Brenchley, Shirrenden, Horsmonden Furnace Pond and High Weald Landscape Trail

The walk starts in the ancient hilltop village of Brenchley, with its mixture of houses, shops and pubs of all ages clustered around a tree in a circle of grass. The village church, All Saints, with its fine tower and turret, has its origins in the 13th century. Inside the sandstone church is some fine linenfold panelling, dating from 1536 on the rood screen.

Damp-loving plants thrive in this area. The Wealden clay on which The woodlands flourish is badly drained, despite the numerous little river valleys, or gills, as they are called locally. Reeds, sedges and bulrushes are common. In the coppiced chestnut woods, carpets of bluebells, foxgloves, primroses and dogs mercury flourish beside goat willow, wild roses and broom. Coal tits and blue tits can be seen in the mixed woods around Sprivers, where scots pines, silver birches, holly and beech can be found in the coppice.

Sprivers is an 18th century National Trust property. From the path, there are pretty views of the gardens across the moat. The route passes Shirrenden, a beautiful mansion sited in parkland. Place names ending in 'den' indicate Anglo-Saxon clearances in the forest, where cattle pastured and where swine were driven in autumn to feed on acorns and beech mast.

The Horsmonden Furnace Pond covers about 25 acres and is one of the largest in Kent. The pond fed a blast furnace, its water wheel drove the bellows, which blew air to the base of the furnace where the iron ore and charcoal were mixed. Molten iron was tapped off from the furnace into a bed of sand where it cooled into cast iron. The ironworks made guns and cannonballs, and in the 17th century was the most important ordnance works in the Weald.

The pond is fringed with trees, and reeds provide a haven for bird life. Hop gardens run down to the waters edge with views of orchards below. Today, it is hard to imagine the clamour of heavy industry in such a peaceful place.

From the pond, the walker concludes by following the High Weald Landscape Trail back into Brenchley.