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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 29 August 2015

A new walk on the Greensand Way

SWC walk 148 - Earlswood or Nutfield to Oxted
Length: 16.8km (10.4 miles) from Earlswood, 14km (8.7 miles) from Nutfield
Toughness: 4 out of 10: gentle gradients

9.33 train from London Bridge to Redhill, changing there (arrive 10.08, depart 10.13) for a short hop to Earlswood, arriving 10.16: this connecting train starts at East Croydon at 9.54 (Trains are normally direct, so the need for change is obviously due to engineering works, but the extra change does not affect journey times materially)

Later start option - 10.45 train from London Bridge (11.00 East Croydon) to Nutfield, arriving 11.22

Buy a day return to Edenbridge Stations. This covers you for Redhill, Nutfield and Oxted. Earlswood is one stop off this route, but it would be a stony-hearted ticket inspector who makes a fuss about this, since Edenbridge is further from London by rail than Earlswood.

For walk directions click here

This entirely new walk has been waiting for an outing since it was researched in June (see photos for how it looks then). It covers a pleasant section of the Greensand Way, sticking almost entirely to that route, but with one or two improvements. Being a long distance path there is waymarking but often not when you want it, so the directions have been created to guide you.

There are two possible starting stations. The immediate vicinity of Earlswood station is a bit grotty, but things soon improve. Nutfield is prettier and allows for a later start. The two routes come together before lunch in Bletchingley, where the Red Lion looks like a very nice pub, though the Whyte Hart down the road is an acceptable alternative. Neither have yet been tried by the SWC, so be nice to them.

Note that during the morning you cross (in tunnels) under the M23. If the wind is westerly there is noise for a mile or two afterwards (an otherwise very beautiful section of the walk). Presumably if the wind is easterly the noise is before the motorway. (I have never had to deal with northerly winds…)  Otherwise this is a gentle, pleasant walks - woods and fields and some fine views.

There are two rural pubs before the end of the walk, if you fancy sitting with a summer afternoon drink or if you want to put off entering the rather suburban environs of Oxted. The latter does have some tearooms if you can get to them in time.

Trains back are at 20 past to London Bridge and 24 and 52 past to Victoria, the former taking 33 minutes, the later 40 minutes.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://news.southeasternrailway.co.uk/H/2/v10000014f6452b981864ddb163e0d98c7/Html

Walker said...

To reply to the last comment: nevertheless both of the stated outbound trains are running, according to both the National Rail and Southeastern websites. I think you will find that they are trains en route to Hastings and Tonbridge which are being diverted via Redhill due to the engineering work.

It is always nice to have alert walkers checking the details but be assured I don't post any walk without first checking the trains I propose are actually running.

Anonymous said...

With the lunch spot being 3.8 miles into the walk, the early start will get you to the pub at 12pm at latest. Looks like the later start is more sensible and probably get you to the pub around 1pm.

Sean said...

The lunch pub is only 2 miles from Nutfield (the later start). There's some climbing in each case but I'd expect both groups to arrive between 12 & 12:15 at a moderate pace.

Walker said...

I have never tried this pub at a weekend and have no idea how busy or otherwise it is. It is a big place but there is no harm getting there early to have more chance of getting a nice table. There is an alternative down the road.

And yes, I estimate the main and late starters should arrive at the pub roughly together, so they can then mix and match in the afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Sean, If we take the later train, still do 3.9 miles in the morning (ie no short cut), can we get to the pub by 1pm ish?

Anonymous said...

Are the photos on this walk's web page right, they say Earsfield to Otford?

Ian T said...

About n=20 on this walk, 6 of whom opted for the later start at Nutfield.
Not too bad underfoot, considering the recent rain. The walk goes through some nice woodland and takes in some nice views.
Not far from Nutfield, the Nutfield 6 got slightly confused. That’ll teach them to follow Mr Tiger. (Although whether Mr Tiger or the directions were at fault, nobody knows. Nobody was paying attention). Luckily, Mr GPS-Owner soon had everybody back on course.
Lunch was at the Red Lion which seemed OK. The 6 did indeed meet up with the others and even co-mingled to some extent. Later some stopped off at the Barley Mow and at least one at the Haycutters. In Oxted, some got to Robertsons, some went on to Caffe Nero, being just too late for Café Papillon. Mr Tiger went to the Wetherspoons.
W=mostly-cloudy-humid-light-rain-for-some-of-the-time

Walker said...

Am I allowed to enter a minority report for the weather? w=sunny-in-the-morning-but-light-rain-after-lunch. Seven or eight of us had tea in the coffee shop of the Everyman Cinema who were very friendly and served super cookies. Praise also to the lunch pub, the Red Lion, which ticked all the boxes for me - friendly, efficient, quality food served rapidly from a varied menu, nice decor, lots of tables, pleasant outside terrace: all walk pins should be like this.

Most seemed also to like this new walk.

Walker said...

Pins in last comment = pubs