Sunday Second Walk - the Greensand Way in Kent

Extra Walk 151, Sutton Valence to Pluckley
Length: 16.1km (10 miles) Toughness: 3/10

09:45 Dover Priory train from Cannon Street (London Bridge 09:50, Orpington 10:06), arriving Headcorn at 10:46.
Sit near the front of the train (approx. second carriage) and exit the station smartly to catch the 10:50 number 12 bus from the station forecourt for a 10-minute journey to the Kings Head in Sutton Valence. [When I recently caught a bus from Headcorn station, the bus driver waited for the connecting train from London to arrive, so you may make your connection even if the train is slightly late.]

Return trains from Pluckley to Victoria are at xx:11 and xx:41 (journey time 1 hour 26 minutes). The journey time can be cut by 25 minutes by taking a train at xx:20 or xx:50 from Pluckley to Ashford and changing there for a High-Speed train to St Pancras Internatiunal. Buy a return to Ashford if you plan to this, or otherwise a return to Pluckley.

This walk follows a section of the Greensand Way through attractive scenery of orchards and meadows, with a great pub in a pretty village for lunch

The recommended lunchtime pub is the George Inn in Egerton (01233 756304), 7.4 miles into the walk. An earlier option is the Pepper Box Inn in Fairbourne Heath, reached after 3.5 miles. The suggested tea place is the Dering Arms, beside Pluckley station.

You will need to download the Walk Directions.

If you just miss the hourly bus to Sutton Valence and don’t want to hang around or fork out for a taxi, one option would be to do the Staplehurst to Headcorn walk in reverse, stopping for lunch at the Bell & Jorrocks in Frittenden. Take map, compass and directions for SWC Walk 80 if you contemplate doing this.

Sunday First Walk - Berkshire Downs

This walk replaces the originally chosen Thamesside walk, whose route is said to be problematic


Extra Walk 17 – Goring Circular
Length: 17.5km (10.9miles). Toughness: 4/10

09:43 Oxford train from Paddington (Ealing Broadway 09:50) arriving Goring & Streatley at 10:56.

Or 10:03 Weston-super-Mare train from Paddington changing at Reading (arr 10:35, dep 10:46) arriving Goring & Streatley at 10:56.

Return trains direct to Paddington are at 15:41, 16:38 and 17:39 (journey time about 1 hour 13 minutes). You’ll get back about 10 minutes sooner by changing at Reading on to a fast train to Paddington.

Initially following the Ridgeway Path up on to the Berkshire Downs, the route later goes through woods and fields with a steep climb and descent towards the end. You'll need to maintain a reasonable pace and not spend too long in the lunch pub in order to complete the walk in daylight. Do take a torch just in case.

Lunch is at The Bell Inn (01635 578272) at Aldworth, which offers simple food (e,g, rolls, soup) and good ales in a traditional pub setting.

You will need to download the Walk Directions

A shorter version of the walk (8 miles) in the form of a sketch map has been produced by the YHA Streatley and can be downloaded here

Saturday Third Walk: Wombling west - through London parks and commons

Extra Walk 46 (variation) – Wimbledon to Kew Bridge
Length: About 16 km (10 miles). Toughness: 2/10

10:24 Dorking train from Waterloo, arriving Wimbledon at 10:40. Alternatively, there are frequent District Line tubes, taking about 20 minutes from Earl's Court. As there are trains arriving in Wimbledon every few minutes on different routes I suggest meeting upstairs in the booking hall.

There are trains back from Kew Bridge to Waterloo every 15 minutes, at 11, 26, 41 & 56 past. If you finish at Richmond there are frequent trains to Waterloo plus Overground and Underground services.

Wimbledon and Kew Bridge are in TfL Zone 3; Richmond (if you finish there) is in Zone 4.

This London walk has had half a dozen Sunday postings since it first appeared on the website in 2008, but so far no-one has deemed it suitable for the Saturday crowd. Still, there are plenty of wide open green spaces in this part of SW London and it might suit anyone looking for an early finish and a spot of Christmas shopping in Richmond (but do try to make it past the shops in Wimbledon Village).

