About Bus Walks

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of Bus Walks it is simply taking a bus to a public footpath, walking along the footpath for anything between 5 and 15 miles then taking a bus back home. I have included a few walks that require a car to get to and from the walk.

The equipment you require is fairly simple: an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, a camera, a backpack with a packed lunch, suitable clothing according to the weather / season and I always carry an umbrella. As well as this you will need a senior or disabled bus pass or you will have to buy an explorer/ rover ticket to cover your out and return journeys or buy single journey tickets.  You will also need the local bus timetables.  If your mobile phone has a internet connection you can look up bus times at Bustimes.org or Traveline or you could download an app like UK Bus Checker or Moovit, there may be small annual charges for using these apps.

Before setting off in the morning I check both journeys on traveline where you can also download bus timetables. If the buses are more frequent on one route than the other I usually start on the bus with an infrequent service so there will be less chance of  a long wait at the destination. This means that when I walk parts of a long distance path each day may be a different direction.

In the summer I take sandwiches, fruit and coffee with me for lunch,  in the winter it’s probably better to have a stopover at a pub or restaurant. It is advisable to check if the pubs have opened or require reservations before you set off if you are having a pub lunch.

There are occasions when the bus journey is too long and alternative forms of transport are used also there are occasions when the walk starts and/or finishes at my home and therefore the is no bus journey involved.

The majority of the journeys start and finish in Medway and Maidstone, Kent.