10.07 train from London Bridge (10.22 East Croydon) to Eridge, arriving 11.03 T=swc.120
Apologies to anyone who did this walk back in January, but now is the time of year when it is at its best. This is my favourite early spring territory, with nice wildflowers and a pretty mix of scenery. Given that you might be out walking on more than one day this Easter weekend, I thought that a not-too-long walk might be welcomed.
This is a good walk for wood anemones, both at the start and around Harrison Rocks in the afternoon. Pro tip: if you follow the Eridge to Forest Row walk for a short distance at the start, it not only cuts off a corner on the route for this walk, but takes you past more wooden ms. At Harrison Rocks the best wood anemone displays (pictured) are behind the track along the top of the rocks. There is also a fine display of daffodils at Groombridge Place, which should be at their best about now, and the walk is punctuated by the chuffing of steam trains on the Spa Valley Railway.
Groombridge has two pubs: the more characterful one is the Crown Inn, but the Junction Inn is a bit more spacious. The village also has a convenience store.
Tea is at the excellent Huntsman pub by Eridge station (they do tea, and a nice crumble if you are peckish).
Trains back from Eridge are at 50 past the hour.
6 comments:
If you are planning on a pub lunch, it might be worth booking ahead. Neither lunchtime pub had tables at 1. We’ve gone for 1.15pm.
Which one did you book? And for how many?
I’ve a table at the Crowne Inn that’s currently booked for 5. I’ve had a word with the pub and they say that if they add a leaf it can take 10. Hope that helps.
Thanks, Alice - it looks like being a bit chilly for picnicking!
There's a comment on this walk's web page that one of the two routes out from Groombridge was blocked by excessive mud and water for 50 meters. That was back in January but I would be suprised if if is much better now.
25 on the platform at Eridge, one significant other who joined us at lunch, and one who started at Ashurst for some reason. So n=27 at least on this gentle meander around nature’s spring garden.
In the w=warm-sun all seemed lovely. Good amounts of wood anemones (though more to come) and a pleasing range of butterflies, including my first orange tips of the year. Lanes were bordered with concentrations of cheerful celandines and there was a green fuzz on the understorey shrubs and saplings.
I set the tone for the day by leading a few unsuspecting companions on an unauthorised shortcut in the morning to see more wooden ms. Others did other variations. At the end of the walk, in the sunny garden of the Huntsman, there was discussion about how many had actually done the full main walk as published. Only one could confidently claim this status.
A lot of us descended all at once on the Crown for lunch. The husband and wife team who run the pub get double brownie points for coping with us all without complaint. Two groups had booked tables inside, but this meant they got served slower, elbowed aside by those of us who ordered at the bar and sat outside (sorry about that!). How nice it was to sit outside! I hope for many more such days in the weeks ahead.
As alluded to above, I reckon at least two thirds of the group spent some time in the sunny garden of the Huntsman, albeit in two shifts, one getting the 4.50 train and the other the 5.50. From tomorrow that will seem too early to be finishing a walk…
Postscript: after posting the above, someone asked me about mud. Plenty of dry paths, but a few still very gloopy. I advised those I was with after lunch to avoid the path along the field edge between the railway line and the driveway to Harrisons Rocks, and to use the road instead. They ignored me and waded through mud up to their ankles as a consequence. But generally this was the first Saturday walk I have done this year where mud was not a mega issue.
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