There are no leaders on these walks and this one doesn't have a well-defined route across Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, so be prepared to find your own way. A London A-Z would be fine, although I see that someone has uploaded a plausible GPS route if you don't fancy old-fashioned map-reading. The GPS route turns left at Richmond to head upriver to Kingston, but on these short days I suggest doing the alternative finish to Kew Bridge: an equally nice riverside stretch with views of Old Deer Park, Kew Gardens and Syon House.

For lunch choose between the self-service Tea Rooms at Pembroke Lodge (inside Richmond Park) or one of Richmond's pubs: the midweek evening walkers usually go for the Roebuck (020-8948 2329) on Richmond Hill. You'll find various places around Kew Green if you want some refreshment at the end of the walk. The Extra Walk 46 page lists more places and summarises the main attractions along the route. T=swc.46.b

Saturday Second Walk - Nearly new Goring walk

SWC Walk 243 - Goring Circular via Hill Bottom
Length: 18km (11.3 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

9.20 train from Paddington (9.29 Ealing Broadway) to Goring & Streatley, arriving 10.36

For walk directions click here.

It is hard to keep up with all the new walks these days. This one had its SWC debut in May, but it passed under my radar and perhaps under yours too.

It explores completely different territory from the original Goring Circular, passing through gently hilly territory just to the north of Book 1, walk 4 Pangborne Circular. The walk description promises "beautiful rolling Chilterns countryside, forest trails and quiet country lanes".

There are a choice of earlier and later pub options - three in all - so cross fingers we can squeeze into one or other of them. Though it is a longish outing for a shorter winter's day, we seem to whizz through walks these days and you are getting quite an early start. (Bring a torch just in case, though.) An incentive to get a move on is the chance to get to the lovely Pierrepoints Cafe in Goring before its 5pm close. If not, other hostelries are available.

Trains back from Goring are at 12 and 42 past and take 1 hour 20 minutes. You can in theory shave 15 minutes off this on the 12 past train by changing to a fast London service at Reading.

Saturday First Walk - Robertsbridge Circular (short Walk)

Robertsbridge Circular, Book 2 Walk 20 short walk
T=2.20
Length: 8.7 miles (14km)

The short walk is rated at 2, so a relative stroll through High Weald countryside, with a possible visit to Bodiam Castle (National Trust).

Trains 0915 Charing Cross to Hastings train arrive 1034. The optimum train would be the 0945, but this involves a 4 minute change at Battle. Return trains are among others at 1614, 1714, 1744, 1814. Day return to Robertsbridge.

Lunch The Castle Inn Bodiam or the National Trust Tea Room at Bodiam Castle (note that the usual tea room is being refurbished, so catering is more limited).

The walk standard timing assumes 3.35hrs plus 1.20 hrs for lunch, so with the early start, you could probably squeeze in a quick Castle visit at lunchtime.

Tea The Ostrich, a couple of minutes from the station.

Lang Lang at Royal Festival Hall

Tonight, we'll hear Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen joined by star pianist Lang Lang performing Piano Concerto and the complete incidental music for Ibsen's Peer Gynt (semi staged) both by Edvard Grieg.

This event is almost certainly sold out now, but to see if there are any last minute tickets left, click here .

For food and drink pre-concert I suggest the Kitchen, the large self-service restaurant on the ground floor (eastern end) of the National Theatre, five minutes walk away along the South Bank. You order and collect dishes at the counter, a system that sound cumbersome but in fact is very quick. Meet there as soon as possible after 6.15pm (it fills up rapidly) and look out for other walkers trying to keep a table free (or try and keep one free yourself).

Midweek Day Walk - Penshurst to Leigh

Penshurst to Leigh omitting Hoath Corner

The Eden valley, Penshurst Place and a nice hotel/pub for lunch.

