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A stroll around Offham

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Walk directions

Turn right out of the car park along Pepingstraw Lane, following the footpath signed to Offham church. Join the narrow path ahead beside Orchard House and enter woodland. Keep to the main path, soon leaving the trees and heading across farmland towards Church Farm. At a junction of paths by farm buildings, turn right up to the road.

Turn right, pass the church and take the track left, opposite the entrance to Church Farm. Pass farm buildings, then turn right at a crossing of tracks, soon to bear right with the footpath marker into a field. Keep left, then at the end of the hedge turn right across the field to a track. Turn left, soon to take the diagonal path to a gate. At the road, turn left then immediately right along Teston Road.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Easy woodland and farm paths, several stiles

Landscape - Flat agricultural land and woods

Dog friendliness - Off lead in woods; flat terrain makes it good for older dogs

Parking - Offham village car park

Toilets en route - None on route

Walks in Kent Dog-friendly walks in Kent

About the walk

Ever fancied trying your hand at jousting? Well now's your chance. For on the village green at Offham is a quintain, the only one that's still in use in England. A quintain, or tilting post (in case you weren't sure) is a wooden post used by knights practising for jousting tournaments. You know,... the sort of thing you see in films where the heroine hands her hanky to her lover then watches tearfully as he gallops off to do battle with the villain who wants to claim her for himself. The quintain is about 9ft (3m) high with a centrally pivoted, horizontal piece of wood on the top which swings about rather like a weather vane. There's a target board at one end and a dangling wooden truncheon at the other. The object was to hit the target with your lance, then gallop away quickly before getting a whack on the back of the head with the truncheon. It was an effective way of practising horsemanship and of improving one's accuracy with a lance – though probably best not done when nursing a hangover. The Offham quintain is still used every year in the village's May Day celebrations. Apparently Roman horsemen sometimes trained with quintains, but the practice is most commonly associated with medieval knights. In the 12th century, mock battles or mêlées, were a common form of both entertainment and exercise for young knights and could get quite violent. These mêlées grew in popularity and began to concern the authorities and senior churchmen. Such gatherings of armed men could easily be turned into open rebellion and threaten the stability of the country. During the 13th and 14th centuries the more formal activity of jousting became popular and gradually took the place of the mêlées. Jousting involved two knights in full armour charging at one another on horseback. The object was to unseat your opponent with your lance. Although jousting took place at tournaments, it was not only a game. In the 14th century competitors could be killed, or captured and then held to ransom as the result of a joust. It wasn't until the end of the 15th century that jousting was practised solely as a sport. This walk, which is very flat and ideal for people who tend to find going uphill and clambering over stiles difficult, takes you from the village green down to the edge of the woods. At this point you are not far from King's Hill, a new settlement built on the site of West Malling airfield. Pilots from here fought in the Battle of Britain, jousting with planes, rather than lances, as their weapons. You then walk through the wood, onto the road and back to Offham by way of a farm.

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About the area

Kent is home to the White Cliffs of Dover, an English icon that marks the point where the Kent Downs AONB stretches from the Surrey Hills down to the sea. Visitors can explore historic parklands, including Knole Park and Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell, or beautiful nature reserves, such as the coppiced woodlands of Denge Wood and Earley Wood and the ancient fine chalk woodland of Yockletts Bank.

Route details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

5 miles (8kms)

Ascent:

148ft (45m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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A stroll around Offham

Recommended by

Walk details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

5 miles (8kms)

Ascent:

148ft (45m)

Walk directions

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Turn left along Tower Hill and follow the road up the hill to Blaise Farm. Continue ahead, over a stile and follow the metalled track, passing the site of a former chapel dedicated to St Blaise – the patron saint of sore throats. He was once said to have miraculously healed a boy who was choking to death on a fishbone. Sadly, you can't see any ruins from the footpath. It's an easy stroll now to the edge of the wood, where you go sharp right along Lord's Walk, which runs along the edge of the wood.

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The path gradually widens and enters Great Leybourne Wood. At the first major junction of paths turn right, the path soon running along the woodland fringe down to a house. Turn right along the drive, then right at the road, following it to the green in Offham. Turn left past The King's Arms back to the car park.

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Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Easy woodland and farm paths, several stiles

Landscape - Flat agricultural land and woods

Dog friendliness - Off lead in woods; flat terrain makes it good for older dogs

Parking - Offham village car park

Toilets en route - None on route

Walks in Kent Dog-friendly walks in Kent

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

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Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

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About the area

Kent

A stroll around Offham

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Walking in Safety

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A stroll around Offham

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

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Get an AA guide

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