DAC is away...
Length: HOOP Route – from 10.3 km to 26.8 km
Ascent/Descent: from 215/169m to 563m
Net Walking Time: from ca. 2 ½ hours to ca. 6 ½
hours
Toughness: 8 out of 10 (full route)
Longer versions possible by walking to and/or from the Orbital Route along one of the spoke
routes (see below).
Walk only parts of the HOOP and take a bus back to Haslemere or walk back along one of the spoke
routes (see below for more details).
A later start (09.30 train/10.30 bus)
would be enough to beat darkness on the shorter walks).
Take the 08.30 Portsmouth
Harbour train from Waterloo (08.55 Woking), arrives Haslemere
at 09.20.
Then take Bus 70, hourly from
opposite the station (direction Midhurst) at 09.30, arrives Kiln
Meadow, Kingsley Green 09.41.
Return buses: xx.19
to 17.19, then 18.24 and 19.29. Return trains: xx.02,
xx.14, xx.30.
This is an interesting circular route orbiting
around Haslemere, covering plenty of areas and sights familiar from other SWC
walks, but also lots of new ground, for example Bramshott Common, the
Waggoner’s Wells ponds, Whitmore Vale, Grayswood, Ansteadbrook and the woods
west of Black Down. The Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (HOOP) was originally
conceived by Neil Hook and is featured – with written directions – on his website.
The route starts at a bus stop in Kingsley Green
served by an hourly service (Mon-Sat), 3 km outside of Haslemere, but
additional start or finish points can usefully be accessed either by other bus
lines or on foot, along spoke routes from Haslemere Station, using some of the
existing SWC walks. For details see below. Fully written directions for the
spoke routes are available in the walk directions pdf linked on the SWC
webpage.
Walk Options: four
bus lines and six fully written up spoke routes enable you to:
- walk just parts of the HOOP,
- avoid the bus journeys at start or finish by
walking from/to Haslemere Station.
For details see the
webpage and study the route map.
Lunch and Tea: The Prince of Wales,
Hammer Vale, 4.6 km into the route; Molly’s Cottage
Artisan Bakery, Grayshott (pre-order for pickup from a box on the route), 9.2
km into the route; The Fox &
Pelican, Grayshott, 10.3 km into the route; Café Twenty5,
Hindhead, 12.6 km into the route; The Devil’s Punch Bowl,
Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The
National Trust Café, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The
Wheatsheaf Inn, Grayswood, 16.7 km into the route (currently closed); Harper’s Steakhouse & Bar,
Haslemere Station.
For summary, walk directions, map,
height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.
T=swc.377
1 comment:
4 walkers off the train, plus 1 other off his car, 1 runner (more later), making 6. Some of those had spotted 1 other, a Saturday Long Walk regular of the Legal Fraternity, on the platform at W'loo walking towards the front carriage (as he does), but there was no sign of him in H'mere. Was it a power nap on the train, meaning he missed the stop? Or did we miss him in the melee that ensued caused by the 30+ members of a MeetUp Group of Young 'Uns?
The runner set off to run up along the Serpent Trail on one of the spokes to link up with the route on the flanks of Black Down, while we awaited the bus.
It was a marvellous day for any walk, but especially this, I'd say: sunny for most of it, after the initial mist and cloud had been burned off; some fine cows (many Belted Galloway, including a brown one, and some Highland Coos), partridges, lovely leaf colour, hardly any mud, fine sunny views, and a pacey group.
We got to the Fox & Pelican just before it was due to open, and duly waited, seeing as it was the best food option en route. The runner joined us within 10 minutes of that and we spent an hour and a quarter there together.
The runner then walked with us, almost to the end, running back to H'mere along the last spoke route from Ridden Corner (he totalled close to 40 km today). The sun was setting as we crossed Black Down, a fitting finale to a grand walk.
We got back to the bus stop at 5 to 5, leaving 25 minutes to wait for the bus back to H'mere. Someone activated an app to identify the various stars on display, while others checked the football results...
The bus of course is timetabled in a British Way, i.e. it misses the train connection by a minute every time. Unless the train is running late, which it did. But we did go to the pub by the station anyway, to meet the runner there. A marvellous day out (everyone said that).
p.s.: the power napper did take the next train back to Haslemere and walked a substantial part of the route an hour behind... n=7 w=sunny
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