North Downs Way

North Downs Way is a UK National Trail in South East England, running west–east from Farnham, Surrey to Dover, Kent on the chalk escarpment of the North Downs. The full distance is about 153 miles (246 km).

The trail is opened as a long-distance footpath route that became a National Trail in stages; the route completion is marked by a formal ceremony in September 1978. It’s designated a UK National Trail and is supported through Natural England’s National Trails framework.

On the ground, expect a long walk along downland and chalk country with a mix of footpaths, bridleways, byways and some road sections. A large part of the route follows existing route alignments associated with historical pilgrimage footpaths through the region.

Near the eastern end, the route divides near Wye into two different ways to reach Dover: one via Folkestone and another via Canterbury; the two options can also be combined into a loop that converges again near the Dover end.

The trail is presented as 15 sections in the official guide, rather than a single continuous day hike. Planning around section breaks is the practical way to do the route as a long-distance walk (or to choose a shorter stretch).

Along the way it passes through Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs landscape designations; it also cuts through areas of outstanding natural beauty and other protected sites typical of chalk ridge country. The route character and land-use also include livestock grazing on lower slopes and crop agriculture in the valleys.

More information: Wikipedia, North Downs Way - National Trails, The North Downs Way National Trail - Kent Downs