A walk of 7.5 miles between two villages: from Benenden with interesting 19th century architecture around a large village green, to Rolvenden with the perfect Kentish village street. The walk includes some superb views of the Weald, and takes us through rolling fields, woodland, orchards and past Rolvenden Windmill, which may have been built as early as 1580.

Brief history of Benenden and Rolvenden

The Wealden iron industry existed in the area from before the Roman period, but evidence of two Roman roads built to take the iron from the Weald have been discovered, as well as other finds from the period such as a Roman settlement at Hemsted, now Benenden School. The evidence of one road, that between Maidstone and Bodiam at Iden Green, is in the form of a paved ford.  The Domesday Book states that Benindene was one of only four places in the Weald to have a church; although like most of the other such, the buildings of the settlement were scattered. From the 14th century places such as Benenden became of industrial importance. The Wealden ironmasters continued what the Romans had done; and the other major industry, cloth-making, also helped to make the village prosperous. By the late 18th century, however, both industries had moved to the industrial north, and Benenden's prosperity was at an end. Benenden had four mills at various times. Wandle Mill, a watermill on the River Rother; East End Mill, a post mill at the site later occupied by the chest hospital, demolished c.1870; and a pair of mills to the east of the village, one of which, Beacon Mill is still standing.

Rolvenden village originally had its sole population centre as a short linear settlement, the Street, along part of what is now the A28 Ashford to Hastings road. This was almost entirely burned down in 1665 during the Great Plague. This caused the villagers to abandon the Street and move a mile down the hill to the common land of the Layne during the 1660s. Already there was the Tudor house, where John Wesley later preached in the 18th century. The villagers later returned to rebuild the Street, resulting in the two small neighbourhoods: the Streyte and the younger, smaller and quieter, Layne that can be seen today.

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