www.fort i f icat ions.org

Other available leaflets

KentBattle of Britain, Canterbury, Dover, Gravesend, Hythe, Rochester, Sandwich, Tonbridge

East SussexWinchelsea and Bodiam

Nord-Pas de CalaisBergues, Boulogne, Calais, Cassel, Gravelines, Montreuil, Saint Omer, Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme.

West-VlaanderenIeper, Lo, Menen, Nieuwpoort, Oostende, Veurne

Other places Of interestRochester Castle dates from the 11th century. It was one of the earliest castles in England to be built in stone and utilised parts of the Roman city walls for its foundations. Rochester Castle is a fine example of a Norman square keep castle, the majority of which is still standing today. Rochester is 20 km north of Thurnham off Junction 2 of the M2.

For more information regarding disabled access at Rochester call the Visitor Information Centre on 01634 847891 or visit www.medway.gov.uk or pick up a copy of our accessible heritage trail for Rochester.

HOW tO gEt tHErECar: The walk starts in the White Horse Wood Country Park car park. This is only accessed via the southbound A249, about 6 km north of Maidstone and 1.6 km north-east of Detling. It cannot be accessed by car via Thurnham Village.

For more information regarding disabled access to the Castle and White Horse Wood please contact:

Kent County Council Country Parks Telephone: 01622 221337Email: country.parks@kent.gov.ukWebsite: www.kent.gov.uk/countrysideaccess

Every effort has been made to ensure that all information given in this pack is correct as the time of going to press (Summer 2007). No liability can be accepted by the authors for any loss, damage or injury caused by errors or omissions in this wording.

Summer 2007

Thurnham

Access ible Heri tage Trai lsThurnham

Thurnham Castle, c.6 km north of Maidstone, stands on a spur of the chalk ridge of the North Downs overlooking the vale of Holmesdale. The history of this ringwork and bailey castle is mysterious. It was first mentioned in a document of 1225 but the castle may be much older than this, perhaps dating to the late 11th century. Today it is at the heart of White Horse Wood Country Park from where it offers spectacular views across Kent.

trail length: 1.5 km

www.fortifications.org

this leaflet is available in alternative formats. Please telephone:08458 247 600

KENT

Phot

os: J

ohn

Mille

r / S

tuar

t Cak

ebre

ad

RouTe descRipTion:

Warning: this trail may be unsuitable for some wheelchairs, due to steep gradients and particularly after wet weather.

the walk starts in the White Horse Wood Country Park car park where there are four disabled car parking spaces.

In the car park find the information board. Here you will see a map of trails around the Country Park. To begin this trail start by following the path behind the board that leads to the right. The path is marked ‘Woodland Walk’ and at first leads back towards the road and then around the edge of the hill.

Continue on this path until you reach the lookout point on your right.

Follow the path along the edge of the hill until you see to your left a break in the newly planted trees and a sign saying ‘Iron Age Enclosure’.

Follow the path until it forks right to pass through a ‘kissing gate.’ Be careful, if wet this path can become slippery. Continue through a second ‘kissing gate’ and down the ramp towards the road. Cross the road. Be careful as there is no pavement here and you will have to use the road. On the other side of the road there is a ramp up towards the entrance of Thurnham Castle.Be careful as the surface of the castle site is uneven and natural.

Once you have left the Castle, retrace your steps across the road and back into White Horse Wood Country Park. Go back though the ‘kissing gates’ and at the fork in the path, continue straight on. Continue through two further ‘kissing gates’ and head along the path back to the car park.

Alternative route: If you are unable to negotiate the narrower ‘kissing gates’ between points 3 and 4, there is an alternative route to and from the Castle. The route is shown on the map and is along Castle Hill. You will need to be careful if you take this route as there is no pavement and you will have to use the road. this route may not be suitable for manual wheelchairs it is very steep.

poinTs of inTeResT

White Horse Wood Country Park is Kent County Council’s youngest country park, created to celebrate the new Millennium. Opened to the public in 2005, the site had over 20,000 new trees planted within its 26 hectares, including Ash, Silver Birch and Wild Cherry.

At the lookout point you will find three panels explaining the panoramic views before you. From here you can see the unique and beautiful context of White Horse Wood in the Kent countryside.

On the left of the path you will notice a break in the newly planted trees. Prior to tree planting, the discovery of Iron Age Pottery on the surface led archaeologists to investigate the site further. They found that approximately 2,900 years ago, in the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, people had built an enclosure surrounded by a ditch, which covered about two-thirds of a hectare.

The majority of the park has been designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, because of its rare habitat type (ie chalk grassland) and its abundance of flora and fauna.

White Horse Wood is home to the remains of Thurnham Castle. This castle, built on the top of the North Downs, commands spectacular panoramas across the Vale of Holmesdale. The remains of the castle today include a flint gatehouse and defensive curtain wall enclosing a flat ‘bailey’ area. To the east is a large conical ringwork surrounded by a substantial ditch. The date of the castle is uncertain but probably dates from some time between the late 11th and early 13th centuries.

The North Downs Way passes through White Horse Wood in two locations. This 250 km national trail starts at Farnham on the Surrey/Hampshire border and ends at Dover. Thurnham Castle is one of eight castles that you will pass on the route.

T h u r n h a m - a c c e s s i b l e h e r i t a g e Tr a i l

10%

10%

10%

4%

7%

9%

10-13%

110cm

137cm

START

5

ALT

ERN

ATIV

E R

OU

TE

x4

Earth & packed gravel

Tarmac

RAMP TO CASTLE

6-9%

A249Maidstone

Disabled Parking

Rest Area

Castle

Downhill Gradient

Uphill Gradient

150cm

Woodland Walk

Uneven surface

Note there are no toilets on this trail