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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.

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Wednesday Walk - Haslemere to Midhurst via Temple of the Winds & Henley (Short Version)

Length: 19.3 km (12.0 mi) [longer walk possible]
Ascent/Descent: approx. 600/714m; Net Walking Time: 5 ½ hours
Toughness:  7/10                       
Note: The above details apply to the shortened walk, walking both the morning and afternoon shortcuts. Consult the pdf for details of the longer versions.

Take the 10.00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (10.25 Woking, 10.34 G’ford), arrives Haslemere 10.48. From Clapham J take the 09.52 stopping service (arrives H’mere 10.45).
Return to Haslemere from Midhurst either by bus number 70 (roughly hourly, £4.90 fare in 2016, last dep. 19.05) or by taxi.  
Return trains from Haslemere are on xx.02 (last at 21.02), xx.15, xx.32 (last at 21.32) and xx.39 (last at 19.39), journey time from 48 to 66 mins.

From the medieval town well in Haslemere to the stocks and pillory in Midhurst, this walk is a journey partially in the footsteps of a poet. It gently climbs the highest point in Sussex (the Black Down), and then drops steeply to traverse a valley along a roller coaster of a path through some light woods before entering more thickly planted pine forests, allegedly haunted by the ghost of the last wild bear killed in England. After lunch in the idyllic hamlet of Henley at a pub boasting views back to the Temple of the Winds, the route again gently climbs a second hill offering stunning views back across your journey of the morning before a long descent into Midhurst across the Cowdray Estate with the mighty South Downs ahead, passing by the intriguing ruins of Cowdray House en route where various historic figures of note were either voluntary visitors or held captive prior to execution.

Lunch: The Duke of Cumberland Arms  in Henley (12.8 km/8.0 mi, food to 14.00), or The Kings Arms  a little earlier on a 1 km diversion (11.9 km/7.4 mi, food to 14.30).
Tea: lots of choice in Midhurst (see the pdf for details), recommended are Cowdray Farm Shop & Cafe (2 km from the end), Garton’s Coffee House, The Wheatsheaf, The Angel Inn and The Olive & Vine.

For summary, map, height profile, some photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.263.c
Next Week: Stonegate to Battle

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is a strong possibility that I will be walking my own " Temple of the Winds " walk tomorrow . this walk takes a totally different route and ends up at Petworth after visiting the semi mystical and Beautiful Black Down favoured by Tennyson and of course by our founder Nicolas Albery If anyone left a rather splendid pair of sunglasses at the pub last week I hope to have them with me.
Jane from Kew

Thomas G said...

12 walkers off the posted slow and fast trains, with half each following the shorter and longer morning options. 1 other was ecountered at the Temple of the Winds, having started from Fernhurst, with another walker picked up at the bottom of the descent from Black Down. n=14 in total therefore, in w=warm-and-sunny weather.
All got to the Duke of Cumberland in time to order food, although some arrived after the official cut-off time of 14.00. Sandwichers and fast eaters then moved on quickly, most walking the short afternoon option, and almost everyone got the 17.00 bus, some after fetching an ice cream from the lovely new Fitzcane's Cafe. Nice.