Merstham to Tattenham Corner - a fine downland view and flowery fields

Length: 17.3km (10.7 miles), with shorter options to Tadworth, plus a possible extension to Epsom of up to 18.3km (11.3 miles) T=swc.4

10.00 train from London Bridge (9.37 Finsbury Park, 9.45 St Pancras Thameslink, 9.49 Farringdon, 9.54 Blackfriars, 10.17 East Croydon) to Merstham arriving 10.31.

Merstham is annoyingly just outside zone six, so you need an extension to that. If you don't have a travel pass, you can use Oyster (or contactless) at Merstham. Otherwise all stations on this walk are within zone six (apart from Epsom....see below). 

For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the walk click here.

Being a bit jaded by packed trains to the coast, I thought it would be nice to have a walk closer to London this week. This one often gets done in winter, but when I posted it in late August a couple of years ago, I made a note in the walk report that the ideal time to schedule it from a wildflower point of view would be late July/early August. So let's see, shall we?

The walk climbs up to a lovely ridge of the North Downs, with gobsmacking views in its later stages (it is also a good butterfly site...). At the start of the ridge section, on Reigate Hill, there is a really nice kiosk cafe. Otherwise the obvious lunch pub is the Sportsman in Mogador 5 miles into the walk, a little while after you leave the downs ridge and head "inland".

In the afternoon you cross (hopefully flowery...) fields, passing through Walton-on-the-Hill, where the Blue Ball pub or Village Cafe (open to 4pm) might make late lunch or early tea options. You are also only a stone's throw from Tadworth station if you want to end the walk early.

The main walk continues across gentle hill country to the impressively vast Epsom racecourse, where there are a couple of interesting pubs. Follow the full route for a fine view of London from the Epsom Downs.

You can finish here by taking trains from Tattenham Corner (15 and 45 past). 

Or if you want a slightly longer walk, you can descend to Epsom (the 11.3 mile option) with frequent trains to Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge (but again you need an extension to zone six here if you have a pass, or you can use Oyster or contactless), or a slightly shorter extension to Epsom Downs (trains at 08 and 38 past to Victoria), which is in zone six.