London's Waterway Photography Private Viewing

Come and see this photography exhibition and support our very own photographer Robin Segulem. The show will take place at Dominion Centre, 112 The Green, Southhall, UB2 4BQ, 6:30-9pm.  Drinks and Nibbles will be provided.

Wednesday Walk - Glynde to Seaford

Book 1,Walk 31 - Glynde to Seaford

Length: 23 km (14.3 miles)
Toughness: 8 out of 10

To shorten the walk, take the bus from Exceat into Seaford

London Victoria: 09-47 hrs  Ore and Littlehampton Service:   CJ  09-53 hrs;    EC  10-03 hrs
Arrive Lewes: 10-47 hrs
Leave Lewes:  11-09 hrs  Ore stopping service from Brighton
Arrive Glynde: 11-14 hrs

Return: Seaford to Victoria: via Lewes at 16-25, 16-54, 17-20, 17-57, 18-24, 18-59 and 19-17 hrs:
             Seaford to Victoria: via Brighton at 18-41 and 19-37 hrs

Rail ticket: buy a day return to Seaford. For Railcards holders whose railcards only come into play from 10-00 hrs, you should make it to East Croydon and buy your off peak return from there.

This is the longest walk in Book 1 and many a walker's favourite.  It comes in 3 legs, all very different, and all delightful: Leg 1 - From Glynde to Alfriston.  Leaving the railway station it's best to keep to the road (rather than taking the inland path) until you reach the A27 road, which you cross with care, before heading for the village of West Firle via Firle Park. From there you head towards the base of the downs for a steep ascent up onto the South Downs, for a lovely ridge walk, with fine views, You descend off the downs into the village of Alfriston for lunch, where you have a choice of three good pubs and a number of  tea rooms. Popular with SWC walkers is the George Inn  tel: 01323-870319 . It's advisable to 'phone ahead with numbers - your e.t.a 13-30 hrs.
Leg 2 - Alfriston to Exceat (pronounced Ex-Seat): this leg starts beside the Cuckmere River for a leisurely stroll along its river bank. You leave this path at Litlington , where there is a late lunch option at the excellent Plough and Harrow pub - which also acts as a stop to take on liquid. It's uphill now, towards the village of West Dean, then into Friston Forest before you descend to Exceat where you can take an early tea stop at the former Exceat Farmhouse.(which may now be called Saltmarsh, open until 16-00 hrs).For those who prefer to wait for tea until walk-end, you can make use of the ice cream van usually parked up in the car park.
Leg 3 - Exceat to Seaford: starts with a short section of road walking to Exceat Bridge where you pass the Cuckmere Inn (another refreshment option)  then head along the Vanguard Way to Cuckmere Haven ( a swimming opportunity if the tide is in - swimmers, bring your cosies !). Your homeward stretch consists of  a stroll along the cliff-tops, with fine views back of the Severn Sisters. You drop down from the cliffs into the town of Seaford - another swimming opportunity - and head for the railway station. Close to the station you find a number of pubs and restaurants and, another SWC favourite, Trawlers Fish and Chip Restaurant, for those peckish after today's long walk..
If you are a new SWC walker who has never tried this walk, it comes with my personal recommendation. Enjoy !
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Walk Directions here: L=1.31

