Length 12.5km (7.8 miles)Difficulty: 3 out of 10
This mainly level walk follows the river Mole upstream from the foot of Box Hill through the picturesque villages of Brockham, Betchworth and Skimmington, ending in the grounds of Reigate Priory.
Trains: Take the 9.55 train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10.12) to Redhill where you change to catch the 10.27 to Dorking Deepdene station arriving at 10.49.
From London Victoria take the 9.46 (Clapham Junction 9.53) to East Croydon and change there for the above Redhill train.
Return trains from Reigate are at xx:05 and xx.29 to Redhill where there are trains to London Bridge (xx:15, xx:45) and Victoria (xx.11). All trains go via East Croydon.
A day return to Dorking via all routes will cover both legs of the journey.
Lunch: The Dolphin Inn, Betchworth, tel 01737 842288. Best to ring and book if you'd like to eat there. Otherwise, bring a packed lunch which can be eaten in the churchyard which is close to the pub.
Tea: There are numerous cafes in Reigate. Blooms and Bakes (Cage Yard, 31 High Street) had very good cakes last time we finished there.
L=swc.16
4 comments:
I did this walk on Thursday and there is a water crossing at Rice bridge after Betchworth that I don't recommend. I waded through but it was knee deep, so you probably want to look for a detour.
Thanks for letting us know Roger. We may have to follow the Greensand Way from Betchworth to Reigate. For anyone doing the walk, there is a map of the GSW on the SWC website and an option to download the GPS for it.
https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/long-distance-path/greensand-way/map-print.html
#7 #overcast-and-mild
I wish I had read Roger's comment before the walk.
Rice bridge was indeed completely under water and infranchissable. I had to devise a big detour on my GPS. I took the FP SE to Flanchford road then a small FP NE to Littleton lane.
I walked 10ml and took the 3:30pm train back
Cyber, sorry for not flagging up the Rice Bridge problem at the start of the walk. It's easy to miss walk comments. I thought we'd discuss it at lunchtime but you had gone on ahead by the time I got to the churchyard. It's good that you were able to navigate an alternative route.
The rest of us (6 + 2 dogs) ate our sandwiches in the churchyard and then went for drinks in the Dolphin. Moving on from the pub, we missed a footpath into a field which ran parallel to the road and came to a dip in the road which was full of water - about 1 foot deep halfway through. Five waded through and got wet feet, though not totally saturated as we moved quickly. One squeezed through the hedge into the field with the path and kept dry.
After that there were no further problems. Good paths and manageable mud. On reaching Reigate, all 6 went to Blooms and Bakes for tea. Five caught the 16.05 Victoria train. One was driving and hopefully had a safe journey home. A lovely day with signs of spring - snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and primroses - and pleasant company.
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