9.45 train from Charing Cross (9.48 Waterloo East, 9.54 London Bridge) to Robertsbridge, arriving 11.17
This gentle Wealden walk - as opposed to its variant ending in Battle - has not had a summer outing for years as far as I can see. Part of its appeal at this time of year is that it has a gorgeous mid-afternoon tea stop at the National Trust-owned Bodiam Castle (romantically approached over a hillside), where you also might see a steam train chugging past (eg at or before 3.35pm and 4.45pm). More dissolute types can go to the Castle Inn across the road. Later Salehurst, a couple of miles from the end, also has a rural pub - the Salehurst Halt.
The point is that at this time of year you can enjoy all these delights without worrying about finishing the walk before sunset - a pleasure which will all too soon be denied to us.
Lunch is at the Waterside Cafe at the Hawkhurst Fish Farm, 5 miles into the walk, which is fully licensed and has a hot food menu of burgers, paninis and fish and chips (which is about what you get in most pubs these days…).
At the end of the walk Robertsbridge has late-opening convenience stores and a pub or two, most notably the quirky Ostrich opposite the station.
Trains back are at 14 past the hour.
2 comments:
I was congratulating myself on a nice group of 13 for this walk, but then another eight materialised from the far end of the platform. So n=21 in all, not bad for a day with a somewhat iffy weather forecast.
Several people remarked that they had not done this walk for a good while, and chunks of it were certainly unfamiliar to me. W=Early-sun-gave-way-to-cloud but there were only odd spots of rain. The countryside, I notice, is starting to look green again.
Quite a lot of the group ate at the Waterside Cafe. There was a long queue to order which moved at a glacial pace, but the food then came with reasonable dispatch. Some ate on the terrace, some inside, some of us only slightly disturbed by odd spots of rain, others scuttling for shelter.
When we got to Bodiam, I half expected most people to rush on to Robertsbridge to escape the imminent rain, but actually relatively few did. A number went for tea at the National Trust cafe, though one walker was disappointed this was not actually INSIDE the castle. Again those who sat outside were interrupted by bursts of rain, though two of us (and five wasps) pretended to be unbothered by it. Three went to the Castle Inn.
We set off for the last leg of the walk in small groups, but unusually for the SWC these actually coalesced as the walk went on. The rain did now set in, quite persistently, but not too heavily.
Dashing to get the 18.14 we met several other walkers coming out of the Ostrich, and met two who had aimed for the 17.14 but missed it. In the end about a dozen of us got the 18.14. Having had no time to get supplies, we instead discussed our favourite wines on the journey home, plus Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Shakespeare and other topics.
Three of us were a bit slow to leave the Waterside Cafe and arrived at Bodiam Castle NT Tea room as others were leaving. We rashly decided to try Option D along the river, its flatter and saves 0.5km. The notes advise against doing it in summer because it get overgrown. We also ignored a sign saying the path is closed due to erosion of the river bank. It was of course very overgrown and almost impassible, you are on a path on a narrow peninsular with a stream at the bottom of a very deep, steep-sided ditch on the left and a river on the right. Having got some way along you don't want to turn back thinking it cannot be much further but of course it is. We came to a very rotten wooden bridge barricaded off at which point sensible people would turn round. We climbed over the barrier and crossed the bridge avoiding the missing / rotten planks. After a reasonable stretch only mildly overgrown we came to an impassible thicket of brambles and Himalayan Balsam. Eventually we escaped into a field sliding down to stream and scrambling up the other side. We arrived in Robertsbridge tired, scratched and wet but just in time for the 19 :14 train. I will be in touch with the walk "owner" to ask for Option D instructions and particularly the Option D GPS to be removed. There is something about seeing the nice clear blue line on the navigation screen that inspires false confidence. Like truck drivers who get stuck under low bridges or motorists who end up in the harbour.
Post a Comment