Train Travel Training and Guided Walk with Grow 19
29th September 2026
Kent CRP worked with the North Downs Way National Trail’s ‘Putting Down Routes’ project, to organise a four-mile guided walk between Lenham and Harrietsham railway stations. The group comprised 11 Grow 19 College students with special educational needs, aged 18–21, and three tutors. After train travel training on the journey from Maidstone East to Lenham, they walked the North Downs Way to Harrietsham before returning to Maidstone by bus.
Putting Down Routes brings together many partners including the Kent Downs National Landscape and the North Downs Way National Trail. The partnership seeks to create a safer, more inclusive, and accessible National Trail, while promoting year round sustainable tourism through rail travel. Originally scheduled for July, the walk was postponed after a red extreme weather warning predicted temperatures above 30°C.
At Maidstone East station, the group learned how to find train times and platform details before setting off. Students also received guidance on essential rail safety while on the platform. When they reached Lenham, Jo the station manager welcomed them and the options available for requesting passenger assistance were shared.
One Grow 19 tutor was already qualified to deliver train travel training and had been leading student sessions for some time. Ahead of the event, Grow 19 requested training for a second tutor. Jo and Polly can now run train travel training independently, enabling more sessions on the Kent Downs Line and giving more students the confidence to travel by train. Thank you both.
Walking conditions were pleasant, with temperatures of about 18°C and a light breeze at times. The 16 participants including five support team members walked through medieval Lenham and learned about its historic buildings and events. We then climbed onto the gently rolling North Downs Way, taking in impressive views and hearing about the area’s ecology, wildlife, plants, history and pilgrims. Sloe berries and blackberries proved especially popular. Travelling in the opposite direction, we also encountered a cyclist who had completed 110 miles of a 125-mile journey along the North Downs Way, parts of which are also National Cycle Network route 17.
Moving at a slower pace than planned, the group missed the return train by only a few minutes. Instead of waiting an hour for the next service, the tutors quickly identified a bus arriving in 15 minutes from a stop five minutes from the station. Everyone used their bus passes and returned to Maidstone for lunch and a well deserved rest. For many students, this was the longest walk they had undertaken. Future outings could offer a shorter circular route from a station, while more experienced walkers might tackle other parts of the trail. Although the distance was challenging, everyone said they enjoyed the Rail to Trail experience. You should all feel enormously proud of what you achieved.
Our thanks go to Sarah Moon, Putting Down Routes Project Manager, who acted as back marker and shared insights with the students during the walk.
