9.40 train from London Bridge (9.58 East Croydon) to Kenley, arriving 10.14
Both Kenley and Caterham are in zone 6, so use Oyster, contactless or passes.
This walk did have a Sunday posting in September, so apologies to anyone who did it then, but it has not had a Saturday posting since June 2024. Though relatively short, it nevertheless includes four fairly stiff downland climbs, so you should feel adequately exercised at the end of it. You can cut out one of the hills by doing the afternoon shortcut - the 7.5 mile version.
Anyone wanting a longer walk could switch to the shorter walk of the Woldingham to Oxted walk on arrival in Woldingham: I reckon this would make a walk of about 12 miles.
Lunch is after four miles in the village of Warlingham, where there are two large pubs, a cafe or two and also a supermarket. Tea in Caterham seems to be a choice between a pub and Caffè Nero.
Trains back from Caterham are at 25 and 55 past
3 comments:
A jolly N=24 enjoyed this walk in w=sparkling-sunshine. Discussions at lunch about why the winter sun seems so intense: maybe because it shines directly into your face? I would add that skies are a particularly deep blue at this time of year.
In such weather a stroll around a car park would have probably seemed enchanting, but as a first timer on this walk I enjoyed its particular quirks. The slanting climb up onto Riddlesdown, for example, and the high terrace with fine views on the way up to Woldingham village. One walker did complain at tea that there had been too few hills however…
Confession time: I posted an earlier than specified train for this walk (short winter days and all that). That meant we got to the lunch pub, the Horseshoe, a bit before midday, but this had the benefit that some of us were able to order breakfast, which was very nice and quickly served. The pub was also not at all busy at this hour. I counted 11 who either ate or drank there. That leaves 13 who went somewhere else. Where?
In the afternoon the path around the upper lip of the golf course was a bit brambly in places. There was some talk of doing the shortcut, but most of those I was with set off bravely to do the climb to Woldingham village. Up and up we climbed. Eventually the trees fell away and we climbed bare scree slopes towards the snow-capped peaks. Or rather, we got to a church and then started to descend.
There had been a bank of cloud to the south for much of the day: for the last part of the walk, the crossing of the massif that separates Woldingham school from Caterham, it came between us and the sun. We got to the latter town at 3pm. Eight went to Caffè Nero for tea and we learnt three had gone to a pub. After tea most went for the 15.55 train. Three of us went to the pub, but the others were gone and it was a bit noisy, so we got the train too. On the way back to London Bridge we compared and commiserated over our respective Christmas plans.
Ah ha, well 2 of us (who hadn't been out with SWC for a while), looked at the walk instructions and it said (or did I read it wrongly?..) catch the 10.40 train, we were puzzled but assumed that was so we would arrive at the lunchtime pub at the best time... no one else on the train of course, no one else on the walk, we wondered if walks had fallen out of favour or gone virtual... However it was a delightful sunny day with hazel catkins giving the hedgerows a yellow glow. Blackthorn berries have also been frosted now and were quite palatable...we also lunched at the Horseshoe. Sorry to miss you all!
Sorry! 10.40 just seemed too late for such a short day. The walk post on This Week’s Walks is always authoritative over the walk home page.
N=26 then
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