Leigh Folk Festival / Benfleet Circular

Benfleet to Leigh on Sea / Benfleet Circular
Short walk  3 .5 miles Difficulty: 1 out of 10 (4 miles, 2/10 with castle)
Circular walk 15.2km (9.8miles ) /18.6km (11.6 miles) Difficulty 4/10
Theres something for everyone here.
Blithe, fun-seeking hedonists can choose the short walk to Leigh Folk Festival. There, there'll be free stages along the waterfront as well as artists in other venues.
Dour, music-hating misanthropes wanting a proper walk with no added fun can choose the circular walk via Benfleet Down. This walk (which you need to download seperately) has been well received on previous outings.
The walks start differently from Benfleet Station so the misanthropes should be careful not to follow the hedonists (and vice versa).
Trains. Get a return to Leigh-on-Sea (not to be confused with any of the other Lees and Leighs in the south-east). It costs no more than Benfleet and covers you for both endings.
The 10:25 Shoeburyness train from Fenchurch Street (West Ham 10:34, Barking 10:40) is suggested for both walks, arriving at Benfleet at 11:09. Fenchurch Street station is close to Tower Hill tube, follow the signs.
Returning from Leigh on Sea, the fastest trains are at xx:56, xx:26 with slower ones at xx:43, and xx:15. The last train is at 22:56 arriving Fenchurch St at 23:46. Trains leave Benfleet 4 or 5 minutes later.
• Get your short 'festival' walk directions here (short walk 14). Most of it is through Hadleigh Castle Country Park. You can continue along the creek all the way into Leigh or, partway, head left for the castle ruins, a good place for a picnic. (Note, though, that this year the festival boasts a Food Village in Foundry Car Park, adjacent to Strand Wharf. "A diverse and eclectic offer of street food and international cuisines for all to enjoy, hand-picked to suit every taste bud."). Note the railway station on your way into Leigh – that’s where you will be leaving from. Although the music festival is free, it depends on donations so be sure to give something.
• The circular walk directions are here (SWC walk 268). This shares the same picnic spot as the short walk (Hadleigh Castle). Although the notes suggest Leigh-on-Sea for lunch, the pubs and eateries there will be busy today. The walk passes close to Hadleigh Farms Rare Breed Centre Adm. £4. The longest walk  includes a circuit of Two Tree Island. You may wish to visit Barge Gladys for refreshments on the return leg to Benfleet, though I've heard that the steps to the top deck make the walk a 5/10!  You could also use the morning of this walk for a more energetic approach to the festival.
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Sunday Walk – Over the South Downs to the sea

Book 2 Walk 26 – Southease (or Lewes) to Seaford
Length from Southease: 18.1 km (11.3 miles). Toughness: 5-6/10
Or from Lewes: 24.8 km (15.4 miles); 7-8/10

10:47 Ore train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:53, East Croydon 11:03), changing at Lewes (arr 11:48, dep 12:03) for the Seaford train, arriving Southease at 12:10.

Or for the Longer Walk: 09:47 Ore train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 09:53, East Croydon 10:03), arriving Lewes at 10:48. For both options, buy a return to Seaford.

Trains back from Seaford are at 27 minutes past the hour (changing at Brighton) and 57 minutes past (changing at Lewes). After 9pm the journey time is significantly longer and the times vary a bit, so check them out if you stay on for a meal.

This South Downs walk in Book 2 gets fewer outings than its neighbours, and in fact hasn't been posted for nearly three years. If you like to do a good chunk of a walk before lunch you won't be keen on the standard variation, as it's only 4 km to the Abergavenny Arms in Rodmell and you'll get there in less than an hour (hence the late start). So this option is really a longish afternoon walk over the downs to Seaford, where you can dip your toes in the sea before reviving yourself for the journey home.

Those who want a longer walk should take the train an hour earlier and start from Lewes, using the morning section from Walk 24 (Lewes to Saltdean). You'll get to the lunch pub at about the same time as the Southease starters and can join them for the afternoon leg (or you could duck out and return from Southease).

You'll need to download the PDF file(s) from the Southease to Seaford Walk page (plus the Lewes to Saltdean Walk page for the Longer Walk), or simply bring Book 2 itself. T=2.26

Saturday Walk - Wivenhoe Circular

This walk is made up of two loops, one on the Wivenhoe side of the river Colne and one on the Rowhedge side. However, there is no bridge - you need to take a ferry. This means the full walk is only possible at weekends and on bank holiday Mondays between Easter and the middle of October when the ferry at Wivenhoe is working. To add to the attraction, there is a regatta this weekend.
For today's outing, you are taking the ferry on arrival and doing the Rowhedge leg first, remembering to get the ferry back to do the Wivenhoe section. It is recommended that you use the on-line version of the walk.

