Hayesden Country Park and
Leigh
Distance:
4 miles (1 hour 50 minutes)
OS Map:
Explorer 147 (Start at grid reference TQ571459)
Click map to enlarge and click
again to enlarge further
Park in car park at Haysden Country Park (1.80p for
four hours and £4.00 for longer). If approaching
from A21 southbound, leave at Tonbridge exit and follow
signposts for Tonbridge. At first roundabout, turn
left (signposted Country Park) past West Kent College.
Turn for Haysden Country Park is soon on right and is
well signposted. The road is narrow. After
half a mile, turn right into entrance to Park. The
speed humps are severe, so go very slowly.
Leave farthest corner of main car park (before the
overflow car park) and take arched Shallows Bridge
gradually approaching railway. After crossing
another arched footbridge (Rainbow Bridge) turn left
then immediately right along track signposted “Haysden
Lake” straight towards A21 high above. On reaching
embankment, go straight up it and down other side then
forwards under A21 towards lake.
Follow path alongside the lake, with railway on your
right. At junction with path through railway arch
on right, bear left to lake edge. At end of lake,
following main path, bear left over James Christie
bridge and turn right along long straight stretch of
path – part of the “Straight Mile” (see Points of
Interest).
At end of the Straight Mile, bear right over bridge
over stagnant water then left towards bridge made of
green girders. Cross bridge and take path
northwards towards embankment. Go over
embankment, under railway and continue past gate into
Green View Avenue. Continue to Leigh village
green, bear right round green and turn right into
Powdermill Lane. Soon take public footpath on left
by some railings. Soon turn right past house then
through kissing gate and right through woodland.
At end of woodland go through kissing gate and take path
between fences followed by two more gates. Cross
right hand edges of three fields cross footbridge over
A21.
Continue along path, initially with woodland on left.
Cross left hand side of field and pass isolated house on
left. Carry straight on over three footbridges and
climb with glimpses of large house called Avalon
(formerly Meopham Bank) on left.
Before you get to lodge on drive to Avalon, take
stile on right leading into drive of house. Cross
drive and go through gap immediately to right of two
garages opposite. Follow path along right hand
side of field to road.
Turn left and carefully follow road until you reach
right turn signposted Powder Mills. Walk full
length of this road and turn left into Hunter Seal.
Keep left and take the footpath on left when Hunter Seal
bears right.
Follow path alongside lake to junction. Take
right turn signposted Haysden Country Park. Turn
left across Lucifer Bridge, again signposted to Haysden
Country Park. Cross another bridge almost
immediately and reach clearing. Don’t take first
right (the cycle track) but second, soon turning right
again to re-join cycle track. Turn left to Barden
Lake. Turn left and walk round lake to far-left
(southwest) corner. Bear left under railway back
into car park.
In addition to the walking routes on our web site we
have published four popular walking guides:
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Points of Interest
The Straight Mile
The canal on your right was built in the 1830s by the
Penshurst Canal Company in an attempt to straighten the
Medway to make it navigable upstream from Tonbridge.
The enterprise caused a huge dispute with the Medway
Navigation Company whose supply of water for the
operation of its locks was threatened. There were
expensive legal proceedings and fights between workers
from the two companies. The chief instigator of
the venture, James Christie, was bankrupted by
escalating costs and fled to America leaving the canal
never to be completed.
Avalon
Known as Meopham Bank until a few years ago and still
shown as such on most maps, Avalon was once the home of
artist John Frederick Herring Senior (1795 to 1865),
renowned for his paintings of horses. The house,
possibly designed by Septimus Burton (brother of the
more famous Decimus Burton who designed many houses in
Tunbridge Wells and also the Palm House at Kew Gardens),
was then known as Meopham Park.
Barden Lake
Created between 1974 and 1980 by the removal of a 4m
layer of sand and gravel which was itself 2m beneath
soil and other deposits.
Long Distance Walks
Both the 82-mile
Wealdway from Gravesend to Eastbourne and the
Eden Valley Walk from
near Edenbridge to Tonbridge pass through Haysden
Country Park. Kent Ramblers has published guides
to both (see below).
Public Transport
Haysden Country Park is within walking distance of
Tonbridge Station. Alternatively you could start
and finish the walk at Leigh which has a railway station
and is on the 210 bus route to Tonbridge.
Please report any problems with this walk to
info@kentramblers.org.uk.
Ramblers' volunteers in Kent work tirelessly to
ensure that our paths are as well protected and
maintained as possible. Of course we also organise
led walks but most of our members are independent
walkers who simply want to support our footpath work.
Please
join us and become a supporter too. You need
us and we really need you.
Map contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright
and database rights 2023. Some paths on map are based
on data provided by Kent County Council but do not
constitute legal evidence of the line of a right of way.
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