The Blean circular walks

The Blean - ancient woodland that captivates the history and beauty in all its glory

Close up of a leaf at Blean Woods Close to Canterbury is an enchanting and historic place to discover, known as the Blean.

For a thousand years, the Blean has remained one of the largest and most distinctive areas of ancient woodland in the South East, covering over 3,000 hectares or 11 square miles.

The expansive woodland is well recognised nationally and internationally as being an important wildlife site and many rare species successfully thrive throughout the area.

There are four circular walks that we would highly recommend visiting which offer glimpses of history, beauty and nature at its best.

Dunkirk and Denstroude

The first walk is 4.5 miles long and passes through Dunkirk village and Bossendon Wood which witnessed the last battle on English soil in 1838.

This area was infamous for harbouring smugglers and minor criminals during the small uprising in the 1800s, although the area soon became a small settlement of families benefiting from the timber trade.

The next section on this walk passes by Denstroude Farm - a previous isolation place for Black Death sufferers in medieval times.

The last part of this walk consists of criss-crossing drove-ways or migration routes for swine herds, which characterise most of the North Downs.

Oak tree Farmers would lead their herds to pastures in Romney Marsh or the Wealdway and a subsequent consequence being the creation of "hollow ways" cut down into the chalk over centuries leaving narrow twisting routes.

Reaching the end of this fascinating walk, you will notice two things; one being the size of the woodbanks on either side of the road; a sign that one parish had more wealth than the other.

The walk is relatively flat although the Blean is on heavy clay so can get wet and muddy.

Allow 2.5 hours for this trail. Dogs are not allowed on this section.

Download the Dunkirk walk

Herne, Tyler Hill and Broad Oak

Large mushroom This walk follows the route of old droveways through ancient woodland before returning through open fields and historic farmsteads of the Sarre Penn Valley.

Starting near the old Blean Union Workhouse which once housed 420 inmates, it later became Herne Hospital. It has since been converted into residential use.

Later in the walk you will see Mayton Farm, a former oast house where hops grown in nearby fields were dried for the brewing industry.