Book 3* Walk 92

* online only

Length :  9 km or 5½  miles

Toughness :  2 out of 10

Getting there : Catch the 10:33 am train from London Cannon Street  to Penshurst.  Change smartly at Tonbridge from platform 3 to 1 for the short journey to Penshurst Station.
Calling Stations:

• London Bridge: departs 10:37 am
• New Cross: departs 10:43 am
• Orpington: departs 10:56 am

Meeting point : Penshurst Station at 11:27 am

Tickets : Buy a cheap day return to Penshurst

Brief Description

This is the short walk version, but if the weather is good, I'm proposing to extend it slightly to pass through Chiddingstone, joining the Hever to Leigh (Book 1 Walk 19 route there).
(The Rock Inn on the Hoath Corner loop is having it's kitchen renovated, hence dropping that section of the walk)
You may find full details of this walk here

Suggested Lunch stop

The Leicester Arms Hotel in Penshurst Village t: 01892 871617

Suggested Tea stop

The Fleur De Lis Pub in Leigh is shut between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  So given the fairly short section from lunch at Penshurst to Leigh Station, I asked to be excused for not posting a tea stop on this occasion.

OS Map

OS Explorer : 147

Return train times

Trains return from Leigh at the following times ...

15:44 to London Cannon Street (Platform 2 and change at Tonbridge)
16:23 to London Victoria (Platform 1)
16:46 to London Victoria (Platform 1)
17:25 to London Victoria (Platform 1)
17:39 to London Cannon Street (Platform 2 and change at Tonbridge)

Sunday Walk 2: A classic chilterns walk

Princes Risborough to Great Missenden  Book 1 walk 45
15.7km  9.8 miles
Difficulty 5/10

Sloping fields, beech woods, two steep bits (one avoidable), fine views and maybe still some chances of late autumn colour. The Gate Inn is friendly and popular with walkers.
Trains: get the 09:40 Banbury train from Marylebone, arriving Princes Risborough at 10:25.
Trains return from Great Missenden at xx:01 and xx:31.
The stations are on different lines. A return to Aylesbury covers both journeys.
Lunch: is at the Gate in Bryants Bottom 01494 488 632
There is a later pub, the Polecat.
Tea: Any twits out there, this walk's for you. The tea stop is Cafe Twit, attached to Great Missenden's Roald Dahl museum, last orders 4:45. There's another cafe on the station platform that reputedly stays open late. And let's not forget the Cross Keys pub. (I don't know what's made the keys cross, perhaps they're just easily rattled). The other pub mentioned, the George, has closed.
Directions: Get your directions here - or in Book 1.

Sunday walk 1: A walk in the Surrey Hills

Effingham to Westhumble Book 2 Walk 14
14.3 km 8.8 miles
Difficulty 5/10

Hidden valleys pretty woodlands, and gentle pastures evoking echoes of a golden yesteryear. The estate of Polesden Lacey is a prominent feature.
Trains:  9:57 Hampton Court train from Waterloo . Change at Surbiton for the 10:32 Guildford train (platform 1) arriving Effingham Junction at 10:50. You can catch the first train at plenty of intermediate stations, inc. Vauxhall 10:01, Clapham Jct. 10:06, Wimbledon 10:13, Raynes Park 10:16.
Return to Victoria from "Box Hill & Westhumble" at xx:17 and xx:47.
Trains leave Dorking two minutes earlier, should you wish to finish there.
The start and end stations are on divergent lines. A return to Effingham Junction will probably be accepted for the trip back but you could be asked to pay extra for the short hop to Leatherhead where the lines re-join.
Lunch: National Trust tea-room Polesden Lacey. This is accessible without paying the entrance fee. If you do want to visit the gardens, it's £8.50 (free for NT members). The house itself is closed today.
If you prefer a  pub, there are directions to the Sir Douglas Haig 01372 456886. This adds a further 1.2 miles on to the walk.
Tea:  The Visitor centre at Denbies Vineyard does tea. They also have a gift shop and sell their wine. Denbies is open till 5 in winter. There's a caff in the Pilgrim Cycles shop at Box Hill & Westhumble station that closes at 4 and, nearby, you have the Stepping Stones pub.
Directions: There are directions in Book 2 but it's best to use the improved online version available here. (Access details for Polesden Lacey have changed and other sections have been amended or clarified).

