East Farleigh to Wateringbury

A linear walk along a rural section of the Medway Valley Walk, via Teston picnic site and country park, two locks, two medieval bridges, one boat yard, two marinas and returning on the train using the Medway Valley Line.

En route you will see orchards, open fields and go through the Teston Picnic site and Country Park, where there are public toilets. Watch out for signs of otter and water vole, as well as kingfisher, butterflies and damselflies and owls (if you take the walk in the evening).

Throughout the route, there are a number of places to stop and have refreshments:

• The Victory Inn, East Farleigh (opposite the Railway Station)
• Teston Picnic Site
• The Riverside Restaurant at Bow Bridge, Wateringbury
• The Railway pub (opposite Wateringbury Station)

There are a number of points of interest along the route:

Former water works at East Farleigh
Located next to the level crossing, prominent among a small cluster of restored buildings there, is a pumping station. Formerly a waterworks, it was built in 1860 by James Pilbrow in the Egyptian style - see a plaque on the front of the building. This is a most intriguing piece or architecture.

Teston Country Park and Picnic Site
Established fairly recently and managed on a day to day basis, the country park boasts some 30 acres of Kentish farmland and natural wetland. With toilets, picnic tables and a car park partly laid to tarmac, it is popular with families and people of all abilities as somewhere to get away from it all. The park keeper looks after cows and sheep that graze the area, so it is important to close gates you pass through. The area attracts several species of birds including kingfisher, tern and snipe and is home to at least three known species of bat.

Farleigh Lock
One of ten locks on the River Medway inland waterway, Farleigh Lock is one of the most pretty places to sit and watch the boats go by, close to the 14th century rag stone bridge, across which Sir Thomas Fairfax marched his army in 1648 towards Maidstone. Many small motor cruisers moor along the banks close by.

Teston Lock
Another of the ten locks on the River Medway and built in 1911, Teston lock and weir is crucial to maintaining water levels in the navigation so that boats can travel all the way up to Tonbridge. The Environment Agency monitors the flows in the river at Teston and takes a keen interest in the area of wetland that supports many invertebrates just up stream of the lock. Freshwater mussels have also colonised the river nearby. Right opposite the lock are the ruins of Tutham Mill, formerly a cattle cake mill, but now eerily enshrouded in ivy.

Getting there

Public transport: **Train timetable and fares information:** 08457 484950

Waypoints

1. East Farleigh

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Setting off on our walk, keep the river on your left hand side and follow the path past residential mobile homes and boat moorings, through lush wild vegetation. Although only just over a mile from Maidstone town centre, it is easy to believe you are in the heart of the countryside.

2. Barming Bridge

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If you are interested in churches it is worth a short detour to the Norman Church of St Margarets – the church in the fields, thought to date from the 12th century. To reach the church from the river side footpath turn right, under the railway bridge and a few hundred metres along the lane take the left turn to the church. Retrace your footsteps to rejoin the Medway Valley Walk.

3. Teston Bridge

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Although the footpath follows the bank side, it can get very muddy beneath the bridge, so most people head for the stile in the fence and cross over the road to the Maidstone Borough Council run Teston Country Park, where there are toilets and plenty of parking space. Here, there are picnic tables and space to take a break, create a water colour or go exploring the wetland area in search of frogs. On a windy day this is a popular kite flying location and in recent years the annual kite flying festival has been held here.