4 Having crossed the stile, turn right and step under or around the permitted footpath
timber barrier and proceed downhill to a cross path. Continue on over this cross path,
stepping between points at the side of a timber barrier, to follow the path ahead with the
tree line on the right.

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4/8/2016 Ightham Mote's circular walk to Wilmot Hill | National Trust

Terrain 5 Carry on down this path, which bears right, before heading down to another timber
barrier. Beyond is a bridleway that sweeps down from Broadhoath Wood on the left,
which you carry straight ahead on. Some 55yd (50m) before this barrier there is a narrow
A mixture of woodland, footpaths and some steep inclines. Dogs are welcome on path between trees, leading to two springs owing out of the hillside. (These springs feed
the estate, but please keep them on leads when near livestock. the pond below by the barrier, which is the main water course that ows through Ightham
Mote, serving the north and south lakes, and of course the moat). Pass between the
posts at the barrier and continue on with a stream on your right, past the hopper huts
Contactus (one-room houses that were used by hop pickers on their working holidays) and silt trap
to Moat Road.
Telephone: 01732 810378
Email: ighthammote@nationaltrust.org.uk WilmotHill
[mailto:ighthammote@nationaltrust.org.uk]
The woodland at Wilmot Hill consists of mature coppice and is dominated by sweet
Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-mote/
chestnut trees.
[http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-mote/]

Howtogethere 6 From here, you can cross the road and walk up the footpath at the north end of the
Ightham Mote garden, up a few steps to the entrance driveway to Ightham Mote. Turn
right to enter the car park and complete the walk.
Address:
Ightham Mote, Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0NT Alternativeendofroute
By train: Alternatively, at direction 4 turn right by the silt trap and follow the road for a ne view of
Borough Green and Wrotham 3.5 miles (5.6km); Hildenborough 4 miles (6.4km); Ightham Mote across the apple orchard. (This was probably the rst glimpse of the
Sevenoaks 7 miles (11.2km). Journey time from London Victoria to Borough house by the American Charles Henry Robinson when he was studying in England.
Later, in 1953, as a successful businessman, he was able to buy the property and save it
Green is approximately 40 minutes.
from being demolished). You can either continue on to the cottages and the rear
entrance of Ightham Mote or retrace your steps to the silt trap.
By road:
6 miles (9.6km) north of Tonbridge on A227; 6 miles (9.6km) south of Sevenoaks End: Ightham Mote visitor reception; grid ref: TQ584535
on A25; 16 miles (25.7km) west of Maidstone on A20/A25.

By underground:
Nu-Venture 404 from Sevenoaks, calls Thursday and Friday only, on other days
alight Ivy Hatch Village (St Mary's Lane), 0.75-mile (1.2km) walk. Please note: no
Saturday or Sunday service. Autocar 222 Tunbridge Wells to Borough Green,
alight at Ightham. No Sunday service. 2-mile (3.2km) walk. Arriva 308 Sevenoaks
to Gravesend, hourly service Monday to Saturday, alight Ightham Common, 2-mile
(3.2km) walk.

Facilitiesandaccess
Toilets available at Ightham Mote

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