9.50 train from Victoria (9.57 Clapham Junction, 10.10 East Croydon) to East Grinstead, arriving 10.50. You then get bus number 270 from the stop in front of the station at 11.05 to Forest Row, arriving 11.20.
Buy a day return to East Grinstead. The bus fare will be a flat £3 in either direction.
This walk up onto the heaths of Ashdown Forest does not get done as often as it might because it requires a short bus ride at the start and finish. That is a pity, as it covers surprisingly varied territory, albeit with generous dollops of heathland where the heather should hopefully be in full bloom now.
Lunch is at the very nice Red Lion in Chelwood Gate (if we overlook it losing my meal order when I was last there: a rare aberration). It serves food all afternoon and has a very nice garden. (The same bus we get from East Grinstead stops at the Red Lion six minutes later, by the way, if you fancy a late start.)
For tea Forest Row has various cafes, pubs and micro-breweries. An earlier tea option that people usually miss because they have their noses pressed to their GPS tracks is the Forest Row Visitor Centre, which at least in the past has offered hot drinks and snacks.
Buses back from Forest Row (270 and 291) are at 03 and 31 past till 18.34, then 18.58, 19.46 etc (check times yourself if coming back later!!).
If you still have energy at the end of the walk, you can also walk up the old railway line to East Grinstead, which is an extra 3.4 miles.
Trains back from East Grinstead are at 06 and 36 past till late.
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13 off the train, 4 who drove to Forest Row, one who missed the train and caught us up, and one who appeared at lunch and I think also did a bit of walking, so n=19 in all today. Also not one but two dogs (who I am told showed no interest in each other). One dog owner was a newbie who seemed to enjoy her day and we hope to see again.
Cloud clearing to sun said the forecast, but someone forgot to tell the weather gods. So just w=cloudy-and-sticky - until we got on the train home at 6.36pm, when - what do you know? - the skies turned blue.
Up hill and down dale in the morning. Some complaints about the lack of heather on this leg, but there was plenty in the afternoon. A pity there was not some sunshine to bring the colours out, but it was prettily set off by yellow-flowered dwarf gorse.
I am counting in my head, but I think a majority ate in the garden of the Red Lion, where they let us order at the bar and food came quite quickly. No orders were lost and so this pub is back in my good books.
In the afternoon nine of us stopped at the Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre, where some of us had tea. On the descent from the ridge the golf course proved surprisingly good for heather colour.
In Forest Row three went to the micro-brewery but a majority of nine went to Java and Jazz for tea and cakes: a very useful after hours tea stop. Both contingents then got the 18.03 bus.
Someone told me off for talking in these reports about getting “supplies” for the train. (I forget why.) So let’s say a few people decided to go shopping before the train and the rest of us shared their purchases on a very convivial train ride home.
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