Length 10.4 miles (16.75 km) with options to extend or shorten
Toughness: 2 out of 10
Trains: Take the 10.21 East Grinstead train from Victoria (10.28 Clapham Junction, 10.42 East Croydon) arriving Dormans 11.15
Return trains from Lingfield to London: xx:19 and xx:49
Buy a return to Dormans
If you extend the walk by looping back to Dormans, trains from Dormans to London leave at XX.16 and xx.46
This walk in the south-eastern corner of Surrey essentially consists of two near-circular walks linked together. The first loop is around the fringes of a historically interesting development to the south of Dormans station, with the outward path showing the cuttings, embankments and viaducts needed to build a railway through this undulating countryside. The second loop goes through a Local Nature Reserve and farmland in the low-lying countryside to the north of Lingfield.
Lunch: The suggested lunch pub in Lingfield is The Star (01342-832364), after 8 km. For an alternative you would have to make a short detourinto the village where there are cafés, restaurants and another pub clustered around the village pond (see Tea below).
Picnickers will find benches in the attractive churchyard cross the road from the Star.
Tea: On days when it is open the suggested tea place in Lingfield is Joyce's with Best Wishes at 30-32 High Street. Other places near the village pond are the Red Rum Caffé (01342-459752; open to 5pm Mon–Sat, 3pm Sun), a Costa Coffee (01342-837843; open to 6pm Mon–Sat, 5pm Sun) and the Greyhound pub (01342-832147). You could also make another visit to The Star, the closest place to the station.
Directions, map and GPS here
3 comments:
The delayed train is not stopping at Dormans or Lingfield so I plan to get out at Oxted.
Catching the next train from Oxted arriving Dormans 11.46
The posted train was delayed due to signal problems and became a fast train after Oxted where 2 disembarked and waited for the next train which was not far behind. Two others were on this train having been delayed by problems on the Victoria line so a total of N=4 alighted at Dormans in w=sunshine-later-covered-by-cloud.The morning section of this walk is very pleasant and undemanding. There are still bluebells in the woods but the most striking display was of wild garlic, swathes of it in all directions. There was very little mud in the morning but in the afternoon there were some squelchy fields and muddy paths. We did a wide diversion to avoid an enclosed narrow waterlogged path avoiding wet feet but still picking up mud.
One had lunch at the Star and finished the walk there, three visited the church and picnicked on benches outside it. There was time for a quick drink at the Star before catching the 17.19 train back to London.
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