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The walk up to Wilmot Hill on the National Trust Ightham Mote estate in Kent
The walk up to Wilmot Hill on the Ightham Mote estate | © Roy Garratt
Kent

Ightham Mote circular walk to Wilmot Hill

Enjoy the Kentish countryside from the Ightham Mote estate as you walk the periphery of a large part of its 580 acres. The walk incorporates Scathes Wood, the Greensand Way, Wilmot Hill and Broadhoath Wood. You can choose from two options when you near the end of your walk.

Total steps: 6

Total steps: 6

Start point

Ightham Mote visitor reception; grid ref: TQ584535

Step 1

Walk through the car parks and up the entrance driveway to a five-bar gate and stile on the right, which is the entrance to Scathes Wood. Cross the stile and follow the footpath ahead, ignoring paths to the right and left, until the path ahead begins to turn left. At this point, look for a path to the right, with a stile leading to a parallel path.

Step 2

Take this path and cross the stile to turn right down a slope into a field. Continue on along the edge of the field with the hedgerow on the right, mostly downhill to a T-junction and a National Trust sign. Turn right onto the bridleway and continue on ahead, walking past Ightham Mote house. The bridleway bears to the left, up to the rear entrance gate and Mote Road. Turn right onto Mote Road and walk a short distance to the entrance track to Mote Farm on your left.

View from Scathes Wood on the National Trust Ightham Mote estate in Surrey
View from Scathes Wood on the Ightham Mote estate | © National Trust / Piers Pardoe

Step 3

Walk up the track past the farmyard, bearing right to follow the track in a westerly direction to Wilmot Cottage, ignoring a track forking to the right on the way. Proceed past the cottage (formerly a blacksmith's and pack horse station) and an old brick filter house or spring, to steps up on the right, turning left to head west again. Continue on for approximately 87yd (80m) to a footpath on the right. Now leave the Greensand Way and follow the green walk at this right turn, bearing right up steps then turning 180 degrees to head west again on up a narrow path up a steep incline (there is a steep bank sloping away on the left-hand side). At the top of the path, cross a stile with a National Trust sign.

The walk up to Wilmot Hill on the National Trust Ightham Mote estate in Kent
The walk up to Wilmot Hill on the Ightham Mote estate | © Roy Garratt

Step 4

Having crossed the stile, turn right and step under or around the permitted footpath timber barrier and proceed downhill to a cross path. Continue on over this cross path, stepping between points at the side of a timber barrier, to follow the path ahead with the tree line on the right.

Step 5

Carry on down this path, which bears right, before heading down to another timber barrier. Beyond is a bridleway that sweeps down from Broadhoath Wood on the left, which you carry straight ahead on. Some 55yd (50m) before this barrier there is a narrow path between trees, leading to two springs flowing out of the hillside. (These springs feed the pond below by the barrier, which is the main water course that flows through Ightham Mote, serving the north and south lakes, and of course the moat). Pass between the posts at the barrier and continue on with a stream on your right, past the hopper huts (one-room houses that were used by hop pickers on their working holidays) and silt trap to Moat Road.

The view from Wilmot Hill on the National Trust Ightham Mote estate in Kent
The view from Wilmot Hill on the Ightham Mote estate | © National Trust / Piers Pardoe

Step 6

From here, you can cross the road and walk up the footpath at the north end of the Ightham Mote garden, up a few steps to the entrance driveway to Ightham Mote. Turn right to enter the car park and complete the walk.

End point

Ightham Mote visitor reception; grid ref: TQ584535

Trail map

Ightham Mote's circular walk to Wilmot Hill map
Ightham Mote's circular walk to Wilmot Hill map | © Ordnance Survey

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Get in touch

Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0NT

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