Third Walk

Extra Walk 94 - Watton-at-Stone Circular
Length: 18km (11.2 miles). Toughness: 2/10

Catch the 9:26 from London Kings Cross arrives Watton-at-Stone 10:15. (Return trains xx:37 until 23:37.)
Early lunch at the re-opened Boot, Dane End. This walk is overdue for a walk check (last checked March 2010) and will be taking the opportunity. This walk may be longer than the official 18km as measured by the magic wheel. (Noted as 22km June 2011 in the comments section - no doubt logged by a gps device.) T=swc.94

Saturday Second Walk - The Weald and Ashdown Forest

SWC walks 23 + 132 Forest Row to Horsted Keynes
Length: 13.2km (8.1 miles) or 16.2km (10 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10

9.23 train from Victoria (9.21 Clapham Junction, 9.41 East Croydon), arriving East Grinstead at 10.18

Buy a day return to East Grinstead

On arrival, take the 10.31 bus no 291 from the bus stop on the opposite side of the car park (straight ahead for 100 metres as you come out of the station, basically) to Forest Row (14 mins)

These are two walks that make a nice companion to each other - they share the same very pleasant lunch pub, the Red Lion in Chelwood Gate. Both need a bus to get to their start and finish, so don't get done that much. Putting together the morning of one and the afternoon of the other gives a nice contrasting walk, with some lowland walking to start, a climb up through woods and fields to Ashdown Forest, a brief stretch across its sandy heaths, then a gentle Wealden descent to Horsted Keynes. It is November and this is the Weald, so mud is inevitable. But the sandy soils of Ashdown Forest in the middle section of the walk may give you some relief.

To start with, you do the morning of SWC walk 23 Forest Row Circular (walk directions here: you only need pages 1-4), which you follow as far as the Red Lion, the lunch pub, a distance of 7.7km (4.8 miles).

After lunch, the shorter option, if the gloom is gathering, is SWC walk 132 option a ("Short Walk omitting Ashdown Forest": click on this option on the home page of this walk and only the directions you need magically appear: you need paragraphs 10, 11 and 12 only). This gets you to Horsted Keynes village in just 5.5km (3.4 miles), making a total walk of 13.2km (8.1 miles).

Alternatively, the adventurous could continue with the main walk directions for walk 23 (paras 8, 9, 11, 12 - link to directions as in the previous paragraph) - which is 8.5km (5.3 miles) to Horsted Keynes, making a total walk of 16.2km (10 miles).

Getting back from Horsted Keynes, take the 270 bus in the direction of East Grinstead (the stop outside the Green Man). This takes 25 minutes. Buses leave at 34 past till 17.34 and then 18.26 and go all the way to East Grinstead station, from where trains leave at 07 and 37 past till late.

(One final option is simply to do the Forest Row Circular afternoon, ie just stay on walk 23. This is quite a heathy and exposed walk for November, and perhaps has rather too long an afternoon for this time of year - 9.9km/6 miles. Once in Forest Row, 291 buses run to East Grinstead at 16 past the hour till 18.16, then 18.49, 19.49, 21.14, 22.44)

Saturday First Walk - Sole Street Circular (Book 2 17a)

Sole Street Circular, Book 2 Walk 17a
8.4 miles/13.5 km, Toughness 5 out of 10

A short walk in the North Downs area of North Kent, a mixture of woodlands and open landscapes.  This is a variation on the original Snodland to Sole Street walk (option a) alternative start from Sole Street in the instructions) - if you have an old copy of the book you may need to download the route.

