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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.

Sunday 8 May 2016

Sunday Walk 2: Sandling to Wye

Sandling to Wye SWC Walk 24
20.5 km (12.8 miles)
Difficulty 6/10

A lovely walk following one of the best sections of the North Downs Way with fine views nearly all the way.
Trains. 
It is cheapest to travel from Charing Cross on the 9:10 Ramsgate train (Waterloo East, 9:13) changing at Ashford for the 10:35 to Dover Priory (platform 5). This gets you to Sandling for 10:46.
For a quicker journey, take the 9:37 Ramsgate High Speed from St Pancras (Stratford International 9:44) and change at Ashford International for the same 10:35 Dover Priory train. High speed costs about £5 more on a return. Railcard savings still apply, but not London zone reductions.
Sandling and Wye are on different Southeastern lines out of Ashford. A return to Sandling, the dearer option, is suggested. In practice this should be accepted to return from Wye but be prepared to pay the difference to Ashford if not.
Return from Wye at xx:57 and xx:21.
The xx:57 will take you direct to Charing Cross in 1hr:37
The xx:21 will take you direct to Victoria in 2 hr.
Or change from either at Ashford for the High Speed to St Pancras (total journey time 1 hr).
Lunch
The Tiger Inn (01303 862130) in Stowting is a charming and friendly pub 9.2km (5.7 miles) into the walk. Open all day from noon.
Alternatively 2.2km (1.4 miles) further up the road you have the Five Bells Inn (01303 813334 in Brabourne. (This requires a detour, adding 800 metres (0.5 miles) to the walk length)
Tea
The Tickled Trout (01233 812227) with a riverside garden just across the bridge from Wye station, is a popular pub stop.
The Devil’s Kneading Trough restaurant and the Latte e Miele (both mentioned in the notes) have closed.
Directions here
There have been difficulties reported with the alternative route offered at point 57 (see comments). You now have to keep to the NDW at that point. This is covered in the directions.
T=swc.24

8 comments:

Walker said...

By a spooky coincidence I was in the Wye area on Sunday 1 May and took the opportunity to check the directions at point 57. I can confirm that the permissive route that took you closer to the escarpment at point 57 in the directions has indeed been closed. But the NDW route is also perfectly pleasant, if with less striking views, and you soon come to the escarpment edge by this route.

The pdf directions

http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_3/walk_24/SWC_Walk_24_Sandling_to_Wye.pdf

have now been updated (2 May version) to reflect this change and give full details of the NDW route.

I can also confirm that the early tea stop at the Devil's Kneading Trough has gone: it is now a wedding venue. The Latte e Miele cafe in Wye is now the Wye Coffee Shop and Kitchen, but it closes at 3pm on Sundays so is unlikely to be of use to any of us. The Tickled Trout pub flourishes, however and its riverside garden is as pleasant as ever.

Fans of oilseed rape might also like to know that the fields along the base of the escarpment as you approach Wye are currently a feast of this lovely yellow crop. See

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46429541@N02/26774468675/

and

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46429541@N02/26749299046/in/photostream/

Marion said...

Intend going via Waterloo East

PeteB said...

n=9 on this walk; 6 off the train and 3 others we met up with en route. This is the best NDW walk in the SWC repertoire with glorious views throughout and the countryside looking lush and verdant in w=glorious-hot-and-sunny weather. Three of us had our sandwich lunch on the hill overlooking the village and it was tough to tear ourselves away to amble down to the village to the Tiger pub to meet the others.

We split up after lunch with 3 enjoying a "long" lunch whilst the rest of us enjoyed the superb ridge views on the way back to Wye. A final refreshing drink at the Tickled Trout whose policy of having live music on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon does not seem to work when 98% of their customers are lounging in the lovely garden by the river. They stopped after 2 numbers of blues rock.

Superb day out in great company. (Finally saw loads of youngsters doing the Duke of Eds silver award and we, ahem, provided a little confirmation of the onward route to one group.)

Anonymous said...

Superb walk indeed. The 3 long lunchers eventually made it to Wye, only to be drummed out of the garden at the Tickled Trout by some ghastly band. Most trains cancelled due to signal failure so home on the 18.50 which was packed full with many passengers standing for the duration.

Walker said...

I feel your pain regarding the ghastly band. I had the same experience the Sunday previous. Got to the pub, bought my drink and peanuts, settled happily into a chair by the sunny riverside to listen to the evening birds and then BAM! Not one of the TT's more inspired ideas for summer Sundays.

PeteB said...

I've e-mailed the Tickled Trout very politely suggesting they reconsider their music policy on summer Sundays

Marion said...

After enduring the loud rock music with horrible female singer trying to sing Elvis Presley, we found that Signal failure on the line affecting all trains to and from Victoria and Charing X. This meant the 3 Epicureans who had spent 2 hours consuming a fantastic lunch with amazing Yorvale ice-cream and coffee had to pile onto the high speed train- standing room only as far as Ashford. I used the interchange at Stratford to access the Jubilee line but it involves a long 10 mins walk towards Waitrose and then the whole length of Westfield shopping centre with hardly any signage to guide you! A quicker option if you don't want to continue to St Pancras however.

Anonymous said...

nice post ty