The Tudor Trail is a 6-mile multi-user linear route between 2 historic buildings in the Wealden countryside. It is also part of 'Regional Route 12' of the

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Route

The trail starts at

Tonbridge Castle Tonbridge Castle is a 13th century castle situated in Tonbridge, Kent, England. Early history Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-and ...

, then leads through Haysden Country Park (around Barden Lake), then through the village of Lower Haysden, it then passes under the Tonbridge by-pass (part of the A21) via a quiet lane, then it uses a bridleway to link back to a portion of Haysden Country Park. It meets the 'Eden Valley Walk' (along distance path between Penshurst and Edenbridge). They then head along 'The Straight Mile' which is the remains of a canal built in the 1829 to join Penshurst to the navigable part of the River Medway. The canal was never completed or ever used. Then mile ends near Ensfield Road which passes over the River Medway. The route then heads along a bridleway to Killick's Bank farm. The route then heads to a section of the route with the only slight climb of the route, heading up to Wells Place Farm. The farm is on the Penshurst Estate and the route then heads down to

Penshurst Place Penshurst Place is a historic building near Penhurst, Kent, south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poet, courtier and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney. The ori ...

, the destination of the route. The route has been recommended by

Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to r ...

as one of the top cycling routes in the country. Some guides mention the trail continuing (past Penshurst) to

Hever Castle Hever Castle ( ) is located in the village of Hever, Kent, near Edenbridge, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century. From 1462 to 1539, it was the seat of the Boleyn (originally 'Bullen') family. ...

via

Chiddingstone Chiddingstone is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden between Tonbridge and Edenbridge. The village of Chiddingstone Causeway and the hamlet Chiddingstone Hoath are al ...

, extending the trail to 10miles (16 km). The route is mentioned in the 'AA guide Cycling in the SE of England'. Recommended OS maps to use are OS Explorer 147, OS Landranger 188.

References

External links

Sustrans notes on the route
{{NCN Cycleways in England National Cycle Routes Transport in Kent