9.52 train from London Bridge (10.10 East Croydon), to Upper Warlingham, arriving 10.22.
Both outward and return travel are within zone six, so use Oyster, passes etc
I confess to some head-scratching when choosing a walk this week. I had several ideas but they fell foul of too much proximity to rivers (potential flooding), too low-lying (ditto), potential muddiness, too long for this time of year, someone else having had a similar idea recently, or I fancied doing them later in the year when the countryside is looking nicer...
Hence this walk: an old reliable that has been done as a winter walk many a time before and provides a perfectly nice outing just beyond the southern edges of London. My brain is saying "North Downs = chalk soils = not too muddy???" but don't sue me if I am wrong.
The lunch pub is the White Bear in Fickleshole, which usually seems to fit us in (famous last words...). It says it is visited by many walkers on its website, so that is a start. Hayes has a range of tea options.
Trains back from Hayes are at 00, 13, 30 and 43 past.
1 comment:
30 gathered at the station for this walk, despite my somewhat downbeat walk post. Yet another day of W=glorious-sunshine doubtless helped, but there was also plenty of praise during the day for the walk itself, which many pronounced as very pleasant. At least two walkers joined us en route, so n=32 for the record.
There was very little mud, the ground being mostly frozen. Paths were easy underfoot and only a couple of stiles presented minor difficulties. I was a little niggled after lunch by long stretches between high hedges (they blocked the sun and might be tedious in summer) but mostly this made an ideal winter walk.
We phoned the lunch pub to warn them of 14 possible lunchers. They said they had no space till 1.30pm. But when we actually arrived at 12.15 and they had no problems accommodating us, particularly when they learned we were happy to order at the bar. In the end there were 15 of us eating, plus two only having drinks, and we had a whole section of the pub to ourselves.
Reaching Hayes a little after 4pm we found two of the supposed tea places closed and no evidence of the third, the Java and Chai cafe. Seven or eight of us went to Costa instead. (It is open till 6.30pm). Some went to a real ale pub. Then, with some light still in the sky even at 4.45pm, we got the train home.
Post a Comment