14.2km, 8.8 miles
Difficulty 2/10
A walk to the medieval village of Chiddingfold, then through Frillinghurst Wood and several National Trust estates to Haslemere. Should be good for autumn colour.
Trains: Get the 10:00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (Clapham Junction 10:09), arriving Witley 10:59.
Trains return from Haslemere at xx:17 and xx:42. Get a return to Haslemere.
The Lockwood Centre for Horses and Donkeys, just over 1 km into the walk, is open today. If you want to visit, you have a chance to practise the ancient art of dawdling on the way from the station – the train arrives Witley 10:59, the sanctuary opens 11:30. Those in more of a hurry might still glimpse the occasional moke through the hedge.
Lunch: is at the 600 year old Crown Inn in Chiddingfold. Best to phone (01428 682 255). There's another pub nearby, the Swan Inn (01428 684 688). There's also a tea-shop, Treacle’s.
Tea: Two tea shops, Darnleys and Hemingway's, face each other across Haslemere High St. There's pubs there too.
Walk Directions: in Book 1 or here.
1 comment:
Forgot to count but must have been n=15 off the train. Weather was w=fine-sunny-and-dry. A few hints of autumn colour but not full-on yet. Most raced ahead but 4 dawdled and visited the donkey sanctuary. Dawdling that first kilometer was made easy by a bountiful harvest of chestnuts. It was literally raining chestnuts. Scary! Bags, pockets, probably even a few cheeks were stuffed. In Chiddingfold, the Crown did not seem particularly eager for our company. Most went to the tea-room. A few of us went to the Swan which was much improved from what I remember. It's been taken over by a Hampshire brewery, Uphams, and the beer is quite er good. And the landlord seems to know a thing or two about wine. It’s been modernified and gastro-ised but not in a bad way. Those that ate there were pleased. I think I may have had a smile on my face when I left. Unfortunately no photographers captured that moment. And so to Haslemere where more ale was quaffed in another Swan. Then home.
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