Length: 16¾ km (10.4 miles). Toughness: 5/10
10:02 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:06, Clapham Jct 10:12, etc), arriving Box Hill & Westhumble at 10:51. If you might want to switch to one of the alternative endings (see the walk document for details), a return to Dorking is the same fare as Box Hill.
Trains back from Box Hill & Westhumble are hourly at xx:10 to Waterloo; half-hourly at xx:16 & xx:46 to Victoria (in both cases, a few minutes earlier from Dorking).
Anyone returning early from the Scottish trip will consider this outing a gentle stroll in the park, but it does start with the classic climb up the Burford Spur to the famous viewpoint on Box Hill. It goes out to Betchworth past old chalk quarries on the North Downs escarpment and returns along the Mole Valley, with a few more ups and downs along the way.
The food and drink options on this walk always seem to go down well. If you want a pub lunch the Red Lion in Betchworth serves large portions and doesn't seem fussed about advance bookings. Brockham offers several options for a mid-afternoon refreshment stop, including its popular Teas on the Green outside the church. And at the end of the walk there's a pub on the road to the station.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.396 page.
1 comment:
N=8 at the start. W=sunny-all-day
It is a decade or two since I last tackled Burford Spur thie hard way and I swear someone has made it steeper. Of course,the sprightly others scrambled up like mountain goats. Why? It’s not as if there were medals at the top. There was a reunion at the viewpoint. One had peeled off to do their own thing and we continued along what was now easier terrain. Along the way, we met two doing the walk independently.
The rest of the morning was mostly through woodland, with giant yews. Then, at last, after fighting through head-high cow parsley, the Red Lion’s dinosaur hove into view.
Here, some had sumptuous repasts, some picnicked nearby. One had cider. A kindly benefactor proffered chips. Bliss.
There was another stop in Brockham. For most this was tea and cakes. For two, it was more drink in the village hall pub.
Great buttercups on the last section. Field after field.
Two finished in Dorking, the rest in Westhumble.
All in all, a grand day out but I hope the driver of the 17:16 (who left the station 20 seconds early, while I was pressing the door button) suffers days of anguish and torment. And that a similar misfortune befalls the swan that stopped trains on the Overground.
Post a Comment