OLDBURY HILL
Oldbury Hill
Ightham, Kent
Introduction
Oldbury Hill is located near to Sevenoaks in Kent and boasts one of the largest and finest Iron Age hillforts in the country.
The 166 acres of woodland offer a great network of paths and two waymarked circular trails. Some parts are uneven and quite steep and also some steps lead you back down to the car park.
On the Orange route we walked we also found three rope swings which will keep the kids and grandparents entertained for a while.
There is a fairly large free carpark in Styants Bottom Road and sign posted on the A25.
For refreshments we drove to a great dog friendly pub called The Blue Anchor in St Mary’s Platt.
OWTD Verdict: Easy to find with SatNav and is also signposted from the A25. Although there was a few cars in the car park we only met a couple of people on the walk and the boys were off lead for the whole duration apart from when near the lane and car park. Overall a great woodland to explore if your ok with a steepish climb to the top and some steps down at the end. Free car park and a great pub nearby was a bonus.
Parking Location
Address: Styants Bottom Road, Near Ightham Common, Ightham, Kent, TN15 0ET
what3words: ///zones.cracks.backed
General Information
- Free Parking
Distance: Two way marked trails: Purple Circular walk is around 1.6km (approx. 1 mile) and Orange Circular walk 2.6km (approx. 1.6 miles)
Time: Approx. 30 minutes for the purple route and and an hour for the orange route but this also is dependant on pace.
Terrain: The orange walk we took covers some steep and uneven pathways as you make your way to the top. Once there it is fairly flat and the last stage takes you down some steps back to the car park. As with all woodland the pathways do become muddy and slippery during wet weather.
Accessible: Unfortunately there are no hard surfaced pathways at this location.
Stiles: None.
Dogs on leads?: Dogs allowed off lead but be aware that the lane you drove down to the car park does carry on and the footpath crosses this lane near to the campsite. The lane is fairly quiet but cars do use this lane.
Dog Bins: Yes in the car park
Parking: Free parking in the car park in Styants Lane for approx 20 cars.
The Route
Click the walk title in the top right of the above window or clicking here will open the route on the AllTrails website or the mobile app. You can then create a free account which will then allow you to follow the route as you walk on your mobile. If you would rather not sign up to AllTrails free account and use another mapping app (such as OS Maps, Outdooractive or Komoot etc) on your phone then you can download the GPX file below and import this into your desired app inorder to follow the trail.
The Walk Details ...
We followed the Orange 2.8km way marked trail which was very well signposted apart from one point (see marker 1 on the above map) where the path we took started to head down a steep narrow and very uneven pathway which we soon decided was the wrong way. Essentially once your on top of the hill stay on the pathway that follows the edge of the hill until you reach the steps that lead you back down to the car park.
a pretty easy route to follow but if unsure then use the AllTrails app or download the GPX file and import to your walking app of choice.
The Gallery ...
Reviews ...
Beautiful in the autumn
We did the orange route this morning (clearly marked throughout) and had a lovely time! Definitely one for the able bodied, lots of ups and downs on the path. Wellies are a must if it’s been raining for a few days, like any forested area it stays muddy for a while afterwards.
The whole woodland was carpeted with orange leaves, stunning to look at and lots of fun to sniff around in. The walk back down to the carpark at the end was a thrilling conclusion – go carefully and pray if you have a dog that pulls on lead as the steps are fairly steep!
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