Trains:  9:34 from London Victoria to Dover Priory, arriving at Sole Street at 10:25.  (09:57 Bromley South).  If you just miss the 9:34 there's a 9:37 train direct to Bromley South that should get you there a few minutes before the 9:34.   Return trains xx00

Lunch:  Amazon & Tiger, Harvel, 01474 814705.  Serves reasonably priced food til 2:30pm and real ales all day.

Tea: The Cock Inn at Henley Street (allow 15 mins to walk to the station).

Links: Full details about this walk,   Walk instructions (pdf)
T=2.17.a

Midweek day walk - Huntingdon Circular

Huntingdon Circular (shorter variant) 

An easy walk beside the Great Ouse river to the attractive village of Houghton and its restored water mill, returning through water meadows and a nature reserve.

Book 3* Walk 31

* online only

Length : 15 km or 9½ miles

Toughness :  2 out of 10

Getting there : Catch the 10:22 am train from London Kings Cross to Huntingdon
Calling Station

• Finsbury Park : departs 10:28 am

Meeting point : Huntingdon Station at 11:22 am

Tickets : Buy a cheap day return to Huntingdon

Brief Description

Steeped in history (Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Pepys were pupils in Huntingdon's old grammar school), this shorter version of the walk skips Houghton Meadows,
You may find full details of the walk  here  and Kindle folk may find a download here.

Suggested Lunch stops

The Three Jolly Butchers t: 01480 463228

Three Horse Shoes Inn t: 01480 462410

Suggested Tea stops

Houghton Mill Tea Rooms t: 01480 301494
Houghton Tea Rooms  t: 01480 214838

Map

OS Explorer : 225

Return train times

Trains return from Huntingdon to London Kings Cross at the following times ...
15:34 | 16:01 | 16:35 | 17:01 | 17:42

Sunday Walk 2 – the Surrey Hills

Extra Walk 185a – Chilworth Circular via Albury Park
Length: 14¼ km (8.9 miles). Toughness: 5/10

10:00 Guildford train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 10:09), changing at Guildford (arr 10:40, dep 10:56) and arriving Chilworth at 11:04.

You can also travel to Chilworth via Redhill or Dorking, but the connections are poor and you'd have to hope that the Percy Arms is open for refreshments while you wait 15 minutes for the main group.

Trains back from Chilworth are every two hours in each direction, with the ones you're likely to want being at 16:49 (fast, via Guildford) and 17:05 (slow, via Dorking or Redhill). However, you could also catch a 32 bus from Chilworth station to Guildford at 15:47 and 17:47; it also stops where you cross the A248 about 1 km before the finish.

Apologies for a walk in the same area as last Sunday, yet another blip in the walk posters' co-ordination. At the start you do indeed revisit the old gunpowder mills and the church of St Martha-on-the-Hill, but the rest of the walk covers different territory. The morning continues with a famous viewpoint at Newlands Corner, a haunted pool and a curious old church isolated in private parkland, while the shorter afternoon has heathland and a pretty valley with old watercress beds.

The lunchtime pub is the William IV in Little London, serving local beers and good food; as it's a Sunday and you'll be arriving around the peak time of 1.30pm, call ahead and book a table. At the end of the walk the Percy Arms is right by Chilworth station, but be sure to allow plenty of time to get across the level crossing for the Guildford train as there's no footbridge.

You'll need to print the directions from the Extra Walk 185 page. You can save a few sheets of paper by clicking Option a. T=swc.185.a

Sunday Walk 1 – the Thames Valley

Book 1 Walk 24 – Cookham to Maidenhead
Length: 17 km (10.6 miles). Toughness: 3/10

09:43 Oxford train from Paddington (Ealing Broadway 09:52), changing at Maidenhead (arr 10:26, dep 10:35) and arriving Cookham at 10:42. Buy a day return to Cookham.

Trains back from from Maidenhead are half-hourly, at 12 & 42 minutes past.

