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Otford
From Wikitravel
Contents
Otford [1] is a village in Kent, in the South East of England.
[edit] Understand
Otford is a quintessential village, nestled in the Kent countryside. It was mentioned in the Domesday book and was the site of an old Saxon battle - see Otford in Wikipedia for some more details.
It is the perfect place to explore the Darenth Valley, especially if you like gentle country walks with plenty of rustic pubs along the way.
It is also particularly good for Antique shops (there are three).
[edit] Get in
[edit] By car
Otford is near Sevenoaks, however the best route in is off J4 of the M25 towards Dunton Green.
[edit] By train
Otford train station is a 5-10 minute walk from the village centre. Be careful not to let train sales staff confuse the place with Oxford. There are regular trains from London Victoria as Otford lies on the main Ashford and Maidstone lines. The ticket office is often closed, but there is a side gate to let you onto the platform. There is a bike shed and a large carpark at the station, which gets busy during the week as many residents commute into London.
[edit] Get around
In Otford, you get around on foot.
[edit] By bus
There are infrequent services from Sevenoaks.
[edit] By taxi
There are no taxi ranks in Otford.
[edit][add listing] See
The surrounding countryside. Buy an OS map and explore the many footpaths and hills around the area. Otford is also a waypoint on the North Downs Way, the Pilgrims Way and the Darenth Valley footpath. All of which are highly recommended, especially in summer. Paths get muddy in winter and after long periods of heavy rain.
[edit][add listing] Do
- look at the fish and the ducks in the village pond which has the UK's only Grade II listed duck house.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Two very good restaurants are The Forge and The Horns. These are both on the main high street.
All 3 of the other pubs do good food too, with The Bull specialising in seafood (and long waiting times). Don't be put off by this as you will always be told how long it will take for your food to arrive before you order. It is usually worth the wait.
Ellenor's, a local charitable cafe, serve amazing homemade ice-cream with new flavours every week. Not open on Sundays.
[edit][add listing] Drink
All of Otford's pubs are within spitting distance of each other. Enjoy the 'Otford Circular', the endlessly rotating bar crawl around the village pond.
The Bull, once famed for its quiet, dimly lit atmosphere and good ales is now a Chef & Brewer chain pub/restaurant The Crown overlooking the village pond is where many of the Otford locals go and has real fires, real dartboards and really strong cider. This pub has also changed hands and reports as of July 2007 state that the beer has improved and with the smoking ban the atmosphere has become a lot less smokey. The Woodman is generally full of a younger crowd of locals. It regularly shows sporting events on television.
If you feel like a really local pub, walk a couple of miles down the road to the Rising Sun at Twitton, where you will be greated by the local farmers, dogs and families enjoying everything from their own beer festival to a bit of folk singing.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
A few local people open their houses as B&Bs, check with the Tourist Information Centre in Sevenoaks.
[edit] Get out
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