Trail 1: Goddards Green and Church Wood This is a short walk, starting from Goddards Green (see the starting point on a map in a new window on your screen TQ817346 ), around Church Wood, taking about 45 minutes.

Trail 2: The Old Manor House, Hemsted and The Ford A walk of about an hour and a quarter starting at Benenden cross-roads (see the starting point on a map in a new window on your screen TQ806331)

Trail 3: Walkhurst Road and the Beacon A walk of about one and a half hours, starting from the war memorial (see the starting point on a map in a new window on your screen TQ810328) northwards along Walkhurst Road.

Trail 4: Stepneyford, East End and The Pump A walk of about two hours, partly along roads (mostly quiet lanes) and partly footpaths. Starting Stepneyford Lane near Maplesden (see the starting point on a map in a new window on your screen TQ834333)

Read How Benenden Evolved

In July 2006 Ernest Pollard and Hazel Strouts completed a major work that gives a fascinating insight into what make s Benenden the village that it is today.

From their introduction ...

"The high land around Hemsted House (Benenden School) is a watershed; to the north, streams flow to the Thames Estuary, to the south and south-east to the English Channel at Rye. There was a Roman settlement here at Hemsted, close to the junction of Roman roads, and it is likely that the area was occupied even earlier. The name means 'The Homestead'.

From such beginnings, and within the constraints imposed by geology and topography, human activity has shaped the landscape. It is our aim to show how this landscape evolved, to report on its condition at the end of the second millennium, to describe some of the measures being undertaken for its conservation and enjoyment and to speculate on its future."

You can get your own copy of this fascinating work (as a 'PDF' file readable and printable and on most computers) by clicking here.