The first part of this walk takes you out through Bisham Woods to a fine viewpoint on Winter Hill, then back along the Thames Path to Cookham village. Those who want a pub lunch will have to decide between The Ferry by the river, the King's Arms and Bel and the Dragon on the High Street and The Crown on Cookham Moor.

Cookham station is only a short walk away if you want an early finish, but that would miss out a fine afternoon section past the wooded cliffs of Cliveden on the other side of the Thames. If you stop at one of the riverside tea places on the way into Maidenhead you could then take the more interesting route to the station; the alternative route goes past more tea places in the town centre.

You'll need to print the directions from the Walk 24 page, or bring the latest edition of Book 1. T=1.24

Saturday Third Walk -- Tisbury

SWC Walk  251:  Tisbury Circular via Ludwell and Berwick St. John (Short Version)

Distance:  Approximately 11 Miles

Difficulty:  5 out of 10

Train:  Take the 9:20 Exeter St. David’s train from London Waterloo to Tisbury, arriving at 11:06.  Return trains to Waterloo are at 05 past the hour until 22:05.  Buy a day return to Tisbury.  For those planning to spend the night in Tisbury, remember to buy a RETURN ticket (not a day return). 

At long last, the much awaited Tisbury weekend is upon us and a nice collection of walkers are planning to spend the night on Saturday in order to partake in a second Tisbury walk on Sunday.  For those still contemplating an overnight – I understand that the Compasses Inn is full; but that there is still some availability at the South Western (www.south-western.co.uk) and possibly some other B&Bs in Tisbury. 

Saturday’s walk explores the south and westerly portions of the West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  This shorter version of the walk omits the highest point of the main walk, but still includes a number of interesting features and some moderate climbs.    The walk instructions and more details are available here.

The lunchtime pub is the Forester Inn in Donhead St.Andrew (tel 1747 828 038), about 4.5 miles into the walk, which serves food until 2:00 PM.  The food is highly praised with a combination of upmarket offerings and more traditional pub classics.

Tea and other post walk refreshments can be had at the South Western (near the train station) or at one of the pubs on the Tisbury high street.  If completing the walk before 16:30 – you may also be in time to have tea at the Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop, located in the Square.

Enjoy the walk!

Saturday Second Walk - The Greensand Ridge, Parkland, Heathland, Houghton House, Flitwick Moor

SWC Walk 232 – Lidlington to Flitwick

Length:  22.0 km (13.7 mi) [shortcuts possible, see below]

Ascent/Descent:  350 m;  Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours

Toughness:  6 out of 10 

  

Take the 09.13 London Midland train from London Euston to Birmingham New Street (change at Bletchley: arrives 09.49, departs 10.05), arriving in Lidlington 10.26. 

It is also possible to reach the connection in Bletchley from South and West London on the following service: 

Clapham Junction 08.39, Shepherd’s Bush 08.53, Wembley Central 09.07, Harrow & W’stone 09.12, Watford Junction 09.19, arriving in Bletchley 09.54 

Buy a Lidlington return (any route) ticket, as the return from Flitwick is with a Thameslink service to St. Pancras (and stations to East Croydon, connect at Blackfriars for stations to Sevenoaks). Return trains: XX.04, XX.20, XX.34 and XX.50 hours (47 or 51 minutes journey time to St. Pancras).

This Central Bedfordshire walk starts in Marston Vale with an undulating ascent up the (Bedfordshire) Greensand Ridge, mainly through mixed woods. It then follows the waymarked Greensand Ridge Walk to open parkland in Ampthill, with some impressive views down into the Vale. Bedfordshire’s largest remaining heathland  is passed through en-route to lunch in Ampthill’s delightful historic centre. From there it’s back into the park and on to the picturesque ruin of Houghton House, again with commanding views into Marston Vale. After a stretch through ancient King’s Wood the walk leads to Maulden, at times with panoramic views south to the Chiltern Hills, before finally descending from the Greensand Ridge. The route to Flitwick is then entirely flat and leads through a couple of moors, including a captivating stretch along a narrow path through the very heart of Flitwick Moor, one of the most important wetland sites in the south east of England. 

