Join us for a day of walking, creative writing and mindfulness in the Kent Downs as part of National Walking Month!
We will take a break from London and travel to the Kent Downs to walk the Wye Downs and Crundale Circular. This is a 9.3-mile circular chalk downland route along the North Downs Way, taking in the dramatic Devil's Kneading Trough dry valley, sweeping views over Wye and the Stour Valley, the iconic Wye Crown chalk carving, woodland stretches, wildflower meadows, and wheat fields.
The landscape is classic Kentish downland — grassy escarpments, hedgerows, and occasional woodland shade.
During the walk, we will take intentional stops for some free-flowing creative writing, poetry games and short guided mindfulness practices. So if you enjoy nature, creative expression, and savouring the joy of roaming free, this walk is made for you! We hope this walk not only takes us through nature, but also brings us closer to the land.
The route does include 2-3 stretches of steep climb and a total of 990 ft elevation gain. So some prior walking experience is preferred. If you’re not sure, please see below for the link to a detailed route description so you can assess if this will be a comfortable walk or too demanding for now.
🧭 Walk Leaders
Jo is a North Downs Way Ambassador who recently completed their Lowland Leader training, and a community organiser, facilitator with a focus on health and social justice. As a queer migrant of colour, nature has been their refuge as the UK dials up its hostility towards QTBIPOC immigrant communities. Jo hopes to support more people who share similar struggles to access the outdoors and find joy in roaming free.
Emily is a writer, researcher and activist. She runs a monthly newsletter on Substack covering Chinese politics and culture, and is currently working on a nonfiction manuscript that revolves around nature, belonging, grief and the immigrant identity. She has completed a creative writing course at Central Saint Martin’s, UAL and as a lover of the great outdoors, she has completed the Lowland Leader training earlier this year.
While both share the responsibilities as group leaders on this walk, Jo will be leading the mindfulness practices and Emily will be leading the creative writing activities.
🌿 Pacing
We will move at a steady, moderate pace with plenty of short breaks and a 30min lunch break.
This is a guided group walk. We encourage everyone to communicate their accessibility needs with the walk leaders. In the meantime, we also expect participants to be comfortable following directions on when to continue or resume after breaks.
🚶 Itinerary overview
The hike will take approximately 5 to 5.5 hours, depending on pace. We will take regular breaks and a lunch stop.
You can expect approximately 990 ft of cumulative elevation gain.
We'll be leaving from London St Pancras International on the 09:07am train to Wye Train Station, and aiming to return on the 6:22pm train from Wye Railway Station to London.
We have built in plenty of time for our activities and as buffer to catch the 6:22pm train. However, should you wish to arrive at or leave Wye early, there are hourly trains from and back to London.
Event Details
📅 Date: Saturday, 23 May 2026
⏱ Timing: 10:30am – approx. 5:30pm
📍 Location: starting at Wye Train Station, we will finish at the Tickled Trout (steps away from the train station but it has some tables and benches by the riverside for us to rest)
🔥 Difficulty: Moderate
📏 Distance: approximately 9.3 miles
🧑🤝🧑 Max capacity: 8 people
Meeting points
We have two options depending on what is most convenient for you:
- London: London St Pancras International at 8:30
- Local: Wye Train Station at 10:05
🚂 Train tickets
Outbound (approx): £19 Advance Single
Return (approx): £19 Advance Single / £45 Super Off-Peak
Route details
You can read more about this hike here: https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-1044-description
Who is this event for?
All queer folks of colour with lived experience of the UK immigration system are welcome to join us.
Some prior walking experience is preferred. Please only sign up when you fit enough to complete the route and have disclosed any relevant health conditions to the walk leaders.
No prior experience is required for the creative writing or mindfulness sections of the event.
🧥 What to wear
Sturdy shoes, trainers, or walking boots (ideally a pair you have worn before so you know you'll be comfortable for the whole journey).
Breathable, weather-appropriate clothing — synthetic fabrics preferred, avoid cotton and denim.
Waterproof jacket and/or trousers if forecast indicates possible rain.
Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat for sunny days.
🎒 What to bring
Comfortable backpack.
A small notebook and pen if you’d like to write.
1.5–2 litres of water.
Plenty of snacks and a packed lunch.
Any personal medicines.
Portable charger, tissues, small plastic bags for rubbish.
Extra layers for the return journey.
We will be walking through Wye village where you can find some cafes and shops if extra food and water is needed.
📷 Photography and Privacy
We may take photos and videos during events to document and promote our future events (we hope to make this into a series!). Please let the walk leaders know on arrival if you'd prefer not to be photographed.
To best protect participants’ privacy, we usually avoid sharing photos with identifiable features on social media. All personal information will be used strictly for the purpose of running this event.
FAQs
1. How much does this event cost?
This event is free to attend. You do need to cover the cost of transportation, food and drinks.
2. I'm not sure about if the walk will be accessible for me.
Feel free to reach out to sundried_dandelion@pm.me . We can go over your circumstances and assess together.
3. I bought a ticket but I'm no longer able to attend.
Please cancel your ticket on the platform or email sundried_dandelion@pm.me at least 2 days before the event start time to open up the space for others to sign up.
4. What if it rains?
If the rain is at an acceptable level where we can still complete the walk safely, we will go ahead with the walk. Please dress accordingly and bring warm and weather-appropriate layers.
However, in severe or unsafe weather conditions, we might have to cancel the walk.
Contact
Email: sundried_dandelion@pm.me
Telephone: contact details of walk leader will be provided after sign up. We will also put together a temporary group chat on signal to help people share real-time updates and photos after the walk.