For the final winter walk of the season, we chose a (mostly) new route, starting from the familiar Matfield green, right on the northern edge of the High Weald. However, as we already have an established route out of the village, we will be referring to this as the ‘Brenchley circular’ – the other significant settlement of the day!
Early sunshine and clear blue skies led us enthusiastically out the door about an hour sooner than we normally might. However, the same blue skies had turned to a more familiar grey by the time we had picked up some lunch and put our boots on, and had tricked us into forgetting that we were in fact still in February. As such, as we left Matfield along a footpath which we are becoming very familiar with, and the winter breeze began to whip up about us, we lamented the hats and coats we had optimistically left behind. Beth at least had her red coat, but all I had was a jumper which was far from windproof, and by the time we were halfway across our second field and said hello to the day’s first sheep, Beth had kindly given me the bag, to give me an extra layer to keep me warm – it did the trick and she’s the best.
The first portion of the route runs along the original Matfield route; sheep, woodlands and orchards all coming quickly after each other, only rather muddier than last time. The split came at the end of a short stretch of country lane, where we would normally turn right into the woods. Today, we turned left, and so ventured onward to unknown paths.
We walked down a small driveway past some quiet cottages before venturing out into a bare orchard, passing one tree still decorated with the rotting red apples of last year, sitting at the heart of the orchard like witchcraft from long-forgotten magic. The grass beneath our feet already squished as we walked along, and the first of the day’s water seeped into my socks – I really need new boots. We turned left and the path soon began to head steadily downward, eventually bringing us to a small patch of woods. We carefully descended the muddy track past a large pond to our right which trickled out down a beautiful stream tumbling down a small waterfall made of a series of tree roots. We made our way out of the trees into a very steep and slippery field. After slowly making our way up the short but challenging slope, we ducked under a strip of old electric fence, up the edge of what looked like a garden, and crossed another driveway then through a hedge out into more slowly rising fields beyond. We zigzagged along the edges of fields, clambering over an old green gate, where Beth got stuck on a thorn branch and I landed funnily on my toe, and soon made it to the day’s first busy road. It was one we were familiar with and was also fast, but fortunately we were only on in for a few seconds before picking up another path a little further down the other side.
After crossing another field we came out onto another quieter lane. We made our way down this stretch, passing a few clumps of snowdrops until a farmyard appeared to our right. The footpath went up the middle of the barns, at the top of which a large metal gate opened up to the rest of the path. Lined closely either side with fences, woodland to the left and horses to the right, this incline was unpleasant (for me at least). The water was unavoidable, and I gave up trying to stop the water flowing into my boots. I miserably trudged up the track, resigned to having soaked feet for the rest of the day, until I reached more solid footing and turned to wait for Beth. A minute later, myself and a pair of horses watched as Beth appeared around the bend, stopping to caress some fence-moss, clearly enjoying a more leisurely stroll. We turned into the woodlands, where the trees were swallowing the wire of the fences, and came out onto another road soon after.
Just around the bend we picked up our next path, again rising through some trees. This brought us out onto a large stretch of land, which continued upward. After stopping for some sweets and a jelly-fish dance party, we found ourselves walking through the middle of a large area of pastureland at the top of a hill. Skylarks sang through the sky above our heads as we reached the brow of the hill and we looked out at the countryside stretching away ahead. After enjoying the view, we left the open land behind to enter another bear orchard – this was marked as “Charrington”, meaning these trees would soon be producing precious apples destined for cider!
Following the orchards, we came out at a lane lined with purple crocuses and passed a junction pointing to the familiar names of Horsmonden and Goudhurst. Our next track awaited us a short way around the corner and led us along the edge of another large pond. This meant passing a few ducks and geese, although also meant doing our best to avoid even more mud. This was successful for a while, however more water entered my boot as we made our way through the next water-logged field. After passing another pond, we picked up yet another narrow, muddy path through a series of horse paddocks, before again arriving at a section of road walking.
We were greeted with a spattering of crocuses and snowdrops, before making our way up to the day’s second busy stretch of road. We made our way past ‘The Halfway House’ pub, which looked good for a sunny day, and walked along the road’s edge. This was surprisingly uphill and made our legs ache, although the route did smartly cut off a corner by taking a convenient footpath across one of the fields on the outskirts of Brenchley. Crossing the road on a busy corner at the other side, we ducked into the churchyard to our left and made our way into Brenchley on the lookout for a lunch spot. This was something we had struggled with over recent weeks, however on this occasion, we were very successful. We found a bench beneath a tree at the village centre, where we plonked ourselves down. Purple and yellow crocuses were behind us, a helpful bin to our right, and in front of us yet another pub for us to explore at a later date. To complete this successful interlude, we found some public toilets, and I enjoyed a luxurious wee as I listened to the church bells chiming outside.
Heading back to the route, we had to double back after traipsing halfway back down the busy road before realising we were supposed to be walking through the churchyard running parallel to us. This was much more preferable, and we emerged back onto a quiet lane after bypassing Horsmonden Road. The remainder of the walk back to Matfield was only between one and two miles, and began by a nice stretch of firm track. This easy running continued for a while, and we spotted a cormorant perched high in a tree – did not know that they did this! The track popped out at another lane, and we walked up a short way before we took a short and slippery path sloping steeply downhill. Across the next road and another relatively easy track met us, at the end of which we had to stop and figure out which way to go, as we had reached a bit of a confusing crossroads of paths. We almost went the wrong way, but Beth took charge and stopped us from making a mistake, like a hero. This then began the final run back into Matfield, across a series of slightly muddy fields – although they were nothing compared to what we had already encountered. We then came back out to the green, made our way around the edge and arrived at the car, about four hours after we had left.
This walk, whilst perhaps suffering from comparisons to the Matfield circular (one of our all-time favourites) was still an enjoyable romp through the High Weald boundaries. With nice open stretches, orchards and a pair of likely looking pubs along the way, we think this would be a great one for summer next time!
And so there we are, our Winter campaign complete for another year. Over the last three months, we have walked almost 50 miles, much of which was through mud. I can’t help but feel that this is a pretty good achievement and, despite the natural conditions, we have certainly made the most of the season and enjoyed mile after mile of adventures together. We have seen it at its barest, and have still found it to be a beautiful and special place to spend our time together.
Matthew G. Huggins 