Rusthall

Rusthall is a village roughly 2 miles west of Tunbridge Wells. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon for a well with high natural iron content, and it appears in an 8th-century land grant. In the 17th century lodging houses grew up to serve visitors to the chalybeate spring at Tunbridge Wells. Rusthall became a civil parish with its own parish council in 2011, following a decision by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

The village is best known for Toad Rock, a natural sandstone formation that looks like a sitting toad. It stands on Rusthall Common, a 2.7-hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by the Tunbridge Wells Commons Conservators, which also has other named outcrops. Toad Rock became a visitor attraction in the mid-1800s. The common is reached from Rusthall Road and separates the village from the main built-up area of Tunbridge Wells.

The 281 bus, operated by Arriva Southern Counties, links Rusthall with Tunbridge Wells and High Brooms, where the mainline railway station is found. Check current timetables before you travel.