Toughness: 6 out of 10
9.54 train from Waterloo (10.03 Clapham Junction) to Dorking, arriving 10.45
or
9.55 train from Victoria (10.02 Clapham Junction, 10.24 Sutton) to Dorking, arriving 10.51
After getting off the train, please exit the station and assemble in the car park. There we will split into groups of six.
Once again there are two possible trains. Last week I said the Waterloo lot should not wait for the Victoria lot for social distancing reasons, but I suppose if you find no one congenial in the first group, you can wait for the second....so long as you take the Waterloo train in the first place, obviously.
Someone suggested this walk to me last week, and though it had an outing in July, I see no reason why it should not get another airing. It has plenty of woods, particularly in its latter half, and if there is any autumn colour to be had, no doubt they will be a good place to look for it.
There are three options - the main walk of 18.5km (11.5 miles), a longer one of 22.8km (14.1 miles) and a shorter walk of 16km (9.9 miles). The latter, it has to be said, misses out the big woodland area in the afternoon, but is doubtless very pretty nonetheless. As has been pointed out to me by certain parties, a fourth option is to do the main walk backwards, using the GPX or map. With the requirement to split into groups of no more than six, now is the perfect time to try such experiments.
The July walkers found the Stephan Langton pub had closed permanently. That leaves the earlier Wotton Hatch pub as the only pub lunch stop on the main and short walks. On the long walk there is a choice of the Volunteer or Abinger Hatch pubs. All these three pubs seem to be open from their websites, but how receptive they will be to walk-up custom is anyone's guess.
Dorking should at least provide somewhere for tea.
Trains back are at 02 and 32 to Waterloo and 07 and 37 to Victoria. The Waterloo trains are marginally quicker; the Victoria trains are nicer, with air conditioning and toilets.
3 comments:
Very keen on the 14m option.
Waterloo St tube currently closed.
N=22 (ish). I did not count exactly. There were 15 (ish) on the Waterloo train and I was later informed 7 on the Victoria train. At least 5 did the long walk and a few may have done the short walk for all I know. But most probably did the main walk - split into smaller groups as per regulations, natch.
It is not news that this is a lovely autumn walk with some good woods, some fieldy bits, and fine views in the early stages and at the end. The autumn colours are mostly on the exposed faces: some beeches and Norway maples were a lovely gold. But deep in the woods it is still largely green. On one grassy slope there were dinner plate-sized parasol mushrooms.
The weather was w=cloudy, but there was some sun around the middle of the day, which was well-timed for those of us who picnicked near the lake at Friday Street. There was not much mud. All in all a cheerful break in these dismal times
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