SWC 24: Sandling to Wye Along the North Downs Ways t=swc.24
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Train: Take the 9:37 AM train from London St. Pancras (9:44 from Stratford International), changing at Ashford (arriving 10:14; departing 10:19 -- note the 5 minute connection) arriving at Sandling at 10:30 OR take the 9:08 AM direct train from London Bridge. Return trains from Wye are about 52 past the hour with a choice of destination.
This lovely walk follows one of the finest sections of the North Downs Way (NDW) along the edge of the North Downs escarpment – in many ways it feels more like the South Downs - with fine views for nearly the whole walk. You can find more information about the walk and download the walk instructions/route here.
Lunch is at the Tiger Inn (01303 862130) in Stowting, 9.3km (5.8 miles) into the walk, an alternative is also available a bit further on on a short diversion -- the Five Bells in Brabourne.
In Wye, the Tickled Trout is the recommended tea/drinks stop. However, there are some other options available as well.
2 comments:
A good turnout of #18 for this further away walk; those on the high speed train just made it across the platforms at Ashford to join the throng coming from London Bridge. It was #sunny-with-a-stiff-breeze-on-top-of-the-downs. I think 13 ate at the Tiger Inn at Stowting, with the rest of us deciding the church was too far and picnicked in a nearby field. Most of us had a drink in the pub but as it was 2 o'clock and we had a long way to go, we decided to press on so I don't know how the pub lunchers got on.
Three of us walked together in the afternoon, making better than expected progress on the easy track for most of way. One had sped off, not to be seen again, and the other who we thought was ahead eventually caught us up muttering about a wrong turning. We spent some time investigating the Wye Crown before getting to Wye, surprised to find ourselves with seconds to spare before the 1652 train. Nature note - lots of bee orchids!
I believe it was 13 for lunch in the Tiger, yes, on two tables. Lovely pub, and speaking personally, I thought lovely food too. Barbecue ribs with a Korean twist: very nice
In the afternoon two of us got left behind the main pack due to nature spotting, but to our pleasant surprise the rest of the party stopped at the top of the Devil's Kneading Trough (or whatever the thing is called) and had a sit-down, so we caught up. We then had a pleasant ridge walk to Wye and let one train go to have a drink in the garden of the Tickled Trout - a slightly chilly one, as it was not as warm an evening as it might have been.
Only one had a paddle (me).
More nature notes: I heard practically my first yellowhammers of the year while we were having our sit-down on the downs, and I was very pleased to see swifts flying overhead as we drank in the pub garden: last year they seemed to be totally absent in the south east, so it is nice to see them back. (This in fact makes two weeks in a row that I have seen them on a Saturday walk.)
There was anguished internal debate for those few of us who had high speed train tickets about whether to join the majority on the slow train (actually, not so slow, given that the high speed train entailed a 22 minute wait at Ashford). In the end the promise of wine, tortilla chips and houmous won the day, and nine of us produced a cheerful three tables-worth of chatter all the way back to London. (Not so cheerful if you were anyone else in the carriage, maybe...)
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