9.41 train from Victoria (9.48 Clapham Junction, 10.13 Sutton) to Ockley, arriving 10.51. T=1.47
Buy a day return to Warnham (or possibly Horsham if intending to end there: see ** below)
Spring seems to happening very rapidly. On last Saturday's Tenterden to Rye walk, wood anemones were fading fast and bluebells - and even wild garlic in places - were half out. This walk has all three, so hopefully if one is already over, the other will be coming out.
It is a fine, fairly woody walk, through very tranquil countryside, with lots of other spring delights - primroses along the lanes, bright green foliage in woods. The main lunch pub - the Scarlett Arms - is walker-friendly but quite small. There is a slightly earlier alternative, the Punchbowl, reached by a small diversion off the walk route.
The tea place, in Warnham Village, is the Sussex Oak, which has a lovely garden if the sun is shining, and has been known to serve nice puddings. It is a good 20-30 minutes walk from there down a quiet lane to Warnham station, so leave enough time for this.
Trains back from Warnham are at 19 past until 18.19, though you can also catch a 57 past train in the other direction, to Horsham, and change there for a train back to London. This is actually slightly quicker (1 hr 18 versus 1 hr 26), since the direct train is a stopper. The National Rail website shows the fare as the same either way, so presumably your ticket is valid by either route.
Note that the last trains are the 18.19 to Victoria or the 18.57 past to Horsham.
An alternative to ending at Warnham is to carry on for another 2.1 miles into Horsham - directions provided. This route is quite pleasant and rural at first, and later a bit suburban. There are up to five trains an hour from Horsham to London. ** If planning to do this, a day return to Horsham might be a good idea, though since Horsham seems to be a legitimate route to get to Warnham, a Warnham return may be OK.
2 comments:
About 20 regulars on this lovely walk in warm and largely sunny conditions. No shortage of mud and boggy bits, but nothing regular boots could not cope with. Generous helpings of bluebell woods and patches throughout, and one wonderful stretch of wild garlic (with bees aplenty) in the second half of the walk. Two of us lunched in idyllic conditions outside St John the Baptist Church. The very friendly Friends of the Church were running a tearoom in The Ark, their church hall. Should we get another Great Flood, this is the Ark I want to be in: the cakes were spectacular. As I eyed the coffee and walnut, one of the Lady Noahs asked me a question you never get asked in a high street cafe: 'How much do you want'? My companion joined (most of) the others at the pub and I walked on, keen to get a train at around 4. Acting on Walker's written tips, I got the service shortly before that hour to Horsham, and then onto a fast service to Victoria. At Horsham I spotted a very speedy walker who must have completed the extension. This walk is ideal for Spring - in less fertile conditions, the amount of hard surface walking involved might have chafed more. Thanks for scheduling.
n=20
w=warm-and-sunny
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