Length: 17km (10.6 miles), with options up to 21.1km (13 miles) T=swc.208
Buy a day return to Etchingham.
This is a pleasant Wealden walk, with some hills, but on the whole not too demanding. One to do before the autumn mud sets in!
There are various options to extend the walk:
1) Take the 9.08 train from Charing Cross (9.11 Waterloo East, 9.17 London Bridge) to Robertsbridge (arr 10.26) and start the walk from there. This adds 4km (2.5 miles) and experience suggests you will arrive at Etchingham just in time to hook up with the rest of the group. If you do this buy a day return to Robertsbridge.
2) There are three loops down to the Bewl Water reservoir in the afternoon of the walk, each adding 1-2 miles to the walk. See the walk directions or home page of this walk for details.
There is a choice of two pubs in Ticehurst for lunch. The Bell in the village itself is the first you come to after 6.4km (4 miles) (10.4km/6.5 miles if starting from Robertsbridge) but in the past the Bull in Three Legged Cross, another 1km (0.6 miles) further on, has been the nicer option. Phone to make sure it has space, though, as in the past it has been popular (albeit that pubs don’t seem to be that busy lately…)
In Wadhurst there are two pubs and possibly some cafes (they seem to come and go: check the walk home page for the last known details on this).
After tea the 3.2km (2 mile) walk down the back lanes is highly recommended. A shorter 2.2 km/1.4 mile but much less attractive option is to follow the main road (pavement all the way).
Contrary to what I said earlier, there is also a bus, the 1066, from Wadhurst, leaving outside the Greyhound pub at 16.22, 17.06 and 18.28 to Wadhurst station, arriving 4 minutes later, or to Tunbridge Wells station 20 minutes later.
Trains back from Wadhurst are at 21 and 55 past until late.
1 comment:
In those days, heroes walked the earth…Four super-tough guys (and girls) got off the 9.08 train to Robertsbridge and deftly negotiated the longer start to arrive exactly as the rest of the group were emerging from Etchingham station. 20 of them - the best turnout I have seen in ages - so n=24 in all.
The rest of the morning was very pleasant - w=sunny - and passed agreeably in varied chat. In Ticehurst some picnicked in the churchyard and at least one planned to catch the bus, which I hope she did.
At least 14 of us carried on to the Bull pub in Three-Legged Cross, where we easily got tables in the garden, and were equally easily allowed to order food at the bar. What a super establishment this is, the staff so friendly, the kitchen so quick. All pub staff should serve an apprenticeship here.
After lunch most resumed the main walk but five let themselves be inveigled by me into doing the first of the three Bewl Water loops, a task made even more heroic by the fact that having done it, I decided it was not really worth including in the walk anymore. (ie I plan to delete it).
We then carried on to the second and third loops, which are much better. We had a lovely walk along the reservoir, watching yachts sail and greylag geese fly squawking through the air, and only wishing we could have a swim.
In Wadhurst, we went to the Hart Inn and then discussed dinner options. We decided to go to London Bridge to seek food there, and bought wine for the train. We then had a tranquil walk down the back lanes. The Robertsbridge starters thus completed the full 16.8 mile route and the Etchingham ones 14.3 miles, the maximum possible walk under the current (soon to be reduced) walk directions.
In the end we did not go to London Bridge but to Waterloo. There five of us had excellent Thai food in Marie’s cafe. All in all, an outstanding day out
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