North Downs Way National Trail

Kent, Surrey

The North Downs Way National Trail broadly follows the historic Pilgrims Way along the North Downs to Canterbury. The first 14 miles are over sandy countryside to the south of the Downs. The Downs are first reached at Newlands Corner, east of Guildford, and from there on the trail mainly follows the crest of the southern escarpment of the North Downs or footpaths and tracks along their lower slopes. There are views over the Weald to the South Downs and several steepish ascents where the ridge is cut by valleys, notably those of the Mole at Box Hill, the Darent at Otford, the Medway at Rochester, and the Stour near Wye.

Generally the route provides comparatively easy walking through woods, over chalk grassland and - especially in Kent - through orchards and farmland.

At Boughton Lees there is a choice of routes. The direct route goes through Wye, over the Downs to Folkestone and along the cliffs to Dover. The alternative route follows hills to the west of the river Stour and passes through orchards and the picturesque village of Chilham to Canterbury. From the cathedral city it heads south-east via Barham Downs, Shepherdswell and Waldershare Park to Dover. Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church form a World Heritage Site.

The waymarked Thames Down Link (15 miles and on OS mapping) connects the Thames Path at Kingston with the North Downs Way near Westhumble along a green corridor through Malden Manor, Horton Country Park, the Commons of Epsom and Ashstead, and Mickleham Downs.

The North Downs Way signposts from Canterbury to Dover include the logo of the Via Francigena: a pilgrim.

SEPTEMBER 2023: The footway alongside the M2 across the Medway Bridge, near Rochester, Kent, was closed for safety improvements from June 2023 until the end of the year. While the closure is in place there is an hourly shuttle bus between 6am and 7pm (going south to north; 6.30am to 7.30pm the other way) which takes walkers across the bridge.

The LDWA National Trails Register offers certificates for completers of several British National Trails.

See also E-Routes (E2).

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Details:

Path Type:	National Trails (England & Wales)
Waymark:	National Trail Acorn
Attributes:	National Trail (England and Wales) Challenging Downland/Wolds World Heritage Site
Start:	SU844466 - Farnham, Surrey
Finish:	TR321411 - Dover, Kent
Open Date:	1978
Web Sites:	National Trails - North Downs Way Explore Kent - North Downs Way Kent Downs - North Downs Way Annierak - North Downs Way [blog] Backpack Artist - North Downs Way [blog] Brian's Walks - North Downs Way [blog] British Walks - North Downs Way [blog] Jason McDonald's Walking Pages - North Downs Way [blog] North Downs Way [unofficial website] Rambling Man - North Downs Way [blog] Southern Walks - Chalk Country : North Downs Way Stephen and Lucy Dawson - North Downs Way [blog] Tim Bertuchi - North Downs Way [blog] Trailplanner - North Downs Way [blog] A walker's journal - The North Downs Way [blog] London Hiker - The best North Downs Way views from Google Trekker [blog] London Hiker - Focus on: the North Downs Way [blog] https://wildwalkinguk.com/2020/10/25/north-downs-way/ North Downs Way 1 - Dover to Hollingbourne (via Canterbury) [YouTube video] North Downs Way 2 - Hollingbourne to Oxted [YouTube video] North Downs Way 3 - Oxted to Farnham [YouTube video]

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook	North Downs Way: National Trail Guide  (Trails Shop  - 2023 )
Guidebook	North Downs Way: A Guide to Walking the National Trail from Farnham to Dover  (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform  - 2019 )
Guidebook	North Downs Way : Farnham to Dover  (Trailblazer  - 2018 )
Guidebook	Walking the North Downs Way National Trail : from Farnham to Dover  (Cicerone Press  - 2017 )
General Interest Book	National Trails : 19 long-distance routes through England, Scotland and Wales  (Cicerone Press  - 2015 )
Guidebook	Guide to the Pilgrims' Way and North Downs Way  (Constable and Robinson (an imprint of Little, Brown)  - 1993 )
General Interest Book	Big walks of the south  (Summersdale Publishers  - 2010 )
General Interest Book	Big walks of Great Britain  (Summersdale Publishers  - 2007 )
External download	Surrey County Council - Thames Down Link  (Surrey County Council )
Badge	Badge for National Trails  (Trails Shop )
Certificate	Certificate for National Trails  (Trails Shop )
Certificate	Certificate for National Trails  (Long Distance Walkers Association )
Certificate	Explore Kent Walk Challenge Certificate  (Explore Kent )
Other	National Trail mug  (Trails Shop )
Guidebook	Pub walks along the Pilgrims' Way & North Downs Way  (Countryside Books  - 1998 )
General Interest Book	Tales from the Big Trails  (Vertebrate Publishing  - 2021 )

Click to showhide 12 more Publications, Badges and Certificates

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