Hollingbourne to Charing gravel ride

As it’s a linear route following the railway line, you can ride there and get the train back, or start or finish at any of the villages of Hollingbourne, Harrietsham, Lenham or Charing along the way.

The route follows mostly easy-going tracks along the lower slopes of the North Downs, avoiding too many big hills, so it's a great beginner-friendly option.

Leaving Hollingbourne station the ride passes beneath the railway bridge and leaves the village, following a quiet road which provides a nice little warm up for the legs before ducking off the tarmac onto a lovely tree-lined byway. 

It can be rutted along here, but there is usually a good firm and flat line to follow as you proceed beneath the pretty canopy of leaves. This track delivers you to the North Downs Way and Pilgrim’s Way trails, two long-distance routes which you will now largely follow, guiding you along the valley beneath the North Downs hills.  

You pass along a variety of different terrain as you head south-east, all offering good, non-technical riding conditions and gentle hills, which means progress can be pretty swift. It’s not long before you reach the outskirts of Harrietsham village. where you briefly leave the North Downs Way to head down a wide track flanked by grand deciduous trees which must have once led to some grand manor house. 

Harrietsham

After just a brief glimpse of Harrietsham, its war memorial and pretty church, you start to make your way back up the hillside. However, when the gradient rises you turn back off road into some trees, postponing the inevitable climb a little longer. 

This tree-tunnelled trail passes Teers Meadow. Once scrubland but now cleared, the meadow provides chalk grassland that attracts wildflowers, animals and insects, and offers a pleasant place to rest. When this lovely narrow dirt track ends, a short tarmac climb delivers you back to the Pilgrim’s Way once more, where navigation becomes easy. 

Keeping on the well-signed, and well-trodden North Downs Way and National Cycle Network 17, the trail chops and changes between tarmac and track, offering quick progress and wonderful far-reaching views.

Keep an eye out for Lenham Chalk Cross war memorial on the left. This Grade II listed war memorial commemorates the men of Lenham, whose names are listed on granite stones, who gave their lives in two World Wars. 

The changeable track varies from tarmac to tree-lined dirt trails, but is generally in good condition and a lovely ride. Stay alert in the dark and dappled light for any roots and ruts that may lurk in the shadows though. 

You eventually arrive at picket-fenced houses on the edge of Charing town. Keep ahead, staying on the Pilgrim’s Way a little further, following a quiet tarmac lane to shortly before a chalk quarry pit. 

It’s now time to descend the hill, through another tunnel of trees on a path that wiggles its way down past pretty wildflowers beside the trail. The route now heads back to Charing, but first we would recommend a quick detour to the nearby Westwell vineyard. 

Grape Britannia

This part of the country offers ideal conditions for growing grapes, with six classified soil geologies right here. The vineyard uses the land to its full potential, growing four different grapes (Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Ortega). Wines are all made on site from fruit grown here, and tastings and tours are available, along with charcuterie and cheese plates.

After your taste and tour of Kent, it’s just a gentle roll along a beautiful lane into Charing, with views across the rolling fields to your left and a nice manor house to your right. If you are using the train to return to Hollingbourne from Charing, turn left into the town, and pass close by the pretty church of St Peter & St Paul in the heart of the village. Built of flint in the 13th century, the church is worth the very slight detour. 

Adjacent to the church lies the Archbishop’s Palace. This large estate was given to the church of Canterbury in the 8th century and remained the property of the Archbishops of Canterbury until the Reformation when the manor passed into the hands of Henry VIII. If you time it right, every Sunday between 2.30pm and 5pm through the summer (end of June to early October) there are cream teas served here.

For those wishing to return under their own steam, head right, back to the Pilgrim’s Way and start to retrace your steps. Keep going, past Lenham Chalk Cross war memorial, and keep ahead on the Pilgrim’s Way which shortly delivers you to the Pilgrims Rest Statue up a short slope to your right. 

After a rest alongside the life-sized wooden carving of a monk, you continue on your way, re-joining parts of your outward journey, along with some new trails along the way too, all of which eventually deliver you back pleasantly to Hollingbourne.