Lunch is either early in Ampthill at the newly refurbished The Prince of Wales (8.1 km/5.0 mi) or a little earlier at The Queens Head, or late in the walk at The White Hart in Maulden (16.5 km/10.3 mi, food served all afternoon). For tea in Flitwick  The Crown is recommended (700m from the station), as is The Lounge Coffee Shop, just beyond the station.

For walk directions, map, height profile and gpx/kml files click here.

Three shortcuts are possible, although they cut out some of the best parts of the walk:
SC I cuts 2.8 km (and Cooper’s Hill Heathland) in Ampthill; SC II cuts 680m and the visit to Houghton House; SC III cuts 1.1 km through King’s Wood.

T=swc.232

L=swc.232

Saturday First Walk - Last of the autumn colour?

Book 1, walk 43 - Otford Circular - 12km (7.5 miles)
or Walk 43 + 23 combination - Otford to Eynsford - 17.1km (10.6 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10

9.52 train from Victoria (10.09 Bromley South) to Otford, arriving 10.28

Walk directions: use the online version of Otford Circular  (and Otford to Eynsford if you plan to do the longer afternoon: see below)

We have various walks around Otford and Eynsford these days, so the original Otford Circular walk from book one gets overlooked. A pity as it makes an excellent autumn outing, with hopefully some remaining dribs and drabs of autumn colour still left in its woods after this week's winds, and a couple of stiff climbs so you feel you have earned your chocolate cake

The walk suffers from the tiny problem that its traditional lunch pub, the isolated Fox & Hounds in Romney Street, closed earlier this year. But this is no great hardship as continuing on another 2 miles to the village Shoreham gives you access to no fewer than three possible lunch pubs. This makes a morning of 8.8km (5.5 miles). To get to the pubs, use the detour outlined in para 24 of the Otford Circular walk directions (first making a note of the location of the Darent Valley Path to your left if you plan to continue the circular route after lunch).

After lunch you have a choice:

• finish the Otford Circular walk. You will be enjoying chocolate cake in the Hospices of Hope tea room within the hour, as it is just 2.4km (1.5 miles) away.

• switch to the afternoon of Book 1, walk 23 Otford to Eynsford (paragraph 17 of the online directions) and follow that to its end. This is another 8.5km (5.3 miles), the last 3km/2 miles on a road that could easily be followed in the gathering gloom. A glance at a map also shows possible shortcuts towards the end of the walk. Tea would be either at the Lullingstone Vistor's Centre (closes 3.30pm, though) or at a pub in Eynsford.

Trains back from Otford are at 00 and 32 past to Victoria or 07 and 37 mins to Blackfriars. From Eynsford trains go at 13 and 43 past to Blackfriars. Changing at Bromley South on the Blackfriars trains gets you to Victoria 20 minutes earlier (37 mins v 57 mins)

Mid-week day walk - Gerrards Cross to Cookham

Gerrards Cross to Cookham

Bulstrode Park and Burnham Beeches woods, the Thames, and Stanley Spencer

Book 1 Walk 40

Length : just shy of 16 km or 10 miles

Toughness : 2 out of 10

Getting there : Catch the 10:13 am train from London Marylebone to Gerrards Cross

Meeting point : Gerrards Cross Station at 10:32

Tickets : Buy a single from Marylebone to Gerrards Cross and a single from Cookham to your preferred return station. 

Brief Description

Hopefully there will some nice Autumn colours, especially in Burnham Beeches.
Full details of this walk may be found here

Suggested Lunch stops

The Jolly Woodman  t: 01753 644 350 

Suggested Tea stop

Infusions  t:01628 528 537

Map

OS Explorer : 172

Return train times

Trains return from Cookham at 21 minutes past the hour from platform 1 (This is good news as there is only one platform).  Change at Maidenhead for London stations.
I would suggest you allow 15 minutes for the walk from the tea stop to the station. There's a Co-op opposite the station, should you wish to pick up any food or drink items there.

