Shoreham Cross Circular Walk

1.4 miles (2.2 km)

This circular walk visits the Shoreham Memorial Cross in the Kent village of Shoreham.
The Christian cross hill figure is carved into a chalk escarpment just to the north west of the village. You can follow public footpaths from the public car park west towards Meenfield Wood before heading north to the cross.... The route then returns south on a country lane to the village.
As you ascend through the ancient woodland of Meenfield Wood, the canopy opens to reveal the striking white silhouette of the cross, which was originally cut into the hillside in 1920 to commemorate the local men who lost their lives in the First World War. Reaching the escarpment provides a spectacular vantage point over the Darent Valley, where the river meanders past the flint-faced St Peter and St Paul Church and the red-brick gables of the historic village.
The surrounding landscape is part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the chalk grassland around the monument is a haven for wildflowers and butterflies during the warmer months. On the descent back into Shoreham, you will pass through a quintessentially English scene of rolling vineyards and hop gardens, reflecting the area's rich agricultural heritage. For those interested in art history, this specific landscape was a profound inspiration for the 19th-century visionary artist Samuel Palmer, who lived in the village and famously referred to the valley as an "earthly paradise."
To continue your walking in the area you could pick up the Shoreham to Eynsford Walk and enjoy a riverside walk along the River Darent Valley Path to the nearby Lullingstone Country Park.