The Big Blean Walk is 25 miles long and passes through one of the largest and most distinctive areas of ancient woodland in Great Britain. Alongside the woodland route, an art and sensory trail, church architecture and archaeological traces offer further themes for a trip to Blean. When planning, it helps to choose a focus: a long walk, art in a woodland setting or cultural history.
Woodland landscape and the Big Blean Walk
Blean Woods NNR is part of The Blean, the largest area of ancient broadleaf woodland in southern Britain. The Big Blean Walk is signposted and can be completed as a very long circular walk or in stages. The two formats offer different focuses: the circular walk brings the entire 25-mile route together in one long outing, while walking in stages puts individual sections of the route in the spotlight. Check the markers on site.
There are 18 information boards along the Blean woodlands, covering wildlife and heritage. This means the route includes specific topics relating to nature and culture as well as the woodland landscape. When choosing the walk, you can therefore consider both the format of the route and your interest in wildlife and history.
Church architecture and archaeological traces
The Church of St Cosmus and St Damian has choir stalls and a nave dating from the 13th century. The north aisle extension and south porch were added in 1866. This creates a clear chronological sequence of older elements and later additions. The nave is the central part of the church; choir stalls are the seating for the choir. Distinguishing between parts of the building, furnishings and additions helps you match the dates to the relevant elements.
At St Cosmus and St Damian in the Blean, remains of a medieval settlement with visible earthworks have been preserved. A monument at St Cosmus and St Damian in the Blean also includes the underground remains of a former Roman building, identified as a villa. The visible earthworks are part of the medieval settlement remains; the building identified as a villa is of Roman origin. The archaeological traces therefore differ both in date and in form.
Art in the woodland
The Blean Wildart Trail in Thornden Wood is an art and sensory trail accessible to everyone. Sustainable, non-invasive artworks are made using natural materials from the local area, and blend into their surroundings. The artworks may change over time. Unlike the Big Blean Walk, the focus here is not a 25-mile route, but art, sensory experiences, materials and the way the works are integrated into their surroundings.
When choosing between these themes, consider the kind of discovery you are looking for: the Big Blean Walk focuses on distance and choosing stages, the church on a datable sequence of construction, and the Wildart Trail on art and sensory experiences. The archaeological traces add visible medieval earthworks and underground Roman remains to these options.
Discover more destinations: Lenham, Hartley, Coxheath, Elham, Sutton Valence, Penshurst, Camber, Southborough.
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