Cuxton Loop – North Downs Way Rail Trail
A varied route through the Medway Valley and North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve (NNR). You will find small villages, woodland, farmland and vineyards. In the summer months, the fields around Cuxton transform into colourful wildflower meadows, the perfect habitat for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. With fabulous views across dry valleys and across the Medway towards Rochester, this family friendly route packs in a lot. Kitchen Field is home to one of the largest assemblages of rare arable wildflowers, including corncockle, meadow clary and broad-leaved cudweed, and forms part of Ranscombe Farm, Plantlife’s largest nature reserve in England, which spans 560 acres on the slopes of the Kent Downs and offers quiet walks through attractive countryside rich in rare flora. This in turn sits within the wider North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve, a network of protected landscapes stretching from Gravesend to Medway, encompassing ancient woodlands, chalk grasslands and rare species, and notably the first NNR to include a vineyard. Along the route, the Silverhand Estate extends across 900 acres as the largest single organic vineyard in Kent and the first in the UK to achieve carbon negative status through its organic and regenerative farming practices.
ROUTE DIRECTIONS
- From Cuxton Station follow Station Road to the junction with the main road (Rochester Road). Cross over the road at the traffic lights turning left into Bush Road.
- Follow Bush Road, passing a sports ground on the right and continue until reaching a footpath on the right opposite a post box, and between two houses.
- Follow this narrow path between fences uphill over the railway line bearing right down steps into a field. This is part of Ranscombe Farm.
- At a crossroads in the field, take the path to the left. Follow this path into the next field ignoring paths left and right passing through woodland.
- On exiting the woods, pass through a gate and turn hard left uphill alongside a hedge to another gate.
- At the top of the hill, bear left along woodland edge to a field gate. Pass through gate bearing right alongside field edge.
- At the edge of woodland, keep ahead ignoring the path on the right.Keep ahead to another field gate, passing through and heading downhill towards the railway line.
- Head downhill back towards the railway line with views over Lower Bush and the vineyards ahead. Pass under the railway line and follow the path to the road.
- Turn left onto the road, then right to follow a field edge with the Silverhand Estate Vineyard to the left and ahead.
- Pick up the North Downs Way on exiting the field onto the road, heading towards Upper Bush.
- Follow the NDW for a while through the houses, keeping left at the final cottage on a path between hedges and out into another field of vines heading towards woodland.
- Carry on ahead on the NDW through North Wood, ignoring paths on either side before crossing another valley with Dean Farm to the left into more woodland.
- Follow the steps uphill to a T junction.
- Leave the NDW at the T junction, turning left back towards Cuxton as the NDW turns right towards Halling. Follow this long path through the woods, ignoring the paths left and right. On coming to the edge of the woods at a Y junction, keep right towards a field gate.
- Go through the gate to a path between paddocks with views of the Medway Crossing and Rochester ahead. Keep ahead through the gate, passing a beacon heading downhill through fields towards the church and main road.
- Turn left through a gate then keep to the right path towards the churchyard.
- Turning right through the gate into the churchyard, follow this path to a junction and turn left towards the Village Hall.
- Follow this path down to the main road until reaching the traffic lights at the end of Station Road crossed at the start of the walk. Carefully cross the road and turn into Station Road, retracing route back to the station.
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