Length: 9.2 miles (14.8km) 2 out of 10

Trains: Get the Liverpool Street Station 1018 Clacton train (Stratford 1025), arr Wivenhoe 1123 which should also catch the ferry. Return direct trains are xx23, or changing at xx32.

There is also an earlier indirect train, the 1000 Norwich train arr Colchester 1046, changing for the 1056 Wivenhoe train (platform 5) arriving 1115. The only earlier train for the ferry start is the 0918 arriving 1023.

Ferry: The ferry starts running at 1115 taking 10 minutes to make the crossing. This should mean that you catch a ferry at approx 1135. It takes 10 people on a first come first served basis. The Ferry finishes at 1445, and you should establish what time you need to catch the return trip. Allow 1h40 hours for walking the Rowhedge leg.
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Lunch:
On the Wivenhoe side, the suggested lunch place is the Rose & Crown pub (tel. 01206-826371) on The Quay, serving food 10.30 to 9pm.

On the Rowhedge side' the suggested lunch place is The Anchor pub (tel. 01206-728382 on the High Street (80 metres from the ferry’s jetty), serving food from midday to 9.30pm.

Ye Olde Albion pub (tel. 01206-728972) at Rowhedge Quay does not serve food but welcomes walkers and allows them to eat sandwiches inside or outside – but do please buy a drink. This Free House is a watering hole for lovers of real ale.

Pulborough to Amberley - Gentle hills, an RSPB reserve, downland flowers

SWC walk 9 - Pulborough to Amberley
Length: 17.2km (10.7 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10: generally flat, but with one big climb near the end

9.36 train from Victoria (9.42 Clapham Junction, 9.53 to East Croydon) to Pulborough, arriving 10.49

Buy a day return to Amberley.

For walk directions click here.

It has been a while since this lovely walk had a Saturday outing. It starts with a gentle range of hills with fine views southwards towards our objective - the South Downs ridge. Just 3.4 miles brings you to the very characterful Rising Sun pub in Nutbourne, which has a lovely garden. It has sometimes been a bit slow about producing food in the past, so I thought an early arrival there would be no bad thing.

Alternatively, another 0.8 miles further on is the White Horse, which as far as I know no SWC-er has ever tried, but which may be perfectly nice too (albeit that it is on a main road, so less tranquil than the Rising Sun). But a large group might like to split between the two.

After the White Horse there is a complete change of scenery - out across the flat marshland of Pulborough Wild Brooks, which has a beauty all of its own. 1.5 miles of this brings you to the RSPB Visitor Centre, which has a self-service tea room and outside tables with panoramic views. It too can be a little slow serving, however (maybe it is a local trait...)

There is then a three kilometre section through the woods down a long and quiet straight road. You could call this section dull - or see it as relaxing (no need to focus on the directions). If it is at all hot, it offers nice shade. Finally, the dramatic finish: a steep climb onto the South Downs up a slope that should be alive with downland flowers and butterflies at this time of year (but you never know: these things are unpredictable) and then a short ridge walk with magnificent views to finish.

In Amberley, if you can get there in time, the Riverside Tea Rooms are a treat, but they shut at 5pm. The Amberley Village Tea Rooms (reached by a short diversion, given in the directions) stay open till 5.30pm. Otherwise the Bridge Inn is an SWC favourite: it is right by the station, has outside tables and serves gorgeous food (including some Greek dishes) from 6pm.

