Adventures around Tunbridge Wellswith PlusBus
Wildlife and history, shopping and steam trains: there are plenty of reasons to visit Royal Tunbridge Wells. Reached by a scenic railway through the High Weald, this Georgian spa town in the Garden of England is less than an hour by train from London and packed with interesting sights. To make the most of a day out by train, add PlusBus to your ticket and get unlimited bus travel across the area.
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1. The Pantiles
The railway line from London to Hastings gives passengers a great scenic journey to Royal Tunbridge Wells whichever end you’re travelling from. Soon after leaving London, there are wide views across a medieval patchwork of farmland and rolling wooded downs scattered with ancient oak trees and tile-hung brick cottages. The railway line to Hastings runs straight through the High Weald, England’s fourth largest National Landscape. Add bargain PlusBus when you book your train ticket for buses across Tunbridge Wells and beyond. These are just a few of the adventures you could have.
- A medicinal spring, discovered in the 17th century, first drew visitors to the area now known as The Pantiles. Today more than seventy shops and cafés offer all kinds of goodies. There are jazz nights, food festivals and fortnightly Farmers’ and Craft Markets
- Elegant tree-lined colonnades of shops were popular with Georgian visitors and you can still stroll through them today and find a place to eat, drink, buy a gift, listen to music. You can even see (and try the waters of) the original health-giving Chalybeate (“Kalee-bee-at”) spring, which has been restored.
- How do I get to the Pantiles by bus? Running from outside the railway station, buses 29, 51, 231, 256, 281, 282, 285, 291 and others all stop outside the Pantiles. When you arrive by train in Tunbridge Wells, simply cross the road outside the railway station to Stops T and U. All these buses leave from one of those two stops. Between them they run pretty frequently and just take a couple of minutes to reach the Pantiles.
- Look out on the right for Tunbridge Wells Common, a hilly wooded area with lots of lovely paths heading up onto it.
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2. Spa Valley Railway
This heritage railway runs through some beautiful High Weald landscapes with plenty to see along the way. The steam or vintage diesel trains of the Spa Valley Railway puff or chug five miles along the old Wealden Line towards Lewes, taking passengers as far as Eridge station. To get to the Spa Valley Railway car-free, you can follow Good Journey’s directions.
- Some Saturdays on the Spa Valley railway see gin and whisky trains with onboard tastings. There are Polar Express rides at Christmas, re-enactments of Fawlty Towers, elegant afternoon teas, fish and chip lunches, roast Sunday dinners, rides where you can sample Kentish real ales or get off for a Vineyard tour. There are even cheese-themed train rides!
- So how do I get to the Spa Valley Railway by bus? Simple. Buses 29, 51, 281, 291, 1066 and others from the railway station all stop at the Old West Station near Sainsbury’s. This is at one end of the steam railway. If you’re already at the Pantiles, it’s a short walk. Bus 281 runs every 15 minutes from Stop U opposite the railway station to the Spa Valley Railway.
- The first station after Tunbridge Wells West is High Rocks, an extraordinary area of towering sandstone outcrops and winding, atmospheric paths. You can also get to High Rocks by bus – read on for more.
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3. High Rocks
Ancient sandstone cliffs, linked by eleven bridges and topped with tall pine trees, tower over a wooded valley on the edge of Tunbridge Wells. The High Rocks area was once a stone age settlement. When the town became a fashionable resort in the 17th-century, this wooded area offered visitor attractions including a bowling green and a maze. The bridges that form and Aerial Walk along the top of the crags and outcrops date back to the 19th century.
- High Rocks today is a great place for a walk. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday, but check ahead as people like to get married here and the area closes to the public for special events. It’s about a mile from either of the nearest bus stops, but the walk in both directions is a beautiful one and well worth the trip in its own right. You can also arrive by steam train on the Spa Valley Railway when High Rocks station is open (see 2 above).
- So how do I get to High Rocks by bus? There are various routes. This one is the most scenic, but the walk gets quite muddy and boggy in winter and wet weather, when you might prefer to hike down Tea Garden Lane instead (see below). Bus 29 (also known as The Regency Route) heading for Brighton calls at Stop T, opposite the railway station or at the Pantiles. Get off at the Broadwater Down (not Broadwater Lane) bus stop and follow these directions… There’s a map of both routes here.
- How do I walk from Broadwater Down to High Rocks? Carefully cross the main road into the track next to the Royal Tunbridge Wells sign. Keep straight along the track, marked with an arrow on a sign. Near a cottage with a pond, fork L onto a way-marked path and follow it along the edge of the woods, skirting right around the large clearing. Keep on through the long car park to emerge on a road and turn right. It’s about a mile’s walk and you could reward yourself with refreshments at the High Rocks restaurant, which sells tickets for the High Rocks area.
- Going through the gate opposite, explore the maze of steps and bridges and paths through rhododendron bushes. Look out for various carved cliff faces, including the Wishing Rock, which reads like some old fairy tale warning: “Pause ere you wish/From idle wish refrain/For what you wished/Not wish you wished you gain.”
- When you’ve finished, you can head back into Tunbridge Wells via a different route. One of the great things about exploring by bus is that you don’t need to worry about getting back to a parked car. And you can have a couple of drinks along the way too if you’d like to. Walk on up the road past High Rocks restaurant and follow it left over the Spa Valley Railway. Turn left into the lane signed Rusthall Common.
- This winding lane is called Tea Garden Lane and is quite steep so you’ll be glad to reach The Beacon hotel and bar. This is a fabulous (if pricey!) place to stop for a drink and has a toasty log fire in winter and a wide view from the terrace across Tunbridge Wells. It’s a ten-minute walk from here to Tea Garden Lane bus stop, where several buses stop on their way into Tunbridge Wells including bus 291. Make sure you leave enough time to reach the bus stop which is uphill and left across the road at the top. On the way, you’ll walk past glimpses of picturesque Rusthall Common.
- You could decide to get off the bus at the Pantiles and walk the last few minutes back to the station along Tunbridge Wells High Street, lined with tempting shops and cafés.
- For more car-free adventures in the area, check out our guides to Hastings and Brighton.
