Length: 20.5 km (12.7 miles) 6/10
If anyone reads the walk history pages they will see I missed ths walk when I posted it last year so I'm trying again; it was reported to be a scenic walk with great views. It's not too far away and passes interesting places including Churchill's house at Chartwell.
Travel: 0950 from Victoria (Clapham Junction 0957, East Croydon 1010) arriving at Hurst Green at 1034.
Returning from Penshurst station, trains either at 28 past the hour to Tonbridge where you change for Charing Cross, or 09 past to Redhill where you change for London Bridge. Get a day return to Tonbridge to cover all the bases.
Lunch and tea: the original lunch pub on this walk has closed and the best non-picnic option looks like the NT cafe at Chartwell (tel 01732 863087), 7.5 km from the start of the walk, which serves good food from noon to 4 pm. There is a possible late pub stop at in Ide Hill, 13 km from the start of the walk - the Cock Inn (tel 01732 750310). Last year's walkers reported that they had tea and cake at the excellent community shop and cafe in Ide Hill. At Penshurst station there's the Little Brown Jug Chiddingstone Causeway, Tonbridge, TN11 8JJ (01892 870318) which is open noon-11pm Mon-Sat and offers tea and coffee.
Short walk option: The Book 2 description and walk directions include a 9 km route, following the main walk to Limpsfield Chart and finishing at Oxted. If you do this and start later, you could lunch at the Carpenters Arms (tel 01883 722209), 4 km from the start of the walk. There doesn't appear to be a GPX track for this route but if you followed the final section of walk SWC 63 from Limpsfield Chart you wouldn't go far wrong. You'll only need a return to Hurst Green if you do this walk. There is a plethora of other options on the walk's web page with different starts and finishes.
Note - from last year's comments, paths in fields near the end of the
walk may be overgrown with oilseed rape. If the path isn't visible, walk
round the edge of the field.
For walk directions, map and GPX click here
T=2.16
2 comments:
#9 on this lovely walk on a beautiful #sunny day. The group split into two with the front runners walking past Chartwell without stopping, deciding it was too early in the walk for lunch. Sometime after that I lost sight of the leading group and giving up my attempts to catch them up I stopped for a picnic just before a NT car park, having spotted a convenient bench with a view in the dappled shade. I thought the rear group might catch me up but there was no sight of them so I pressed on to Ide Hill and stopped for refreshment at the Cock Inn. No one else was there but on arriving at the Ide Hill community shop I found the rear group of 4 who had somehow passed me earlier. I joined them for tea and biccies. The shop is also a cafe so makes a convenient tea stop. Here I discovered the leading group had stopped for a picnic in the NT car park and then had called at the shop, though they were long gone by now. The more leisurely group had stopped for sandwiches at Chartwell. The morning had been mainly undulating woods with incredible vibrant fresh greenery on the trees, though bluebells were past their best. In the afternoon we walked through many arable fields, some with wheat growing, some freshly ploughed with no clear path.
4 of us called at the Greyhound, a hostelry recommended by one of our number which is in a quiet rural position with a large grassy garden. Us 4 got the 18.10, one got the 17.28 and we heard that the forward party got the 16.28. Great day out in beautiful quintessential English countryside.
Forget to add that there was a fair amount of mud in the woods. The open sections and fields were much drier though there was a waterlogged gate near the end which say some creative scrambling on railings to avoid wet feet.
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