Trains back from Amberley are at 17 past to 17.17, then 18.59, 19.29, 19.52, 20.30 and 21.30 (last train).t=swc.9

Saturday Walk - Beds and Herts Downlands: Hitchin Circular or to Harlington (Pegsdon and Barton Hills) [SWC 234] & [SWC 229]

SWC 234 – Hitchin Circular, or just to Pegsdon, and then combined with SWC 229 (Leagrave to Harlington) 

[from Pegsdon follow the Bunyan Trail for an obvious link to Hexton, and on to Harlington, see route map linked below]

Length: 25.6 km (16.0 mi) [with shortcuts: 20.7 km (13.0 mi)] or 28.9 km (17.9 mi) to Harlington

Ascent/descent: 414 m or 476m to Harlington                 

Toughness: 7/10, or 8/10 to Harlington

9.22 Peterborough train from Kings Cross (9.28 Finsbury Park), arriving Hitchin at 9.52.

Return trains: from Hitchin - four per hour until very late, the fast ones are departing on xx.00 and xx.30;

from Harlington (to St. Pancras and all other Thameslink stations) – also four per hour on xx.08, xx.25, xx.41 and xx.55.

Note: you will need two separate singles for the Harlington Ending (both Off-Peak tickets cost £12.70 each at full price).

This Hertfordshire walk covers the hilly area west of Hitchin. The morning route leads along farm tracks, field boundaries, shaded grassy lanes and through a few woods across the most north easterly ridge of The Chilterns, in Great Offley, to the steep chalk downlands of Pegsdon Hills and Knocking Hoe, dissected by quiet flat bottomed valleys, which form the scenery around the lunch stop in Pegsdon, where the terraced pub garden provides stunning views overlooking the hills.

From Knocking Hoe the ancient Icknield Way leads to the pretty village of Pirton, with its impressive remains of a motte-and-double bailey and traces of an abandoned medieval village.

On the outskirts of Hitchin, Oughtonhead Common is a mature alder and willow fen woodland, whose diversity of habitats is surprisingly large. From there the route follows the high quality chalk river Oughton all the way to its wellhead. The final stretch leads past a very charming farm gate café to Hitchin’s old town, which has kept its medieval market town feel and has many fine Tudor and Georgian buildings. Pass St. Mary’s Church, the largest parish church in Hertfordshire and evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade, and brave a final steep ascent through a park to then re-trace part of the morning route back to the train station at the easterly end of town.

This is a stile-free walk.

Hexton to Harlington: the amazing Barton Hills, possibly the most scenic Downs north of the Thames (close to London) with their hillside springs, then rolling fields to Harlington.

Lunch: The Live and Let Live Country Inn in Pegsdon (13.7 km/8.5 mi, food to ) or The Motte & Bailey (food all day) or The Fox (food to 15.00), both in Pirton (17.0 km/10.6 mi into the main walk, 14.4 km if taking Shortcut I). If finishing in Harlington, there is also The Raven of Hexton (15.9 km/9.9 mi, food all day).

Tea: Oughtonhead Farm Garden Gate Tea Room, one of the finest tea stops on any walk (3.8 km/2.4 mi from the end, open to 16.00 usually, call ahead if running late), and plenty of options in Hitchin (see pdf). If finishing in Harlington, there is also The Olde Watermill (5.4 km from the end) and two pubs in Harlington.

For walk directions, a route map, photos or gpx/kml files: click here.t=swc.234

For the Harlington Ending you’ll find all necessary stuff here.

Wednesday Walk - Boxhill & Westhumble Circular or to Dorking

Length: 15.1 km (9.4 mi) or 16.5 km [for shorter versions: see pdf]

Ascent/Descent: approx. 600m; Net Walking Time: 4 ½ hours

Toughness:  7/10       

Take the 10.31 Horsham train from Victoria (CJ 10.38), arrives Box Hill & Westhumble at 11.21.

Return trains are (broadly) half-hourly on the hour.

This short but strenuous walk climbs up a series of hills in a clockwise loop north and east of Box Hill & Westhumble station: Norbury Park, Mickleham Downs, Headley Heath and finally Box Hill itself.

There are many fine viewpoints on this walk and in several places you can see your earlier route from a new perspective. This part of the North Downs is deservedly popular, but there are some quieter places in between.

