Length: 18¼ km (11.3 miles). Toughness: 5/10
10:24 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:28, Clapham Jct 10:33, etc), arriving Dorking (Main) at 11:14. If it's more convenient the 10:11 Dorking train from Victoria arrives a few minutes earlier at 11:07. Yet another option would be to travel to the nearby Dorking Deepdene station: there's a train from Redhill arriving at 11:12, with a connection from a Thameslink service (St Pancras 10:05, etc). Either way, buy a return to Dorking: tickets are issued to “Dorking Stations” and are valid on all these routes.
There are three trains an hour back from Dorking (Main): to Victoria at xx:17 & xx:43 and Waterloo at xx:32. Trains back from Dorking Deepdene are at around xx:38 & xx:58 to Redhill (changing there for a Thameslink service).
Apologies for posting a Dorking Circular only a month after the last one, but the two walks are quite different. This one's ‘Main Walk’ did have a Saturday outing a couple of months ago, but I particularly wanted to do this ‘Long Walk’ variation when the rhododendrons in Deepdene Gardens should be at their best (and there's a fine bluebell wood between Betchworth and Brockham, as noted by our Saturday correspondent).
Our reporter also enthused about the portion sizes at the Red Lion in Betchworth, one of those rare establishments which prides itself on feeding and watering anyone who turns up out of the blue. Fifteen minutes further on the route also passes the Dolphin in another part of the village, but in this case booking ahead would be advisable.
If you don't over-indulge at lunch there are some mid-afternoon refreshment places around Brockham's large village green, which might well include tea and home-made cakes outside the parish church. At the end of the walk you'll find plenty of pubs and coffee shops in Dorking.
Alternative Box Hill start: As there's a fair bit of climbing at the end of this variation I've chosen to post the easier (but less scenic) start from Dorking. If anyone wants to do the main start I suggest getting off the Waterloo train at Box Hill & Westhumble at 11:11; if you walk fairly briskly you should catch up the main group before lunch.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.396.b page.
1 comment:
I didn’t want to tempt fate earlier but I think it’s safe to say this now. We were lucky with the weather. None of the promised rain. W=Cloudy-all-day There were n=10 of us.
Not much mud. Plenty of cow parsley.
A pleasant sojourn at the Red Lion. It was someone’s birthday and it was champagne all round. Followed by beer. Meal portions were generous. Kindly benefactors plied Mr Tiger with chocolate and onion rings. Life was good.
But it couldn’t last. All too soon, there was more walking to do. The bluebell wood was festooned with “ No people or dogs” notices. And the bluebells weren’t that good anyway. Looked a bit overgrown.
Brockham was in full Coronation mode with a bit of a do on. Brass band, everything. They’d run out of scones but we bought tea anyway. Some of us posed with a paper crown. We lost a walker here, somehow. Probably kidnapped by royalists.
Most of the group opted for the Deepdene loop near the end but 3, including your correspondent, took the shorter route back to Dorking, arriving there at about 5
Good day out.
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