Walking on Toy's Hill - National Trust

With a need to give the dog Zoid some exercise and to enjoy a shady summer walk we chose to explore Toy's Hill near Sevenoaks in Kent.  A wise decision as it turned out.  The dog loved it and was so eager to get in the car for the ride there we had to drag him out to put the covers down on the rear seat used to dog protect the upholstery. He almost strangled himself trying to get out of the car when we arrived at the The Fox and Hounds car park.  A short walk in the woods, a drink and we took him into the dog friendly pub bar and had coffee and a drink - there is a dog bowl provided.  The landlord was extremely welcoming and handed us the Toy's Hill walking map and told us of the terrain we were likely to experience.  Lunch was light by choice but excellent and the beer I had was most excellent. We liked the look of the menu which is both affordable and varied.  Top notch value for money.

Toy's Hill is one of the highest points in Kent and during the 1987 hurricane suffered damage to many of its trees.  We took a short walk before lunch more to enjoy the day and give the dog a reason for being with us and saw much evidence of downed trees, their root clumps vertical and trunks laying on the ground.  What amazed us was the way branches were now growing like trees themselves and some indeed wheer the main trunk was rotting had formed roots of their own.  We were amazed too that some large trees had survived the blast of what we agreed was the Michael Fish Effect (MFE) and made some cruel jokes about weather forecasters. 

However, aside from the MFE the woods on Toys Hill are beautiful and more so at this time of the year when the trees are at their peak, mature green and enjoying the spring growth and summer strength.  The walking is cool and varied with easy slopes and some pleasantly challenging climbs for the nearly knackered and overweight casual walkers - even the dog was panting - eitehr from frustration at our slow progress or overweight not having been walked enough during the last month.

Toy's Hill is close to Emmetts Garden  as indeed a path passes through it.  It has some bridleways which are used so be careful to watch for horses and also incorporates part of the Greensand Way.  As casual walkers we didn't 'do' all of the tracks but instead wandered some of them enjoying the undulating terrain and the view from lookout points. 

The woods are kept in a natural state and the paths and walkways clear and yet unobtrusive - you know you are on a path but it seems natural to be there even although they are obviously formed. 

Points of interest are the site of Weardale Manor and the Bat Tower.  The manor was a country retreat but fell in to disrepair and was eventually destroyed.  The Bat Tower was a water tower now converted to provide a home for hibernating bats.  I like that.

Something of a disappointment was that in the very informative brochure theer is a picture of some Adders but we did not see any.  Adders and Vipers were once my boyhood interest and I would like to see some on our walks.

We spent a pleasant afternoon strolling around and decided that Toy's Hill, a walk to Ide Hill was a good idea for a day out later in the year. We may even take a look at Emmetts Garden but unfortunately we will not be able to take the dog. A pity that because even dogs like some cultural enlightenment.

A final note: we were reminded by a fellow dog walker that Toy's Hill, Ide Hill and Emmetts and places like Knole Park are not from from London and other than the fact that there was congestion on the M20 which we had to skirt around we would not have realised how close we are.