Holmwood to Reigate
An easy walk through Surrey's Low Weald and the Mole Valley.
Book 3* Walk 32 * online only
Length : 16 km or 10 miles
Toughness : 2 out of 10
Getting there : Catch the 9:31 am train from London Victoria to Holmwood
Calling Stations
Calling Stations
- Clapham Junction: departs 9:38 am
- Sutton: departs 9:59 am
Meeting point : Holmwood Station at 10:32
Tickets : Buy a cheap day return to Holmwood
Brief Description
A slightly earlier start today to make best use of the available daylight.
You may find full details of this walk here and a printable PDF here.
You may find full details of this walk here and a printable PDF here.
Suggested Lunch stop
The Plough at Leigh t: 01306 611348
Suggested Tea stops
Café Rouge t: 01737 223700
The Tea House t: 01737 226561 (apparently used to be called The Vintage Tea Rooms) Map
OS Explorer : 146
Return train times
Trains return from Reigate at the following times ...
London Victoria 16:14 | 16:36* | 17:14 | 17:34* * Change at Redhill
London Bridge 16:21 also change at Redhill
London Victoria 16:14 | 16:36* | 17:14 | 17:34* * Change at Redhill
London Bridge 16:21 also change at Redhill
9 comments:
Thanks for putting this on, Arthur.Will the Network Card discount work on the 9.31?
The Network Railcard is no help on short midweek journeys because of the £13 minimum fare. An off-peak London-Holmwood day return is £13.20 so you'd only save 20p by taking the 10.31 train.
however, some of us can't get the other discounts..too early for me
The Pub's website says it is closed until 14 January http://www.theploughatleigh.com/
Sorry That is a different Plough in a Different Leigh
Intend coming but will have to travel illegally as the senior railcard and freedom pass doesn't kick in til 9.30am for those who have to use trains and not the tube!! The pub phone no is wrong in the walk notes but correct in the walk post and the pub is open for lunch. Have spoken to the landlord who will expect us around 1pm but no need to book tables.
5 bailed out at lunch time - wimps. Actually very sensible wimps as it turns out - I am sure someone else will report more fully on the quagmire.
I truly know what it is to be muddy
n=11 on this walk, if we include two who parked at the lunch pub and only did the second half of the morning. (Do we count such people?). Weather = w=grey-and-a-bit-chilly.
Can I confess, dear reader? I always expected a walk over lowland fields at this time of year to be a squelch-fest, and so it proved. Large portions of the route were more of a paddle than a walk. Never have the words "cross the next field" induced such trepidation. The waterproofness of boots was tested to the limit and in several cases (including mine) found wanting.
Lunch in the friendly Plough was a delicious, dry interlude. After it, three of the "proper" walkers accepted a lift from the car drivers. Presumably three more had already gone on ahead, because three of us were left to plod onwards in the gloom. The quitters probably had a point, as the afternoon was if anything soggier than the morning. At one point the directions said "you may be able to see the River Mole to the right": we could: it was a vast Amazonian expanse of brown. The road bridge we crossed it on had half collapsed (not sure if this is recent damage, however).
We also walked into a pheasant shoot. A man was waving an orange flag but made no attempt to stop us, so we carried on, entering a field where a line of guns were facing us,weapons at the ready. The words "STOP DRIVE!!" were heard and we walked guiltily across the line of fire. A sentinel lady at the other side was very nice about it.
Two of our lot had tea in the park cafe in Reigate. My companion said "I have never managed to get into this cafe because it is normally full of mothers and toddlers." But not today. The staff were cleaning the floor but still served us tea and cake. We left, guiltily reflecting that we had not removed our boots....
Sounds as if some of us had a lucky escape. jfk
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