🥾 Walking route
Ightham Mote Circular Walk to Shipbourne and Fairlawne, Ightham Mote
Kent
- 📏 5.9 km · 3.7 mi
- ⛰ +156 m
- ⏱ 1 hr 30 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance5.9 km · 3.7 mi
- Elevation+156 m
- Duration1 hr 30 min
- DifficultyModerate
- Route typeCircular
- TerrainWoodland paths, field edges and quiet country lanes; moderate undulations
- Best seasonSpring to autumn, with bluebells in May
- DogsDogs welcome on leads near livestock and on estate land
About this walk
This moderate circular walk in the Kent Weald links the medieval moated manor of Ightham Mote with the quiet villages and parkland to its south. Starting and finishing in Ightham, the route winds out through gentle farmland and woodland, with around 156 metres of ascent spread across just under six kilometres.
The path drops down through Scathes Wood, a peaceful stretch of mixed woodland typical of this corner of Kent, before emerging near Shipbourne and the welcome sight of The Chaser, a country pub set beside the village green. From here the way curves back through the Fairlawne estate's quiet lanes and field edges, with Ightham Mote itself appearing in its wooded hollow as you approach the final stretch.
Allow around an hour and a half at a steady pace. The walk also brings you within easy reach of Plaxtol, Ivy Hatch and Boot Wood, making it a fine half-day outing for anyone exploring this gentle, well-wooded pocket of Kent on foot.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
4 waypoints along the way
- 1
Ightham (start and finish)
- Start / finish
Start and finish of this circular route.
- 2
Scathes Wood
- 3
The Chaser
- 4
ightham Mote
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Boot Wood
~370 m off the route
Plaxtol Parish Church
~263 m off the route
Shipbourne
~199 m off the route
Plaxtol
~290 m off the route
Ivy Hatch
~475 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).