TQ6047 : Footbridge over a weir, near Tonbridge
taken 11 years ago, near to Higham Wood, Kent, England
The River Medway is 70 miles long and flows almost entirely within Kent. It rises in Ashdown Forest and joins the Thames near Chatham. Apart from the Thames it has the largest catchment area in southern England. The river is navigable as far as Tonbridge by large craft and as far as Penshurst by small craft. There are 11 locks on the river, between Allington and Tonbridge. The river is tidal to Allington Lock. The River divides Kent in two, those born west of the river are known as Kentish Men, whilst those born east of the river are Men of Kent. The river was used as a line of defence against possible invasion during WWII.
The Medway Valley Walk is a 28 mile walk in West Kent, with interesting landscape, natural history and archaeology. It passes through a varied landscape of downland, woodland, orchards, hop gardens, meadows and farmland, lakes and marshland, unspoilt villages and historic towns. The walk starts in Tonbridge and ends in Rochester. Links are made with the Greensand Way, North Downs Way, Saxon Shore Way and Wealdway.
The start of the walk is linked by the waymarked Eden Valley Walk (15 miles) to the Vanguard Way at Haxted. The Len Valley Walk (12 miles) connects with the Medway Valley Walk at Maidstone and following the course of the River Len also connects with the Stour Valley Walk (Kent) at Lenham, thus creating a waymarked 80 mile route between Tonbridge and the sea at Sandwich.
The Wealdway is a long distance path that runs from Gravesend, Kent on the Thames estuary, to the A259 at Eastbourne, in East Sussex. The Wealdway was conceived in 1970 by members of the Ramblers' Association as a route through the Kentish and Sussex Weald, providing a link between the routes north of the Thames and the start of the South Downs Way. It would also provide a return circuit for users of the Saxon Shore Way. Motorway construction work and the building of the Tonbridge Flood Relief Barrier forced many changes to the original route.
It is marked by double yellow 'W's along the route - see TQ6561 : Crossover in Long Distance pathways.
See Link for more details.