10.12 train from Victoria (10.22 Denmark Hill, 10.35 Bromley South) arriving Farningham Road at 10.50.
Buy a day return to Farningham Road or Eynsford for the main walk (they are on different lines, but the route diverges just one stop up the line at Swanley, so a ticket to one should be accepted at the other). If planning to walk to Otford, by a day return to there, or a single from Otford to Swanley
My idea here was to give the Farningham to Eynsford walk (SWC walk 291) an airing, one justification for this being mention of a site early in the walk that had been cleared to allow orchids to grow (June being orchid month). Lullingstone Country Park can also be a sea of oxeye daisies in June, though everything is a bit late this year after the cold weather in May, so no promises.
But I am aware some might think 10.9 miles a bit short, so one idea is to switch at Lullingstone Visitor Centre to the Shoreham Circular walk (SWC walk 289) and walk to Otford - making 21km (12.9 miles) in all. This latter route crosses Fackenden Down, another good orchid site.
For Farningham to Eynsford walk directions, click here. For GPX click here. For a map of the route click here.
If carrying on to Otford, switch at Lullingstone Visitor Centre to the bullet point section in paragraph 17, section D of the Shoreham Circular directions. For GPX click here. For a map click here. The route to Otford is another 4.5 miles from this point.
There is a choice of two pubs for lunch in Farningham village after 4.2 miles, while tea should be available at the Lullingstone Visitor Centre after 8.4 miles, or in Eynsford towards the end of the main walk. The river at Eynsford is a possible spot for a paddle, if a zillion kids have not got there before you.
Trains back at 05 and 35 past from Eynsford - but see comments: last minute engineering work = a bus service - or 26 and 56 minutes past from Otford to Victoria (not affected by engineering works) T=swc.291
**** It would be very useful if you could pre-register for this walk for contact tracking purposes at www.lwug.co.uk: if not, please bring a piece of paper with your email written on it, which will be kept in an envelope and only used if a case of Covid arises on the walk. To let us know if a contract tracing requirement arises as a result of this walk, use covid@lwug.co.uk ****
9 comments:
I was just wondering if anyone from London would be joining this walk tomorrow.
It will be my first walk thanks
I may be wrong but it looks like there may be a rail replacement bus service tomorrow on the Thameslink part of the return journey from Otford/Eynsford.
Thank you for that information
Think I may pass as that would make the journey too long
I chose this walk as it was the shortest travel time
Hi Deirdre
Yes there will definitely be other walkers on this walk tomorrow. People make their own way to the start so look for group on the platform at Farningham.
You might like to read this guide for new SWC walkers too: https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/swc/index.shtml
Nearly everyone on this walk will be coming from London: we are a London-based walking club.
Re the engineering works: this is another of those annoying last minute engineering works that Network Rail seem to have gotten fond of lately: it was definitely not showing on the timetable earlier in the week.
But it only seems to affect the Thameslink service - ie Otford, Shoreham and Eynsford to Blackfriars, NOT the Otford to Victoria service, or the outward train to Farningham Road.
If you are walking from Farningham Road to Otford, as I suggest, no worries: just come back on the Victoria train, which is the fastest one anyway. If you want to end at Eysnford, you will have to take the replacement bus, which looks like it could be all the way to Bromley South, but which is only timetabled to take 17 minutes, which is not devastating.
Or you could either walk back from Eynsford to Farningham Road along the Darent Valley Way (see the Circular walk for a route).
But my advice is, walk to Otford.
Thank you all for your encouragement
I have just relocated from Ireland and a bit daunted
I will give it a go 👍
You won't be short of compatriots, Deirdre,if you become an SWC regular. Welcome to London.
15 at the station, joined soon after by two who came by car, so a very respectable n=17 on this walk on a W=perfect-sunny-day A pleasing amount of heat without being too overpowering, the countryside all at its best: “peak green”, not yet tarnished by the beiges and untidiness of summer.
There were no orchids to speak of (none I noticed anyway) but plenty of floral interest for those so inclined (ie me...). Birdsong is fading a bit. Lavender was not yet out. But the oxeye daisies at Lullingstone put on a pleasing display.
The main pub in Farningham was supposedly all booked up, though it had acres of empty tables and I hear one or two persistent types squeezed in. Many others had sarnies by the river, but six of us went to the other pub, an honest independent establishment which had a perfectly decent menu, which we sampled in the garden. The Lullingstone Visitor Centre was open for tea but had removed most of its outside tables, so I am not sure how many stopped for tea there. But some of us did.
After all the brouhaha about emergency engineering works affecting Thameslink services, it seems that there were not any by the afternoon, so maybe many or most of the group successfully terminated the walk at Eynsford (do file a separate report if you did). At least six of us went on to Shoreham, which was having a “drive your car down a village street for no apparent reason” festival. Two took the train from there, while four carried on to Otford.
Once on the downs I was suddenly not in a rush, so I let the others go on and lost myself for a delightful hour looking for butterflies and moths - common blues, five-spot burnets in abundance, three dingy skippers and a possible grass rivulet. But the most exciting sighting were absolutely tiny small blues (which are brown). Also nice to hear a yellowhammer singing.
Several people had tried to book lunch tables via the web site and had phoned in advance but told to try just turning up. 4 of us managed to get a cancellation table at the Lion hotel but due to a staff shortage only one third of the tables were occupied and we were not allowed to move any chairs to enable anyone to join us for a drink!! Vintage inns needs to address this issue as they are a large group and the food is usually good as it was today.
Moving swiftly on 2 of us decided to walk to Eynsford taking a shortcut to the Roman villa as we wanted a shorter walk. The 15.05 train to Blackfriars was cancelled so we took the next train to Sevenoaks and changed at Otford for the Victoria service at 15.25 thanks to B navigating through the train app for options. I then had to get more trains from Victoria changing at CJ for Richmond due to engineering works and then a bus home to Brentford taking yet another hour due to chock a block traffic.
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