Backup Only

This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Tuesday 27 December 2016

Bank Holiday Walk - A short but energetic walk in Kent

SWC Walk 37 - Knockholt to Otford
Length: 12.5 km (7.9 miles)
Toughness: 7 out of 10

9.58 train from Victoria (10.07 Denmark Hill, 10.15 Lewisham, other stops in SE London, 10.38 Orpington) to Knockholt, arriving 10.44.

Best ticket: the simplest option if you don't have a season ticket or Freedom Pass is to buy a day return to Sevenoaks - £7.75 with a Network Card. This will cover you for both outward and return journeys (and is the same price as a day return to Otford, which does not cover the outward journey).

However, Knockholt is in zone 6, so you can use Oyster or contactless to get there - but don't forget to tap out. You would then need to buy a ticket to Swanley, St Mary Cray or Bromley South on the way back, change trains (not such a mad idea: these stations have frequent services), and tap in with Oyster for the rest of your journey.

For walk directions click here.

This is a little terrier of a walk, the perfect brisk winter outing. It may not be long, but it has two steep hill climbs (one in the morning, the other after lunch) to work off all those mince pies and covers some beautiful hilly territory after a slightly ho-hum start from Knockholt. Bits of the walk will be familiar to you from other SWC walks in the area, but it also has big chunks that are all its own.

Lunch is in Shoreham, which has at least three pubs, one of which hopefully will be able to squeeze us in. Tea in Otford requires a 500 metre walk down a road, which you can skip if you want (boo hiss if you do, though).

The fastest trains back from Otford are the 00, 32, 47 past to Victoria, though the 07 and 37 trains to Blackfriars may have better connections for some. All trains stop at Bromley South.

4 comments:

Maria said...

Can I meet you directly at Knockholt at 10:44? I am a but uniformed since this is my first walk.

Walker said...

Maria, yes indeed: either get the specified train, or if you come by other means, meet us at Knockholt station at 10.44. It is a fairly small and isolated station so the group will be obvious.

You are very welcome. It is a nice walk to start on.

Walker said...

Incidentally, in case you have not seen it, this walk explains how the walks work

http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/swc/index.shtml

Walker said...

n=19 on this walk on a day of w=lovely-sunshine. A happy cheerful group and I think all enjoyed the walk, which though short has some steep hills and fine views to excite the leg muscles and spirit respectively. The main phalanx got to The King's Head a little after midday and were served ultra quick. Two of us in the rear decided to try the Two Brewers which is more upmarket but not that much more expensive - a nice lunch option. It was not that slow serving either but eating there meant we did not catch the main group till tea, which most/all took in the cafe by the pond (leaving copious amounts of mud on its floor in the process: "Well, at least it was not at 9am," said a staff member when I apologised on your behalf). There was then a big rush for a train circa 4pm, but two of us had an atmospheric walk to Sevenoaks in the crepuscular gloom.