The Stour Valley Walk is a recreational walking route that follows the River Stour, through the Low Weald and Kent Downs, from its source at Lenham to its estuary at Pegwell Bay.
The walk passes through some of Kent's finest landscapes, most important nature sites and most historic, un-spoilt villages. The walk is signed with the logo of a Heron, occasionally seen in the area.
The 51.5 miles (82.9 km) route is of interest for its landscape and history, and for its archaeological, historical and architectural features. Part of the Pilgrims' Way followed the river valley from Wye to Canterbury after the North Downs.
The walk passes through a varied landscape of downland, woodland, orchards, hop gardens and farmland; lakes, dykes and marshland; unspoilt villages and hamlets; and historic towns.
It is possible to reach the walk from Maidstone via the 12 kilometer long Len Valley Walk (booklet available from Maidstone Council).
Famous quotes containing the words valley and/or walk:
“I see before me now a traveling army halting,
Below a fertile valley spread, with barns and the orchards of summer,
Behind, the terraced sides of a mountain, abrupt, in places rising high,”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
“I sing what was lost and dread what was won,
I walk in a battle fought over again,
My king a lost king, and lost soldiers my men....”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)