Heritage Walk - Otham

Otham is a picturesque village and civil parish in Maidstone. Set in the heart of Kent countryside it's perfect for stunning scenery walks amongst wildlife and ancient architecture. There are several historical buildings of interest including the 12th-century parish church of St Nicholas, a number of listed medieval houses including Otham Manor, Synyards and Stoneacre, the latter of which is a small National Trust property open to the public on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays April to September. We highly reccommend a visit to Stoneacre on one of its open days if you are doing one of these walks. And, after all that walking, The White Horse pub is the perfect destination for a refreshing beverage to complete your day. 

Otham, Maidstone, Kent, ME15, TQ798536

Trail One: 

A circluar walk from St. Nicholas Church, Otham 2.7 miles

1. From Otham Church, take the footpath (KM 88) directly opposite the lychgate.

2. Follow the path across the large field. Note the lovely views of the North Downs to your left and look back over your shoulder at views of the Church. In this field you may see buzzards or hear skylarks in season.

3. Ignore the footpath going off to the right and continue up a slight incline to the gate. Go through and walk the short distance to the road past pretty houses on the left, formerly farm buildings.

4. Cross the road on to the Green. Walk diagonally south east (right) across the Green. If you have time, walk up to the war memorial and the unusual village sign and look again at the view across the Green to the North Downs.

5. The village sign was erected for the centenary of the parish council. The plaque reads ‘Otham Parish Council 1894- 1994 the tools that shaped our village’. The tools include a mallet, a mattock, a hop-dog, an auger, an adze and a thatcher’s knife. 6. Join the metalled road signposted to Stoneacre and walk down the short steep hill, looking across the valley and sheep field. 7. At the bottom, pause to look at the old fishponds on the left and right, home to much wildlife. You can take the small bridge if the stream is flowing over the road.

8. Walk up the short steep hill and look at Stoneacre on the right, a 15th Century Yeoman’s Hall House. This small but beautiful National Trust property is open to the public from March to September. For opening times see https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ stoneacre

9. Continue up the hill past farm buildings, a path and a house on the left. Continue as the metalled road gives way to a bridleway. There are usually ponies in the fields on the right.

10. Continue on the bridleway, which bends right and left. Continue straight on and note the soft fruit growing in the fields either side, one of the main industries for Otham and surrounding parishes.

11. Just after a sharp right bend the bridleway joins the road, Honey Lane. Straight ahead is Thatch Hall, which contains elements of its origins as a Hall House. Keep right, passing White Horse Cottage, one of the original inns of the village.

12. Turn right along Simmonds Lane and walk to the T junction with White Horse Lane/Otham Street.

13. Turn right, signposted Otham and Bearsted. Pass Synyards, on the right one of Otham’s historical hall houses, built in the 15th Century. A little further on, on the left and easier to see is Belks, built as a farmhouse in late 14th Century or early 15th Century. Continuing down Otham Street, you can glimpse Stoneacre once more across the valley to the right.

14. Just before you reach the Village Hall on the right, there is a turning to the left, which, although currently unmarked, is a footpath (KM90). From the beginning of this path youhave a clear view of Otham Manor (formerly Wardes), which is a Grade 1 listed late 14th Century Hall House with 16th Century alterations. It was renovated in 1912 by Sir Louis Mallet, ambassador to Constantinople at the outbreak of the 1st World War.

15. Follow the path through trees along the edge of a field. Another path joins from the left (KM85), keep straight on. You are walking through ancient woodlands with many oaks, chestnuts and other trees.

16. The path joins a wide path coming from the left (not a footpath, but a private track belonging to Gore Court) and your path bears right and widens out. A bend in the path reveals the magnificent, panoramic view of the North Downs and Otham Church to the left. Continue straight down to the junction with the path you walked along at the beginning.

17. Turn left and retrace your steps back to the Church.

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Trail Two:

A circluar walk from Otham Village Green 3.5 miles

1. Starting at the war memorial and village sign, walk on the green away from the housing (North View), along the line of the road.

