Kent Ramblers: Walk 451

Kent Ramblers: Walk 451

Volunteer

Scadbury Park Nature Reserve

Distance: 2.5 miles (1h 15m)

OS Map: Explorer 162 (Start at TQ453693)

There are two designated, free car parks. This walk is based on the quieter car park off St Paul’s Wood Hill. From the road between Orpington and Chislehurst, turn into Leeson’s Hill at a mini roundabout. Almost immediately turn left into St Paul’s Wood Hill. Take first left down a school drive. Well before school gates, turn into car park. The alternative car park is off Old Perry Street at Perry Street Shaw.

The walk follows a nature trail with numbered posts marked in orange on the map. There are notes on what to look for at these posts in the directions.

From car park walk away from road with school on your right. Keep parallel to school fence to information board. Pass to right of board and soon reach main circular route. Turn left, pass Nature Trail Post 5 (area of silver birch), soon cross driveway “The Drive” and pass Post 4 (yew trees). Continue down hill passing Post 3 (sycamore coppice), across valley, along duck boards over damp area (Post 2), past pond on right and uphill past Post 1 (ancient oak, thought to have been alive in Elizabethan times, but now looking fragile) to Old Perry Street car park.

Continue along main path past Post 20 (lichens on elder bark but not easy to spot), bear carving, picnic area with living sundial and Post 19 (area of sweet chestnuts badly in need of coppicing) to cross metalled driveway. Through gate on far side of driveway and past seat, turn sharp right and head downhill passing Post 18 (note hedge on left).

At bottom you can choose to climb steps ahead for a short cut or for full walk turn left along valley on path between hedges/fences and at corner turn right uphill. Enter wood near post 16 (note meadows on right, possibly with cuckoo spit protecting froghopper nymphs and in summer field scabious and cocoons of 5-spot burnet moths). Bear left through would along undulating path to T-junction with metalled track. Turn right uphill past post 15 (Little Wood with bluebells, yellow archangel and wood anemones suggesting ancient woodland).

Continue out of wood, past pond on left (post 14 should be on right but has not been spotted lately; you may see green ring-necked parakeets in the trees both here and elsewhere such as between posts 6 and 7). Continue, passing Post 13 (old apple tree on left, remains of former orchard, which may now be gone), until at a T-junction you meet another path. This is the path you will come along if you choose the short cut. Turn left downhill along avenue of mature oaks.

When path starts to go down more steeply, take right turn past Post 12. Soon pass signposted detour to remains of Scadbury Manor and moat (Post 11). You can skip this if you wish, but it is not far so you might as well take a quick look.

Continue along main route passing Posts 10 (pond), 9 & 9A (ferns, some supposedly staying green throughout winter but not very obvious), 8 (note the ivy-clad trees), another carved bear and 7 (note the rotting wood with fungi a little further along). Eventually there is a handrail on left and some uphill steps on the far side of the handrail running parallel to the main path. The school near the car park is now on your left and Post 6 on your right (check location). At wooden fingerpost turn left (signed St Paul’s Green, if you reach Post 5 again you have gone too far) and retrace steps from start of walk to car park.

Points of Interest

Moated Manor

The brickwork in the centre of the moat is all that remains of a house built in the 15th and 16th centuries for the Walsingham family.
Queen Elizabeth I visited Scadbury in 1597 when she knighted Thomas Walsingham, nephew of her Secretary of State. At that time Scadbury was a hunting park and some oaks that would have been saplings then still survive. In 1738 the house was demolished, possibly because it was unsafe, and the owners moved to Frognall.

The Tudor barn was demolished by the last V1 flying bomb to cause damage in the UK on 28 March 1945.

The estate was bought by Bromley Council in 1982. There is a long-term archaeological investigation in progress, undertaken by Orpington and District Archaeological Society.

Carved Bears

The bears are part of a 7.5 mile Bear Trail which starts at Elmstead Woods station and finishes at Chislehurst station, passing around 25 bears on the way. Most of the bears are funded by the Chislehurst Society.

Public Transport

Nearby roads including St Paul's Cray Road, St Paul's Wood Hill and Perry Street are well served by numerous buses from Orpington and Chislehurst.

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