Visiting the Medway Megaliths

Whilst walking the North Downs Way (NDW) over the last few months, I became aware of the Medway Megaliths, which lie on or close to the Trail. On the Wrotham to Cuxton section, in Trosley Country park, I came across an information board about the three monuments West of the Medway, and on the Cuxton to Detling section, I passed Kit's Coty House and the White Horse Stone right on the Trail. I was surprised that such monuments, which date back some 6000 years, existed in this area, since generally, we think of them being confined to the plains of Wiltshire or the wilds of West Wales. But why shouldn't they: probably they were numerous, but most have been destroyed over time for practical or superstitious reasons.

I won't attempt to describe what is known of the monuments, there are many internet sources, but I have included photos of the various on-site information boards.

Here is a summary map (as shown on the display board at the National Trust site of Coldrum).

Map of the Medway Megaliths (National Trust)

And here they are on a Google Map, showing how they can be reached from the NDW, or on a one-off visit.

There are three monuments West of the Medway:

Coldrum Long Barrow (National Trust). From the NDW (dark brown), take the 'Wealdway' bridleway (orange) where the NDW descends from Trosley Country Park to meet the Pilgrim's Way. Or, park at the dedicated car park, and make the short walk (pink).

Addington Long Barrow (Private): is about a mile south of Coldrum, on the other side of the M20. It is on private land, but the stones are visible from the lane (Park Road), and indeed can be seen on Google Streetview (see photos). However, when I visited in August, either I wasn't looking in the right place, or it was too overgrown for the stones to be seen. It is probably too far from the NDW to be worth diverting to see. By car, the road is narrow, but is quiet so you may get away with just pausing briefly to try your luck, or alternatively you could try parking at the Village Hall just down the road, or buying a drink at the Angel Inn in the village, and making a quick sortie from there.

The Chestnuts (Private) is close to the Addington Long Barrow, and is apparently an impressive collection of stones. It is on private land, and not visible from the road. Older sources say that it can be visited by arrangement with the owner, and paying a small fee, but more recent sources say this has been discontinued. I didn't try, and as for the Addington Long Barrow, it would be too far away to be worth diverting from the NDW.

There are four monuments East of the Medway:

Kit's Coty House (English Heritage) is perhaps the most impressively sited of the monuments, sitting on an open field on the Downs slope, with views looking out over Aylesford. It is in the form of a dolmen, a large flat capstone supported on uprights, which probably formed the entrance to a large burial mound.

At the foot of the hill some 500 metres away is Little Kit's Coty House aka Countless Stones (English Heritage), an evocative collection of fallen stones. It lies in an enclosure accessed through a gate from the Rochester Road.

500 metres to the North West, amongst the vines of the Kit's Coty Vineyard is the Coffin Stone (Private), thought to be a fallen standing stone.

Finally, on the other side of the A229 is the (Upper) White Horse Stone (Historic England), another isolated stone. (It is believed there was a Lower White Horse Stone, which has long ago disappeared.)

Kit's Coty House and the White Horse Stone are both right on the Trail and can be easily visited. It would be tempting to branch off to visit the Coffin Stone and Little Kit's Coty House along the Pilgrims Way road and Rochester Road, but these are very busy roads with no pavement. Instead I suggest the more circuitous but safer route shown on the map (red), which uses footpaths to avoid walking alongside these roads (except for an unavoidable short stretch on the Rochester Road).

Descending on the NDW from Bluebell Hill (dark brown), from the Chatham Road, the Trail descends a set of steps and Kit's Coty House is soon accessed through a gap in the hedge to the right. Having viewed the monument, divert from the NDW by descending through the field and following a path along the field boundary till meeting a public footpath on which you descend to meet and cross the busy Pilgrims Way road (extreme care needed).

The footpath on the other side enters the Kit's Coty Vineyard. The Coffin Stone itself is some way off the path. However, it sits in a clearing on an 'avenue' between the lines of vines, next to a clump of small trees, more or less under overhead power cables slung between the neighbouring pylons. It is possible to walk down this 'avenue' to view the stone and re-join the footpath (purple). I cannot vouch that this is formally allowed, but it would seem the landowner has taken steps to keep the stone clear and accessible. But naturally, you should obey any signs or instructions, and pass through as quickly as possible.

Now follow paths south around the farmhouses to emerge at Rochester Road.

To reach Little Kit's Coty House requires great care: it must have the most dangerous approach of any ancient monument in Britain, since it lies off the narrow, busy two way Rochester Road, which has no pavement. Rather than take your life in your hands by walking alongside this road, we take a more circuitous approach, crossing the Rochester Road (extreme care needed) and following a footpath to the quiet lane beyond (Pratling Street), then following this lane as it loops back around to its junction with the Rochester Road. At the junction, take a bead on the traffic approaching from the right (North). Wait for a gap in the traffic, preferably there should be no traffic in sight, then RUN the few yards beside the road to the entrance to the monument through the hedge to your right, and dive through before any oncoming traffic can get you.

To escape, reverse the process back to Pratling Street, go back down it and then cut up on a bridleway to rejoin the NDW. Continue East, crossing under the A229 using a subway, and over the High Speed Railway on a footbridge. The White Horse Stone will be found a short way up the hill in trees to the left. Having viewed this monument, continue on your way!

For a one-off visit to these four monuments, you could park on the Old Chatham Road, and follow the above route: the NDW steps are immediately opposite across the (busy) Chatham Road. Having reached the White Horse Stone, return via the NDW, crossing the busy junction of the Pilgrims Way road and the Rochester Road with extreme care: there is a traffic island.

To repeat: Chatham Road, Pilgrims Way, and especially Rochester Road are very busy, dangerous roads, take great care crossing or walking alongside them.