2. Pass 16th Century home, Madame Taylor’s, on the left, one of the oldest houses in Otham, and walk as far as the Diamond Jubilee plinth. At this point, turn left to cross the road and take the path directly opposite (KM132), passing the Cart Lodge and Barn which are on your right.

3. Pass around the metal gate and follow the same path across the large field towards Otham Church in the distance. Ignore the path coming in from the left and admire the views of the North Downs to the right.

4. Come out onto Church Road, opposite Otham Church and, going through the lychgate, walk around the churchyard. St Nicholas Church is a 12th Century, Grade 1 listed building with many interesting memorials. Look through the old gate at the rear of the church to see Grade 2 listed Church House, originally built as cottages in the 16th Century.

5. Return to the road and walk left down the road towards Downswood, joining the footpath when possible. At the T junction at the end of Church Road, turn right onto Deringwood Drive and follow this down to just before the roundabout, where there is a footpath going up steps and through trees on the right. This footpath follows the line of Otham’s Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) the face of which can be seen along the path between Downswood and Otham.

6. Continue up until the path rejoins the field and turn left, on Footpath KM86. Follow the path which keeps Downswood on the left and then passes between trees and field then garden boundary. There are good views of Bearsted at this point.

7. Come out on the road, Greenhill, cross over, following the sign for the Len Valley Walk. Take the track opposite which then curves right, between houses and through a gate marked Footpath, and passes The Oast House and Greenhill Farm.

8. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the first track on the left. Turn into the second track on the left and look for a small gate a few yards ahead on the right marked, ‘Please keep to the Footpath’ and go through it.

9. Head downhill, following the line of the fence. Go over a stile at the bottom, over a small stream, then another stile to emerge in a large field with beautiful, ancient oak and ash trees.

10. The footpath strikes diagonally left and uphill; it is not very obvious to start with. Aim for a metal gate in the top, left hand corner of the field, passing between large oak trees.

11. Pass through the gate, into a field with soft fruit polytunnels, and follow the path, keeping the hedge on the left to the next gate on the left. Go through this gate and turn immediately right.

12. Cross the gravel drive for Caring Wood and continue between tree plantations to another metal gate. Go through and follow the path left, which can be overgrown, as it meanders towards a line of poplar trees. Ignore Footpath FP258 on the left and come out on a road, Caring Road.

13. Turn right, and walk along this very quiet road passing Caring Stud and Jacksons. After a bend, look out for magnificent Caring House on the right, which has the date 1547 above the door.

14. Continue along the road, with glimpses of Caring Wood on the skyline on the right and pass a private fishing lake on the left in the dip.

15. Coming out of the dip, the road joins Caring Lane where you turn right. Walk uphill as far as Rose Cottage, with good views of the North Downs on your left.

16. Turn right up a Restricted Byway, KH264, towards Merriams Farm and Caring Wood Lodge. Follow the path right then around to the left, leaving the gate to Caring Wood Lodge behind. Before the next gate, turn right, taking a partially paved track uphill.

17. At the top of this track, turn right along a bridleway, clearly identified by several stone markers. The bridleway bends left then left again at which point take the footpath on the right that passes through a line of poplar trees, KH359.

18. Follow the straight path to a gap in the hedge. Note the small recently planted cobnut trees on the left, a traditional Kentish crop.

19. Turn right at the gap in the hedge and follow footpath KM97 along the line of polytunnels growing soft fruit. It can be very muddy here due to farm vehicles.

20. At the end of the line of tunnels, turn left and, a few yards on, take the path on the right over the stile. Walk down the middle of this ancient valley, usually home to sheep, to the fishing pond at the bottom. Cross over the stile on the left and come out onto the road.

21. Enjoy overlooking the pond with its abundance of waterfowl and then take the little bridge over the ford to avoid wet feet. On the left is land belonging to Stoneacre, a small National Trust property back up the hill behind you.