Length: 17km / 10.5m. Toughness: 4 / 10
The stations at Eridge and Groombridge are connected by the Spa Valley Railway, which is running today. You are likely to see and hear vintage steam or diesel trains at several places along the route.
The morning section is an undulating route across typical High Weald territory.
The afternoon section goes from Old Groombridge's village green to Groombridge Place, a beautiful Jacobean manor house surrounded by a medieval moat. The full route continues past Harrison's Rocks, where you can usually watch climbers practising their skills on this massive outcrop of Ardingly sandstone. It then swings round to go through Broadwater Warren nature reserve (free entry). You could break off the main afternoon route at Harrison's Rocks and go directly to Eridge station via Forge Road.
Trains: Get the 1007 Uckfield train from London Bridge (probably platform 10) (East Croydon 1022), arriving 1103. Return trains at xx50.
Lunch: The suggested lunch pub in Groombridge (after 7 km) is the 16thC Crown Inn (01892-864742. It has some outdoor seating overlooking the village green and "serves good food". There is an alternative pub ten minutes away in the main part of the village, the Junction Inn (01892-864275).
Tea: At the end of the walk The Huntsman pub is a stone's throw from Eridge station.
1 comment:
N=13 on the walk, which apart from a short super gloopy stretch had bearable mud levels. It turned out that the Crown was closed (but reopening tomorrow), which news from a local persuaded some of us to omit that loop. A couple ate in the Junction which apparently was slow. We were a bit split up by now, but a certain amount of regrouping at the end in The Huntsman before 7 getting the 1550 and 2 opting for the later stamp train to Tunbridge. W=gloomy_but_dry.
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