Kent Ramblers: Walk of the Month

February: Scadbury Park Nature Reserve

Distance:          2.5 miles (1h 15m)

OS Map:           Explorer 162 (Start at TQ453693)

Click map to enlarge and click again to enlarge further

There are two designated, free car parks.  This walk is based on the quieter car park off St Paul’s Wood Hill.  From the road between Orpington and Chislehurst, turn into Leeson’s Hill at a mini roundabout.  Almost immediately turn left into St Paul’s Wood Hill.  Take first left down a school drive.  Well before school gates, turn into car park.  The alternative car park is off Old Perry Street at Perry Street Shaw.

The walk follows a nature trail with numbered posts marked in orange on the map.  There are notes on what to look for at these posts in the directions.

From car park walk away from road with school on your right.  Keep parallel to school fence to information board.  Pass to right of board and soon reach main circular route.  Turn left, pass Nature Trail Post 5 (area of silver birch), soon cross driveway “The Drive” and pass Post 4 (yew trees).  Continue down hill passing Post 3 (sycamore coppice), across valley, along duck boards over damp area (Post 2), past pond on right and uphill past Post 1 (ancient oak, thought to have been alive in Elizabethan times, but now looking fragile) to Old Perry Street car park.

Continue along main path past Post 20 (lichens on elder bark but not easy to spot), bear carving, picnic area with living sundial and Post 19 (area of sweet chestnuts badly in need of coppicing) to cross metalled driveway.  Through gate on far side of driveway and past seat, turn sharp right and head downhill passing Post 18 (note hedge on left).

At bottom you can choose to climb steps ahead for a short cut or for full walk turn left along valley on path between hedges/fences and at corner turn right uphill.  Enter wood near post 16 (note meadows on right, possibly with cuckoo spit protecting froghopper nymphs and in summer field scabious and cocoons of 5-spot burnet moths).  Bear left through would along undulating path to T-junction with metalled track.  Turn right uphill past post 15 (Little Wood with bluebells, yellow archangel and wood anemones suggesting ancient woodland).

Continue out of wood, past pond on left (post 14 should be on right but has not been spotted lately; you may see green ring-necked parakeets in the trees both here and elsewhere such as between posts 6 and 7).  Continue, passing Post 13 (old apple tree on left, remains of former orchard, which may now be gone), until at a T-junction you meet another path.  This is the path you will come along if you choose the short cut.  Turn left downhill along avenue of mature oaks.

When path starts to go down more steeply, take right turn past Post 12.  Soon pass signposted detour to remains of Scadbury Manor and moat (Post 11).  You can skip this if you wish, but it is not far so you might as well take a quick look.

Continue along main route passing Posts 10 (pond), 9 & 9A (ferns, some supposedly staying green throughout winter but not very obvious), 8 (note the ivy-clad trees), another carved bear and 7 (note the rotting wood with fungi a little further along).  Eventually there is a handrail on left and some uphill steps on the far side of the handrail running parallel to the main path.  The school near the car park is now on your left and Post 6 on your right (check location).  At wooden fingerpost turn left (signed St Paul’s Green, if you reach Post 5 again you have gone too far) and retrace steps from start of walk to car park.

In addition to the walking routes on our web site we have published four popular walking guides: