There are two honest answers to "can you walk to Domaine Evremond", and most articles about this only give you one of them.
The short answer: yes, easily, from Chilham village in twenty to thirty minutes across open countryside. The longer answer: Chilham also happens to sit right at the start of North Downs Way Section 11, the old pilgrim route on to Canterbury, so if you fancy turning a wine visit into a full day's walk, the infrastructure is already there. We should say plainly — we can't find anything confirming the National Trail itself crosses the estate's own land. What's real is that Chilham is on the Way, and the vineyard is a short, well-used walk from the village. That's still a good story. No need to oversell it.
Quick facts for planning:
- Short walk: Chilham village square to Domaine Evremond, roughly 20–30 minutes on foot, mostly farmland and footpath
- Long walk: North Downs Way Section 11, Chilham to Canterbury, 7.2 miles / 10.5 km
- From Landews Meadow to Chilham: 11 minutes by car, 6 miles
- Terrace walk-ins: Wednesday–Sunday, weather-dependent
- Dogs: welcome on the terrace on a lead; not permitted on tours or in the cellar door
The Short Walk: Chilham Square to the Vineyard
This is the one most people actually do, and it's the one worth planning around if a tasting is your main event.
From the village square, you're heading out across open farmland towards Chalk Hill, and Domaine Evremond puts the walk from Chilham station at thirty minutes on their own site — the square itself sits closer, so call it twenty to twenty-five minutes at an easy pace. It's genuine countryside walking: field edges, gates, a fair climb, chalky ground underfoot rather than pavement. Wear shoes that can cope with mud after rain.
One real account we came across, from a visitor in July, described a lovely cross-country walk out to the estate followed by dinner back in the village — about the best summary of the short walk you'll get. Not a stroll to a car park. An actual approach on foot, through the kind of landscape that makes the wine taste better when you arrive.
Do it there-and-back, or build it into a loop — more on that below.
The Longer Way: Joining the North Downs Way
Chilham village square is the official starting point of North Downs Way Section 11, the stretch that runs 7.2 miles to Canterbury Cathedral. The route leaves the square past the White Horse and the Chilham Castle entrance, climbs Church Hill, crosses the A252, and heads up through Old Wives Lees — the same chalk downland the vineyard sits within, even if the waymarked line itself doesn't visit the estate.
From Old Wives Lees the Way continues through Chartham Hatch and into Blean Woods, passing No Man's Orchard — a community-planted nature reserve, first designated in 2002, with something like two hundred Bramley apple trees and about as good a picnic spot as this stretch of Kent has to offer. Keep going and you reach Bigbury Camp, an Iron Age hillfort with a startling claim to fame: it's thought to be where Julius Caesar's army broke through in 54BC, two thousand years before anyone was tasting English sparkling wine on a terrace nearby. From there it's on through Westgate Towers to Canterbury Cathedral.
Three to four hours at a comfortable pace, more with stops. This is a serious walk, not a gentle amble. Combine it with a vineyard visit and you've got a full day that starts among the vines and ends under one of England's great cathedrals — Iron Age history and 21st-century viticulture on the same afternoon out.
Two Ways to Extend the Short Walk
Not everyone wants three to four hours to Canterbury. If you'd rather have a go at something shorter than the full Way but longer than the there-and-back to Evremond, there are two good options.
The Chilham Loop. A five-mile circular route that shares the same Chilham-to-Old-Wives-Lees stretch of the North Downs Way, then branches off down Bowerland Lane past Bowerland Farm to Julliberrie's Grave — a striking spot, a long, bramble-covered mound above the Stour Valley that's been there for around five thousand years. Nobody's entirely sure who Julliberrie was, or whether the name has anything to do with Julius Caesar at all — it's one of those bits of English countryside that's collected legend faster than fact. The loop continues back to the village via the river and a level crossing. Fold the vineyard walk into either end of this and you've got a half-day out that mixes real history with a very modern wine estate.
Seasonally, this whole stretch is best avoided in the depths of winter mud unless you enjoy that sort of thing, and worth an early start in high summer — chalk downland offers next to no shade, and the terrace at Evremond is a much better place to be at 2pm in August than an exposed footpath.
Press on towards Canterbury. Got the legs and the weather for it? Keep going past Old Wives Lees rather than looping back. You don't have to commit to the full 7.2 miles — the Artichoke in Chartham (see below) makes a sensible turnaround point for a there-and-back that's still a decent day's walking.
Where to Eat Along the Way
Three stops cover most of this route, and all three are real pubs with real histories, not motorway-services versions of "traditional."
The White Horse and the Woolpack Inn both sit in Chilham itself — the White Horse right on the square, the Woolpack down on The Street and dog-friendly, which matters if you're walking with one. Further along, roughly at the midpoint of the Canterbury stretch, the Artichoke in Chartham is worth timing your walk around: an old pub in the true sense — around seven hundred years of history, a half-timbered hall house restored by Shepherd Neame — and dog-friendly too, which makes it a natural lunch stop if you're carrying on past Old Wives Lees rather than looping back.
Book ahead for a Sunday lunch at any of the three. Walkers aren't the only ones who've worked out these are good pubs.
Practicalities
A few things worth knowing before you set off, because getting them wrong wastes a day out.
Terrace walk-ins at Domaine Evremond run Wednesday to Sunday and depend on the weather — there's no guaranteed table, and it's first-come-first-served. If you want the estate tour or a sit-down tasting rather than just the terrace, that has to be booked in advance; you can't turn up on spec and expect a guided tour.
Dogs are welcome on the terrace on a lead, but not on tours or inside the cellar door — worth knowing if you're walking with one and had your heart set on the full experience. Picnics are allowed, but not eaten on the terrace itself; the estate points guests towards the surrounding wildflower meadows and the vines instead, which honestly sounds like the better spot anyway.
Underfoot, expect field paths, some gentle climbs and the odd stretch that gets genuinely muddy after rain — this is chalk downland farmland, not a surfaced trail. The right footwear isn't optional.
Getting to the Start
Most people staying with us drive to Chilham first — it's eleven minutes and six miles from Landews Meadow — park up, then do the walk from there rather than starting on foot from the farm itself. If you've come by train, Chilham station connects to London St Pancras in about an hour via Ashford, with direct services also running from London Bridge and Charing Cross.
Either way, the walk starts the same: village square, past the castle entrance, and out into the downs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the North Downs Way actually go through Domaine Evremond?
Not as far as we can verify. The Way passes through Old Wives Lees, the same stretch of chalk downland the vineyard sits within, but we couldn't find anything confirming the waymarked trail crosses the estate's own land. What's certain is that Chilham — the Way's starting point — is a genuine twenty-to-thirty-minute walk from the vineyard.
How long does it take to walk from Chilham to Domaine Evremond?
The estate's own site puts it at thirty minutes from Chilham station. Starting from the village square instead, which is a little closer, call it twenty to twenty-five minutes at an easy pace.
Can I bring my dog on the walk and into the estate?
The walk itself, yes — it's open countryside and footpaths. At the estate, dogs on a lead are welcome on the terrace but not on tours or inside the cellar door.
Is there anywhere to eat along the route?
Yes. The White Horse and Woolpack Inn in Chilham cover the start of the walk, and the dog-friendly Artichoke in Chartham, around seven hundred years old, sits roughly at the midpoint if you're continuing towards Canterbury.
Do I need to book anything for the walk itself?
No — public footpaths, no booking required. Just book ahead if you want the estate tour or a sit-down tasting rather than the walk-in terrace.
Can I do the walk one way and get transport back?
Yes. Chilham station has regular services if you finish in Canterbury, and taxis can be pre-booked from either end — there's no taxi rank at Chilham station, so arrange this ahead rather than hoping to find one on the day.
Finish Where You Started — Almost
A walk like this is better with somewhere good to land afterwards, and we're eleven minutes from the start of it.
Landews Meadow has one cottage and two glamping stays, each with its own private hot tub — very welcome after a few hours on chalk downland, whichever route you choose. Explore the Kent Downs from Landews Meadow — book direct for the guaranteed best price.
