Length: Up to 16 km (10 miles). Toughness: Up to 5/10
As we get an hour less in bed I've plumped for a late start: the 11:02 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 11:07, Clapham Jct 11:12, etc), arriving Dorking (Main) at 11:54.
There are hourly trains back to Waterloo at xx:07 and half-hourly ones to London Bridge (not Victoria today) at xx:02 & xx:32. Somewhat ironically, I've chosen a date when there are only replacement buses at Dorking's other station (Deepdene).
This walk has been sitting unheralded on the SWC site for a while and deserves an outing. In fact it's not so much a defined walk, more a series of linked trails to places of interest on a ‘lost estate’ which a charitable trust is gradually restoring. You'll get more out of the day if you check out the Deepdene Trail site and print off its ‘Map of the Trail’.
If you choose to follow the GPX route on the SWC site you'll start with a quick look at the Gardens (as yet, not much more than a mass of rhododendrons), climb to the Terrace and then head off to Brockham. There's a choice of refreshment places around its large village green: I don't reckon there'll be much chance of getting Sunday lunch at the Inn on the Green (a “Grumpy Mole Restaurant”) on Mother's Day, but you could try phoning ahead (01737-845101). If the Royal Oak is still closed the alternatives are in the Village Hall, which contains The Taphouse (a small village bar) and the Reading Room Coffee and Cake House.
The afternoon route makes its way back to Dorking's High Street via the Terrace and Glory Wood, with optional out-and-back extensions to the ruins of Betchworth Castle and the Hope Mausoleum. Few of the town's independent tea rooms deign to open on Sundays but you'll find most of the usual suspects (Costa Coffee, etc) and plenty of pubs. Allow 20 minutes to reach the station from the High Street.
As well as the Deepdene Trail map, do bring the outline description of the walk and/or GPX file from the L=swc.364 page.
1 comment:
The end of the mini-heatwave and a spate of cancelled Southern trains to Dorking were not the best omens for this new walk, but the posted Waterloo service did at least deliver a small group. After a slightly muddled start they eventually met up with a few locals and car drivers to make n=9 walkers on an w=overcast day. The recent sunshine hadn't tempted a single rhododendron flower to appear so Deepdene Gardens were an underwhelming mass of dark green. The group swiftly moved on to Brockham where the combination of a village bar, café and a large open space for picnickers seemed to go down well.
After the post-lunch stroll along the Coach Road and the diversion to Betchworth Castle your correspondent and a couple of others sneaked off, but the main group seemed keen to complete the full circuit. I hope they made it round and found a decent tea place in Dorking. In future we'll try to post this walk in April or May when the gardens should be more appealing.
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