Groombridge and Eridge
Rocks
Distance: 8.1 Miles (4 hours) excluding extension to
Eridge Green for pub visit
OS Map: Explorer 135 (Start at grid reference
TQ533364)

Click map to magnify and click
again to magnify further
Park in free car park adjacent to Groombridge Village
Hall or nearby.
Take path out of car park at corner opposite entrance
alongside left hand edge of playing field, through gate
and along track between fences. On reaching gravel
track, follow fence round to right and take path along
avenue of lime trees. Enter field and follow path
along right hand edge to far right hand corner.
Go over stile, along track and under railway.
Over next stile, turn left along left hand edge of field
to bridge and stile. Follow intermittent line of
oak trees to next stile then cross the middle of two
meadows to protruding hedge. Keeping hedge on
right carry on into woodland past pond.
Turn right before buildings, cross yard and bear
right onto path along left hand edge of meadow and into
wood. Beyond wood follow left hand edge of fields,
passing isolated house on left and entering wood over a
stile, to reach Birchden Farm. Go between oast
house and barn and head straight forward to lane at
junction.
Cross lane at junction and immediately take path
through gate on left. Follow path through woodland
until it joins broader path. Turn right, for 30
metres then bear left through gate at fork. After
another 560 metres at T-junction turn left. At
crossing of broad tracks look for narrower path into
trees just left of straight ahead, through tall pines.
On reaching junction of tracks take second left (fairly
level track) and after 50 metres take narrower path on
right at post, following blue waymarkers and crossing
series of duckboards. On meeting broad track turn left
uphill through gate and at Valley Viewpoint sign turn
right, still following blue waymarkers and soon reaching
car park.
Take broad track past information board, bear right
after a gate and follow blue waymarks to decoy pond.
Continue to follow blue waymarks uphill, straight ahead
at cross paths and right at next junction until you
reach the RSPB reserve boundary and the start of the
Sussex Wildlife Trust reserve. Turn right here
(even though Eridge Rocks are signposted forward).
On reaching a large oak, information board, pond and
waymark post on right, turn left past Sussex Wildlife
Trust sign and follow track beneath Eridge Rocks all the
way to small car park. Here you can turn left along
asphalt track for detour to pub (Nevill Crest and Gun)
at Eridge Green. Otherwise…
Turn right along asphalt track and after a couple of
metres take path on right through bracken until it
rejoins asphalt track. Turn right and, immediately
after woodland on left ends, take path on left passing
well to left of farmhouse and soon heading downhill
across the middle of a very large field. At far edge
of field turn right along field edge to corner, descend
to cross footbridge and follow right hand edge of field
to lane. Turn right along lane and at top of hill
take track on left. Pass Pinstraw Farm and carry
on between buildings at Forge Farm then on through trees
to emerge into open meadow with Harrison’s Rocks on
right and Spa Valley Railway on left. Follow path
alongside railway then turning right towards car park
for climbers in Birchden Wood. Follow track up
right hand side and then along top of car park, climbing
to meet asphalt drive.
Turn right and at end of first field on left take
path on left between fence and hedge. Follow path
to bridge across railway and up to road by school.
Turn right and follow road back to car park.
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Points of Interest
Spa Valley Railway
The line from Tunbridge Wells to Eridge was closed by
British Rail in 1985. The line was reopened by
volunteers, running from Tunbridge Wells West to
Groombridge in 1997. A connection to the main
railway network at Eridge was restored in 2011 but there
seems little prospect of restoring the link from
Tunbridge Wells West to the main line at Tunbridge Wells
(formerly Tunbridge Wells Central).
The line runs a mixture of steam-hauled services and
“heritage diesel” locomotives. Broadwater Warren
The RSPB acquired the site in 2007 and are removing
large patches of conifer either to restore to heathland
or to replace with native broadleaves.
Eridge Rocks
This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest managed
by Sussex Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve.
Forge Farm and
Harrison’s Rocks

Forge Farm is on the site of old Birchden Forge.
Here the stream was used to power a bellows to forge
iron, last used by William Harrison to make firearms
until 1750. Finding this unprofitable, he opened
the land to people wanting to visit see the scenery,
especially the 40ft sandstone outcrop now owned by the
British Mountaineering Council. It is rare not to
see rock climbers training here.
Groombridge Place
A 17th century manor house surrounded by a medieval
moat, used as a location in the 2005 film Pride and
Prejudice. There are formal gardens for adults and
the Enchanted Forest for children.
In addition to the walking routes on our web site we
have published three popular walking guides:

Guide to Tunbridge
Wells Circular Walk and other walks in the area

Guide to the
Kent Coast Path: Part 1, Camber to Ramsgate

Guide to Three
River Valley Walks in West Kent: Darent Valley Path,
Eden Valley Walk and Medway Valley Walk
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 2020. 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 |