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Hop Pickers Line Heritage Trail

Paddock Wood, West Kent

A double oast house with white cowls on Church Road, Paddock WoodPhoto of Paddock Wood: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo of Paddock Wood: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0

From 1892 to 1961 a little single-track steam railway ran from Paddock Wood to Hawkhurst, bringing thousands of East End families to Kent every summer for the hop picking. The track is long gone, but signs, information boards and five public viewpoints let you trace its route through Horsmonden, Goudhurst and Cranbrook.

Highlights

  • The story of the Hop Pickers' Line, engineered by Holman Fred Stephens
  • Information boards at Paddock Wood station and by the pond in Goudhurst
  • A footbridge east of Paddock Wood station looking along the old trackbed
  • The end of the line still visible from the Cranbrook Road at Hawkhurst

Good to know

  • This is not a continuous path: the old line has not been reopened, so you visit the viewpoints separately
  • The Goudhurst viewpoint is near a busy main road bend, and summer foliage can hide the view
  • The old station buildings at Horsmonden, Cranbrook and Hawkhurst are private and seen only from public land
  • The group's website gives what3words locations for each viewpoint

Getting there

Hop Pickers Line Heritage Trail, Starts at Paddock Wood station, Station Approach, Paddock WoodParking: Map point is Paddock Wood station, where the first information board stands by the entrance.

Get directions

Checked on 30 October 2026 against hoppickersline.org, hoppickersline.org, hoppickersline.org. Details change, so please confirm with the venue before you travel. How we check

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More things to do in Paddock Wood

Nearby

The white-cowled oast houses of The Hop Farm seen from the A228Photo: Jo and Steve Turner, CC BY-SA 2.0
VenuesPaddock Wood · 2 km

The Hop Farm

A Kent landmark with the world's largest collection of Victorian oast houses, once a major supplier of hops to London's breweries. Today it is an award-winning campsite and touring park and a venue for fairs, car shows, car boot sales and festivals.

Prices depend on the event or stay; check the event or campsite page.Directions
A double oast house with white cowls on Church Road, Paddock WoodPhoto of Paddock Wood: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0
Indoor and rainy dayPaddock Wood · 2 km

TimeQuest

TimeQuest is an escape room and board game venue in a listed building with turrets at The Hop Farm, near Paddock Wood. Alongside six escape games, it has a library of more than 250 board games to play at a table and a shop selling games.

£10 to £25Directions
A double oast house with white cowls on Church Road, Paddock WoodPhoto of Paddock Wood: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0
OutdoorsPaddock Wood · 2 km

Orchard Place Farm Fishing

Orchard Place Farm Fishing is a family-run complex of 13 lakes on the edge of Paddock Wood, with ten carp and catfish lakes and three match and pleasure lakes. It also runs two specimen lakes at Horsmonden, a short drive away, with tickets sold from the same office and tackle shop.

£10 to £25Directions