Looking for a ghost walk? Then this is perfect for you. For the fun or for the fright, Pluckley circular walk takes you from the most haunted village in England to scary Screaming Woods passing by haunted Fright Corner. Will you dare follow me on that walk?
Originally planned for Halloween (it would have been so perfect), I ended up doing this walk a few weeks later. I do not believe in ghosts at all, and I found it quite amusing to read about the stories of the haunted village before going there. But I have to admit it, there is quite an atmosphere in this village that gives you the chills!
Disclaimer: Some hiking groups may offer the same or similar walks around Pluckley. Find out more here.
Logistics for Pluckley Circular Walk
- Distance: 12.86 miles (20.70 km)
- Total Ascent: 696 feet (212 m)
- Highest Point: 331 ft (101 m)
- Lowest Point: 78.7 ft (24 m)
- Walking Estimate: 5 hours 10 minutes
- Difficulty: Intermediate
How to get there:
- Direct trains from Charing Cross to Pluckley.
- The journey takes 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- As it is a circular walk you can book a day return ticket
What to pack:
- Comfortable shoes and clothing
- Gaiters if you are going during the rainy season as the path can get really muddy
- Rain gear or sunglasses and headcover depending on the weather
- Backpack with water (2L minimum recommended), snacks and packed lunch
Additional Information
- There are no public toilets on this walk
Where to eat and drink:
- Black Horse, Pluckley, Kent
Highlights of Pluckley Circular Walk
- The haunted village of Pluckley
- St Nicholas’ Church
- Fright Corner
- The Black Horse haunted restaurant
- The Dering Arms haunted pub
- Screaming Woods
- Bethersden Village
The Pluckley Circular Walk
Take your paranormal activity detector or call the Ghost Busters and follow me for the scariest walk of your life…
The Dering Arms
Coming out from Pluckley train station, you come face to face with the Dering Arms. Don’t be fooled by the fact it is a pub, this former hunter’s house is haunted by a “regular” ghost. If you have the opportunity to stop there on your way back for a drink, you might be lucky enough (is that luck?), to spot the Dering Arms ghost customer. She is an elderly woman who sits at one of the tables by the window. She looks normal apart from the fact that her outfit was trendy 100 years ago. If you get too close to her, she disappears. Magic!
Pluckley to Bethersden
As you walk past the Dering Arms, you set foot on the fields. Walk alongside them until you get to The Forest (a very original name for woods). Cut across the forested area. As you come out, you will be walking through multiple meadows and farms with sheep running away from you (maybe they think you are a ghost too). Hard to get a good shot of them, but if you are lucky you might get one that looks at you long enough to take a decent picture.
Warning: farm + livestock = stiles! Yes, you read it correctly. And as you cross several farms back to back, this means going up and down stiles nonstop. Get those glutes to work!
Once you made it across the last style, you will find yourself on the road. Walk on the side, and as soon as you see the sign “French Forest Floor” (I love the name) turn right. As you walk up Norton Lane, you come across a lovely renovated farm with a pond, the perfect spot for a countryside-themed wedding.
Bethersden to Pluckley
At the end of the road, you arrive at Bethersden. This small village used to be at the heart of the wool trade in Kent and is also famous for the production of limestone. The village church, St Margareth, gives you the chill as you walk past the yard with the tombstones. As creepy as it gets, no ghost sighting has ever been reported in this village.
This is a good place for a snack or a lunch break depending on how hungry you are. You can find a couple of benches in front of the local public house to rest time to eat your lunch.
Bethersden Village to Scream Woods
As you leave the village, don’t forget to make friends with the Alpacas. They are not afraid of human beings and will come straight to you looking for food. But as cute as they may look, don’t forget to never touch their head.
Continue on the path and walk across Lamberden Wood, more fields, more stiles and the scary entrance of Devil’s Wood. Sadly it is private land so you cannot have a walk in those woods. Maybe it is safer that way!
A quick detour to go and see the emeus at Capralama Farm and we arrive at the Darling Buds Farm. Rings a bell? Well, depending on when you are born and where you grew up. As a French national, I am learning about British culture and heritage every day. And this is the latest addition to my knowledge: The Darling Buds of May. The ITV program was broadcast between 1991 and 1993 and starred among others the pretty Catherine Zeta-Jones as the oldest daughter of the Larkin family who lives on the Darling Buds Farm. The name is not just a coincidence, and for those of you who are feeling nostalgic, this is the exact farm where the show was set.
Continue walking towards Pluckley and as you walk across farmlands, you encounter a poney and sheep. As you get closer to the river Beult, you swap green meadows for golden straw fields and get a rest from the stiles.
Walk across the river and after a short walk, you arrive at Scream Woods!
Scream Woods & Fright Corner
This is the eagerly awaited moment when you finally get to walk across the famous Scream Woods (real name Dering Woods). This 125-ha forest is the centre of a lot of stories from ghosts disappearing. On November 1st, 1948, bodies of 28 people including 11 children were found in the woods. Could be a cult or as per the autopsy report death by carbon dioxide … or something else! Rumour has it that 4 students disappeared in the woods in 1996 and you can hear them scream at night, hence the nickname Scream Woods. Another one states that one morning two men heard a scream and when they went to check where it was coming from, they saw the ghost of a lady in white walking away. And you, what would you see when you go there?
Related Content: Pumpkin Picking in Stanhill Farm
Come out (alive) from the woods, and it is only a short walk until you reach the infamous Fright Corner. The legend says that a highwayman who was chased by the villagers ended up pinned to a tree with a sword in his chest. If you listen carefully you can hear the sound of the swords crossing where the tree used to stand. Another famous ghost story is the one of the Watercress Lady, a deranged person yet inoffensive. She used to sit on the edge of the bridge smoking her pipe and drinking Gin. One night she fell asleep and the pipe fell on her clothes, setting the poor lady on fire. Her ghost has been seen many times by the pound next to Fright Corner.
Pluckley Village
We continue our ghost walk into Pluckley and arrive on Smarden Road. Here stands a giant tree which a headmaster hung himself from. When it is a full moon night, you can (allegedly) see his ghost hanging from the tree.
As you get to the centre of Pluckley, walk to St Nichola’s Church. This Grade I listed building is also the home of two female ghosts: The Red Lady and the White Lady. You can find the Red Lady in the churchyard looking for the tomb of her stillborn child. As for the White Lady, wife of Lord Dering who had her buried in one of the vaults, she haunts the inside of the Church.
Not far from the church, you can find a pub called the Black Horse. Like many places in Pluckley, this one is haunted too. The invisible phantom who lives here likes to move or make things disappear. Keep an eye on your belongings, who knows, the ghost might take them away!
Note that the train station is far from the centre of the village, approximately 20 minutes walk. If you stop at the Black Horse for a drink, make sure you allow enough time to get back to the station.
May I wish you a scary walk!
Related Content: 3 Spooky Halloween Trails
Pluckley Circular Walk Map
Do you want to do this walk? Download the map below. To learn how to upload it on your phone and follow the route from your navigation app, follow my step-by-step guide here.
Final Thoughts about Pluckley Circular Walk
For Halloween or just for the fun, this walk is a good lower body workout and cultural walk at the same time. Pluckley is definitely worth the visit, if it is not for the ghosts, at least for the charm of the village.
And you, what is your favourite ghost walk? Let me know in the comments below.
Love this walk? Pin it!
