Happy Groundhog Day if you’re a celebrator of this holiday and/or if your favorite animal prognosticator gave you the verdict you were hoping for in terms of length of winter. We don’t have any wild parties planned.
One of the Things To Do in Tunbridge Wells is to take a train ride on the short Spa Valley Railway. It runs from the old Tunbridge Wells West Train Station to the little town of Eridge, stopping at Groombridge and sometimes High Rocks. They offer both train rides on a steam train or historic diesel train (an out and back trip being about an hour if you don’t get off) as well as themed rides on the same trains for Burns Night or Valentines Day, etc.
We’ve been intrigued about these rides (me a bit more than Bob), but the trains currently only run on the weekends and the weather hasn’t been great. However, my recent research on Apple Maps showed me that one could walk to the High Rocks station (first one out of Tunbridge Wells) in about an hour from the house. Since this looked like the cutest stop, and the train doesn’t always stop there due to being a popular place for private events, I thought I might try walking there today.
No rain was in the forecast (but some fell anyway), and I headed out about 10:30 for a walk that would take me down to the busy road across from the Commons before heading west through a short neighborhood road before getting onto a path that took me all the way to High Rocks. It proved to be an inexpensive and close up way to experience the nature that the train would be passing, but it was not the easiest or cleanest of walks. Rain has consequences.
that ended at the start of the path
The Friezland Wood lies on the border of Kent and East Sussex. It is 8 hectares, has some impressive high sandstone rocks, and lies within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The High Weald National Landscape covers an area of 1,450 square kilometers and takes up part of Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, and West Sussex . The landscape has small farms and woodlands, historic parks, sunken lanes, and ridge top villages.
I may have missed some of the natural beauty while I was focused on my footing.
The following pics show some of the High Rocks that give the area that I was walking to its name.
as I walked onto the road towards the station.
closed on Monday and Tuesdays.
you can enter the High Rocks National Monument for 10 pounds, Wednesday through Sunday.
Access to the train station was gated off as it lies just below the event venue.
at the other end of the car park for the Sainsbury’s
where we have been grocery shopping.
Peckish Travels 
One reply on “Cheap and Dirty (2/2/26)”
That looked a Wee bit Messy to say the least 🥴🥴
S.J.B
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