A beautiful walk through an unspoilt countryside of fields, woods and gentle hills, with a choice of two homely country pubs for lunch.
Length: 16.5 km (10.3 miles)
Toughness: 3 out of 10
Trains: London Victoria: 09-41 hrs Southern service to Horsham CJ 09-48; Balham 9.53; Sutton 10-13; Epsom 10-24 hrs. Arrive Ockley: 10-51 hrs
Return: Warnham to Victoria: xx:19 and xx:57. Change at Horsham if taking the latter.
Rail ticket : Buy a day return to Warnham.
Lunch: The Scarlett Arms pub (tel. 01306-627243) in Walliswood, is 7.2 km into the walk.
An alternative is the Punchbowl pub (tel. 01306-627249) in Okewood Hill. The pub is reached via a detour beginning in the woods in Walliswood; the main walk can then be rejoined at point [5A].
Tea: The Sussex Oak pub (tel.01403-265028) in Warnham. The bar is open in the afternoon but no food is served between 2.30 and 6pm. The village shop in Warnham is open until 6pm. Warnham station is approximately 20 minutes walk from the village.
Directions, map and GPS here
T=1.47
1 comment:
N=15 off the posted train having joined at various stations along the way. It was w=dry-and-not-as-cold-as-forecast-under-cloudy--skies-with-a-very-light-wind. We managed a good pace along paths through fields and woods, accumulating layers of sticky mud on our boots but not sinking in too deep. We reached the lunch stop at around 12.30. Nobody was interested in a pub lunch so we picnicked on benches, tombs and in the porch of St John the Baptist church before taking a shortcut omitting the loop to the Scarlett Arms and rejoining the official route on the other end of the loop. There were several positive comments about the walk even though the trees were bare and it was missing the colours of seasons to come. We saw snowdrops and a very early primrose in the churchyard and the woods were full of twittering birds so Spring is in the air. We reached Warnham before 3pm. Four managed to catch th 14.55 train. The rest stopped at the Sussex Oak in Warnham for refreshments. Six caught the 15.55 via Horsham leaving behind four beer drinkers still slaking their thirst.
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