Norbury Park Nature Reserve is described by Surrey Wildlife Trust as a ‘working landscape’ which includes one saw mill and three farms. The prominent house at its centre was built in 1774 and has had several famous owners and tenants, including Leopold Salomons, who donated Box Hill to the National Trust in 1914, and Dr Marie Stopes, the family planning pioneer.

Box Hill and Headley Heath are both owned by the National Trust, which has introduced special breeds of sheep and cattle to restore more of the downland to its original ‘unimproved’ condition; unfertilized land is richer in wild flowers. This diversity also supports many butterflies: 40 of the 58 British species have been found on Box Hill.

Lunch: King William IV (food all day) or the Running Horses (food to 15.00), both in Mickleham (4.7 km/2.9 mi).

Tea: the Stepping Stones pub or Pilgrim Cycles near/at Boxhill & Westhumble station, or the Lincoln Arms on Dorking's Station Approach.

For summary, map, height profile, some photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.64 
Next Week: Glynde to Seaford

Evening Walk - Ruislip Woods and Lido

Ruislip Woods and Lido evening walk
Distance: 6km

Meet 19:15 prompt at the entrance hall of Ruislip Manor underground station. Finish up at the Waters Edge PH for drink / meal. H13 return bus from Ruislip Lido to Ruislip station xx:00 xx:30.

Alas Ruislip Lido long since closed for swimming.

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A Kent seaside amble with dramatic cliffs

Book 2 Walk 30 Dover to Deal 

Length 17.2km (10.7m); toughness 3/10

Trains  High Speed 1 by far the best option but a little dearer)

London St Pancras  09.42 (Stratford International 09.48), arriving Dover Priory 10.52

Return journey - you will need to catch a bus from Deal Station at xx:58  back to Dover  Priory station; (journey time approx 30 mins) to pick up the HS1 at xx:49

Buy a day return to Deal

The weather forecast for Sunday is looking  good for the area  - warm and sunny - so why not try this simple and easy classic walk which has  a couple of climbs.( It should be impossible to get lost if you keep the sea on your right hand side). It is one of the finest coastal walks in England, taking you right along the top of the famous White Cliffs of Dover. On a clear day, you get stunning views of the English Channel, and the ferries buzzing in and out of Dover Harbour, and the French coast from Boulogne to Dunkerque.

You can find out more about the walk here . Click on the download walk tab for the instructions. 

If you walk at a sensible pace you can reach your lunch pub by 13.30. There are options to  shorten the walk but you will need to catch a bus back to Dover. See the walk pdf for details.t=2.30

Beautiful Bedfordshire and the country's poshest bedsit!

Download walk 264 Sandy to Biggleswade

Length 19.5km (12.2m); toughness 4/10;

or complete the loop from Sandy back to Biggleswade for a 26.1km (16.1m) walk ; toughness 5/10

Trains

09.22 London Kings Cross (09.27 Finsbury Park) arriving Sandy 10.16

Return Trains from Biggleswade at xx:20 past the hour. Buy a day return to Sandy. 

This stile-free Bedfordshire walk was inspired by the weekly Country diary in the Guardian newspaper where, from time to time, a nature writer, Derek Niemann  writes about the flora and fauna around Sandy. Although this is an area of large arable fields there is no slogging through crops or over ploughed land . The walk is mainly flat and before lunch generally follows the Greensand Ridge Walk . The route is a mix of attractive broad grassy tracks along field edges and woodland trails. 

You will be too early to eat at The Crown at Northill. (01767 627337) as you will only have done a quarter of the walk when you reach this attractive pub but it still makes a lovely stop for a short break. 

Your recommended lunch pub is The  Hare and Hounds, Old Warden (01767 627225). When you reach  here you will have done over 60% of the walk and so probably in need of refreshments! The pub has an extensive main menu and puddings.

Around 400m before the Hare and Hounds there is the lovely Abbey Church of St Leonards which is a fine spot for a picnic lunch.

After lunch you have the opportunity to visit two Landmark Trust properties which are just off your route. The very posh Queen Anne summerhouse is well worth a look.