---

Chiltern Hills and valleys

Book 2 Walk 1a Wendover circular via Cross Coppice shortcut

Length 13.5km (8.4m); toughness 6/10.

Trains 09.57 London Marylebone arriving  Wendover 10.45. Return trains xx:25 and xx:55

This is a short but energetic walk in the Chiltern Hills going through wooded valleys and hills and some fine sections of open escarpment. With this shortcut you will have  a late lunch at the Russell Arms (01296 634411) in Butlers Cross near Wendover which is just  2.5km (1.6m) from the end of the walk.  Wendover has a number of tea options including Rumseys – a great place for chocolate cakes and other confections.

This walk has been completely re-written and you can download further walk details and full instructions here . Refer  to the instructions for this shorter walk option. 

The beautiful Surrey Hills

Download walk 57a - Guildford circular –short cut via Chilworth

Length 17.3km (10.3m); toughness 4/10. – two climbs near the start; otherwise gentle gradients.

Trains: London Waterloo 09.30 (Clapham Junction 09.39) Guildford 10.24. Fast return trains from Guildford at xx:05 and xx:35. Also two other slower, stopping  trains each hour.

This lovely walk explores hilly scenery in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Your lunch pub is the Percy Arms in Chilworth ( 01483 561 765).  Plenty of refreshment options in Guildford. In the station concourse there is a Costa Coffee

There are options to extend and shorten the walk as required. Full details about the walk(s) and directions can be found here

Saturday Third Walk - Fully Revised: Wooded Hills, Nature Reserves and panoramic Thames Valley Views

SWC Walk 114 – Laindon Circular

Length: 20.8 km (12.9 mi) [shortcuts possible, see below]

Ascent/Descent:  370 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ¾ hours

Toughness:  6 out of 10 

First posting of this new version of a former map-lead walk, which has now been enlarged and fully written up. We will take the opportunity to check the walk directions.

Take the 09.30 Shoeburyness train from Fenchurch Street (5 mins walk from Tower Hill or Aldgate tubes, 10 mins from Bank or L'pool Street), arriving Laindon at 09.59

On route the train calls: West Ham at 09.38 (DLR, Jubilee, H’smith & City and District Lines), Barking at 09.43  (Overground, H’smith & City and District Lines) and Upminster at 09.51 (District Line). Return trains: XX.05, XX.19, XX.35 and  XX.49 hours (34-37 minutes journey time)

This is an energetic and varied figure-of-eight walk through some tranquil, hilly parts of Essex, mostly through woods, both ancient and modern, and through flower-rich meadows and some farmland, which are all parts of Langdon Hills Country Park and the neighbouring Langdon Nature Reserve (which itself consists of five separate reserves). The hills form a crescent shaped ridge running West-to-East, giving panoramic views over the Thames Estuary from many points: out to Canvey Island and Fobbing Marshes in the East, across to Kent and to London’s Skyline in the West. The lunch destination Horndon-on-the-Hill is a conservation area and features several noteworthy buildings as well as a multi-award winning pub. On the return you walk through more beautiful, undulating woods and through the Dunton Plotlands part of the Nature Reserve, an interesting area formerly full of bungalows and chalets for Londoners.

The recommended lunch pub is the award-winning The Bell Inn (10.4 km/6.5 mi), an alternative is the Swan Inn next door. The bar area at The Bell Inn operates on a first-come-first-serve basis, so fast walkers should have no problem finding a place there. But to be sure of seats for the slow and medium paced walkers, a table has been booked in the restaurant area. For tea the Langdon Nature Reserve Visitor Centre is passed 3.1 km from the end of the walk. 

For  walk directions, map, height profile, gpx/kml files and some photos click here.

Two Shortcuts are possible: they reduce the walk by 2.4 km or by 2.7 km respectively and the rating to 5/10;
or to 4/10 when walking both Shortcuts (resulting in a 15.7 km/300m height gain-walk).

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