Walk 1: To The Viaduct

Although I’ve lived in Tonbridge for most of my life, there was a time when I strayed. My twenties were spent in our neighbouring town Tunbridge Wells. At the time, the bright lights of Davincis and its Royal prefix were too much of a pull.

Commuting daily to London, I crossed over the Colebrook viaduct thousands of times without even noticing. It was only during a google deep dive of the local railways that I stumbled across this historic piece of architecture. The few images I found online ignited my curiosity but it seemed so remote that it became another item on my long bucket list.

Fast forward to lock down and this was the second walk I took. The first one was lovely but far too short so after tinkering the route to make it longer, I found myself stumbling across the viaduct once more. Its not listed on the map, so when I walked down the lane and saw it for the first time it felt like I had just discovered Machu Pichu!

I’ve been back many times now and still really love this walk. I hope you enjoy it too.

Start your walk at the Vauxhall Inn (Please note that the car park is for customers only),then take the second turn on the right into Vauxhall Lane. Cross over at the pelican crossing onto the shared cycle/foot path and then follow this until you reach a large oak tree.

At this point turn right down the road, waking past the drainage pond. Follow this road until you see the footpath pointing through the gap in the hedge. This will be signposted for the Tunbridge Wells circular walk, a 27.5 mile epic that loops all the way into Sussex and back. You will only be walking a small section of this path, but you can view the full route here.

Cross the little wooden bridge and continue through the trees, up into the field. After a short climb you will come to a fork in the path. Take the third path on the left and then walk up through the woods. These are absolutely stunning in the Spring when the bluebells carpet-bomb the entire wood.

Spring bluebells

Keep going until you reach a clearing where the pylons pass through the trees. At this point turn left and walk uphill, continuing straight as you pass by a private garden.

On your left there will be panoramic views across the North Downs and the Medway Valley. The sharper eyed amongst you may be able to pick out Somerhill House sitting amidst the trees. This grand old mansion features prominently on The Goldsmid Trail, another walk featured on this site.

Go through the wooden gate, walk past the oast house and then follow the lane downhill until you see the footpath on your right.

The path snakes uphill through a cluster of brambles and overgrown woods. It gets muddy here but it is a great spot for blackberry picking, and the symphony of birdsong is a real treat.

Gorse Wood

At the top of the hill the path splits in two. Stay to the right and walk through Gorse Wood, an older section of woodland. Climb the stile and walk across the overgrown field. Up on the ridge to your right you will see Southborough.

Walk past the electricity pylon, cut through the trees and then climb over two more stiles before carrying on downhill. There are normally horses in this field so best keep dogs on a lead and lock up your picnics.

Clamber over the stile at the bottom of the field, then follow the path round through the kissing gate. As you walk down the lane, you will catch your first glimpse of the viaduct.

It’s normally at this point that I would recommend a good pub to break up the walk, but you’re out of luck on this occasion. Pack a flask and you can enjoy a cuppa under one of the 26 arches instead.

The viaduct was built in 1845 and is now classified as a grade II listed building - the only listed building in High Brooms and Southborough. You can read more about its history here.

If you want to explore, then its best to cross over the stile and walk down the path on the opposite side of the tracks, this will get you up close and personal with its towering arches. There are worse spots to take a picnic if you can’t wait for lunch.

When ready to continue your walk, cross back over the stile and walk through the farm yard, following the footpath signs between the barn and the building. There will be two lorry trailers in the barn. Climb over another stile and walk uphill through the field, before climbing another stile that will take you onto a track.

Look behind you and you will be a treated to a sweeping view of the viaduct.

Colebrook Viaduct, Southborough

Pass round the metal gate at the top of the track and continue straight along the boggy path. You can negotiate around the worst of the mud with a little forward planning, before this path reverts to a drier grassy track.

Follow the path into Devil’s wood, it’s not as creepy as it sounds! In Spring you will spot wild primroses and if you are quiet you may even see deer roaming the wood. They tend to come out around dusk.

Stay to the right until you see a narrow path branching off towards a huge field. This is well hidden, so keep your eyes peeled as its easy to get lost here.

Primroses in Devils Wood

Wander up through the field and look back to enjoy the view, it gets better the higher you go. Down in the dip below you will see the North Farm Industrial estate/retail park, and up on the hill you can pick out Tunbridge Wells in the distance.

At the end of the field, Castle Hill is on on your left, easily identifiable by its two giant masts. Once you have laid eyes on these you will be able to spot them from all over Tonbridge as they can be seen for miles around. Its this commanding view that inspired our iron age ancestors to build two Iron Age forts here back in 200 BC. The forts would have looked across the Medway Valley to a much larger fort at Oldbury Hill near Sevenoaks.

By comparison Tonbridge Castle is a mere baby, built around 1100 years later when the Normans popped over. There’s not much of the forts left now, but there are traces of the man made ditches and embankments circling through the woods. You can read more about the forts here.

Castle Hill Fort, Tonbridge

Continue past the stables and after climbing a high stile you will find yourself on the old stretch of the A21, now a shared cycle/footpath between Tonbridge and Pembury. The new carriageway runs alongside this path, with the remains of the forts up in the woods to your left.

It’s downhill all the way now until the path rejoins Vauxhall Lane. Be sure to enjoy the views of the Greensand Ridge but listen out for cyclists whizzing past you.

Once you reach Vauxhall Lane, retrace your steps back to The Vauxhall Inn for a well deserved tipple of your choice, or lunch if you didn’t enjoy a viaduct picnic.