Length: 14½ km (9.0 miles). Toughness: 1/10
10:30 Epsom Downs train from Victoria (Battersea Park 10:34, Clapham Jct 10:39, etc), arriving Waddon (TfL Zone 5) at 11:08.
At the end of the walk Colliers Wood is on the Northern line (Zone 3). The directions point out stations and tram stops along the route if you want to drop out earlier (eg. Morden after 12¼ km).
The main version of this walk starts at Mitcham Junction, but as the evening walkers did that leg earlier this year I thought I'd post its alternative start from Waddon. It's a rather urban route but it does take in more of the waymarked Wandle Trail. The afternoon section continues along the course of this south London river, with some attractive stretches through parkland and nature reserves including the National Trust's Morden Hall Park.
For lunch there's a choice of pubs or cafés in Carshalton, with some places overlooking the large ponds beside its High Street. The NT café in Morden Hall Park makes a convenient tea stop and there are also several pubs on the final leg to Colliers Wood.
If you want a longer walk you could continue along the Wandle Trail to the River Thames at Wandsworth, an extra 6 km or so.
Please bring the directions from the L=swc.273.a page.
3 comments:
#13 walkers and a dog met at Waddon Station on a #crisp-and-sunny day. Trains were running normally, but were much more crowded than usual, because of an early kick-off at a nearby Premier League ground (Selhurst Park). One more walker joined us just before Carshalton Ponds, making #14 in total. Some chose to eat sandwiches in the sun-drenched War Memorial gardens, while others preferred to dine at The Greyhound. After lunch, we picked up the pace a little and arrived in good time for tea at the NT café in the grounds of Morden Hall Park. Lots of people were out and about, enjoying the end-of-November sunshine, as well as a brass band playing festive Christmas songs. After tea, most wandered through the park, along the boardwalk, before parting ways, with some continuing on towards Colliers Wood, and a few making for Morden Road tram stop.
Overall, a very pleasant and easy stroll on a walk well-suited to this time of year.
Make it #15 - there were no trains from my station today so I got a bus to somewhere near the Wandle Trail in Merton*, picked up the route and walked south hoping to intercept the group. I took a wrong turning at one point and ended up going round in a circle, only realising what I'd done when I noticed I was walking downstream. I was surprised to get all the way to Carshalton without seeing anyone and did hunt around in the Honeywell Cafe and a couple of pubs but didn't find any Saturday walkers. Not wanting to retrace my steps on my own, I got a Superloop bus back home from there.
*If I'd known about it I would have been better off getting a bus direct to Carshalton and starting from there
There was 1 more, so make that n=16 Got the train half an hour later, thanks to severe delays on the Mildmay line.
Expected to find others at Carshalton. 2 pubs checked but, sadly, not the Greyhound. (Spotted it too late and couldn’t face crossing that dodgy road for a third time). Didn’t see nobody. Went on, saw a fox, an egret, a heron and a cormorant. Liked the bird-feeding tree that’s in one of the parks. Stopped briefly at the William Morris. Sat outside a while in case I was accidentally ahead (it happens). Still nobody. Got a horribly crowded Northern line home at 15:40.
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