Length: 18 km (11.2 miles) 3/10
This slightly revamped route features a big area of open heath land only a few stops from London, followed by mainly open woodland later on. It's been rerouted a bit since the last outing to reflect changes in the path layout and take a different way through Ashtead Common. There are several possible shortcuts so there should be plenty of time for anyone going to the Almeida to get back. The main walk loops back from Epsom Common to Ashtead but you can also finish at Epsom (not much difference in distance).
Travel: Waterloo 1003, arriving Oxshott 1038, should fit in with the lunch pub. 4-5 return trains an hour from Ashtead and Epsom. Buy a return to Effingham Junction where the Oxshott and Ashtead/Epsom lines meet.
Lunch: The Star, Kingston Road, Leatherhead is large and has a beer garden. It is reached after 11.8 km (7.3 miles). Tel: 01372 842416. The main track through the Prince's Coverts before lunch doesn't have good places to stop so picknickers might want to carry on past the pub into Ashtead Common where you should be able to find somewhere suitable.
Tea: The Woodman, 238 Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead. Tel: 01372 274524. With an Epsom finish you could try the Cricketers 01372 729384 which is on the walk route to the station.
Shortening the walk: the walk directions make a number of suggestions including a finish at Claygate (making a walk of 11.9 km/7.4 miles) but the simplest short cut is to go straight through Ashtead Common from the Star to the station, missing out Epsom Common and cutting 4.3 km/2.7 miles).
For walk directions, map and GPX click here
T=swc.178
2 comments:
N=16 on a day w=humid-cloudy-then-thundery-with-rain An interesting morning through the woods and heaths. 3 were lagging behind, but don’t you worry, readers, the others caught them up at the pub. ( No, I don’t know either, maybe the others went wrong somewhere).
On the way, the 3 met a wolf and a tiger. A Eurasian Beewolf (it’s a type of wasp) and a Jersey Tiger (it’s a type of moth). And, later, a slowworm (sadly deceased). Service a bit slow in the Star, due to a huge funeral party, but a kindly benefactor did finally manage to get Mr Tiger some cider.
Mr Tiger had determined to go the whole way round Ashtead Commin, shortcuts being an anathema to him. But, when the thunder and lightning and rain started, he took the anathema instead and caught the 15:26.
10 or so ended up in the Woodman, with a mixture of full walkers and those, after a beer in the Star, taking a longer thunderstorm avoiding short cut.
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