Community rail helped to launch this year’s Heart of Kent Walking Festival with a guided walk between two stations on the Kent Downs Line.
After a press launch with local MPs Damian Green and Helen Whately, almost 40 people set off on the 10km route from Charing to Lenham stations via the North Downs Way.
Walkers were treated to information rest breaks which included; changing farming techniques on the Downs, the fauna and flora of the Downs, pilgrimage highlights, and various facts about the part the Downs played in the World Wars.
As part of Kent Community Rail Partnership’s sustainable tourism offer, all guided walks are free of charge, and the partnership encourages participants to join and leave the walks by train. Each walk ends in a village where walkers may wish to explore the shops, cafés or pubs before catching the train home.
Further walks are planned for July 27th, September 30th, and November 19th. For details, go to www.kentcrp.org.uk