See  here for further details about the walk and click on the downlad walk tab for full walk directions.
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Newhaven Harbour to Alfriston or Berwick - from the sea to the downs

SWC walk 90d (with a twist) - Newhaven Harbour to Alfriston or Berwick
Length: 15.3km (9.5 miles) or 20.6km (12.8 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10: basically level but with two big hill climbs

9.47 train from Victoria (9.53 Clapham Junction, 10.03 East Croydon) to Lewes, arriving 10.47, changing there for the 10.57 (Seaford-bound) train to Newhaven Harbour (not Newhaven Town!!) arriving 11.08.

Buy a day return to Newhaven Harbour, unless you plan to take the bus from Alfriston to Seaford (see below) in which case a day return to Seaford (Sussex) is in order.

** Please note that if the forecast for the weekend is good, Victoria is likely to be very busy with people going to Brighton or Eastbourne: get there early to buy your ticket, or better still buy it the day before (which you can do from Southern ticket machines, as far as I can remember)

For walk directions click here: you only need pages 1-4 (for the tea stop info etc) and 12-14 (for the walk directions).

I am aware this walk post may look like a bit of a mouthful, but it is actually a simple and easy walk with no great route finding challenges.

This is the popular Berwick to Seaford walk, but done backwards - an option that has only ever had one outing way back in 2011, even though full directions for it exist. In this direction you start by the sea, and then head inland to the downs and the excellent tea options in Alfriston.

As an extra twist I thought we might go off piste a little and start from Newhaven Harbour station. There are several reasons for this: 1) to avoid our Spanish dopelgangers 'Senderismo en Londres' who will be on the same train but starting at Seaford, 2) to give the train crew a heart attack - no one ever gets off at Newhaven Harbour, and 3) because it adds a very pretty section to the walk.

So, you get off at Newhaven Harbour, the second Newhaven station (Newhaven Town is the first). Coming out of the station turn right to pick up the path along the left-hand side of Mill Creek (the former course of the River Ouse, cut off when Newhaven Harbour was built). Follow this out across the marshes, past the site of the former Tide Mills (with the old Bishopstone station platforms to your left) and on to Seaford. This route is very clear and easy to follow.

It is 1.5 miles to the outskirts of Seaford. Once there you follow the seafront promenade eastwards for another mile. If the day is fine and the sea not choppy, you may want to have a brief sea swim here: it is a gently shelving shingle beach. The water is about 15 degrees at present - chilly but not ridiculously so. An early lunch in Seaford is not impossible: the beachfront cafe just beyond the Martello Tower is a nice spot.

At the Martello Tower, pick up the walk directions at paragraph 139 (page 12). It is 3.5 miles from here over lovely Seaford Head and down to Cuckmere Haven (where the tide will alas not be high enough for swimming till 2pm or so) and on inland to the Cuckmere Inn, the later lunch stop (6.2 miles into the walk). It is a busy pub but they do food all afternoon and arriving a bit later than normal lunch time might even be an advantage.

From the Cuckmere Inn it is a 3.3 mile walk inland up over magnificent High & Over Hill (you have to do something to earn that cream cake) to Alfriston, which has nice tea rooms if you can get to them in time. (Otherwise the George Inn has a nice garden).

You can finish the walk in Alfriston (making a walk of 15.3km/9.5 miles) by taking the Cuckmere Valley Ramblerbus (route 47) from the main square to Seaford. This runs at 30 past the hour until 17.30. Once in Seaford you could even pop down to the beach for a second swim or go to our favourite fish and chip shop, The Trawlers, by the station.

Trains from Seaford go at 25 and 57 past until 19.57, then 20.28, 20.57, 21.28, 22.20, changing in Lewes for London except on the 20.57 when you have to go via Brighton.

Or you can walk on from Alfriston to Berwick - 3.2 miles, the 20.6km/12.8 mile version of the walk - passing the lovely Cricketers Pub on the way (which has a nice garden for having dinner in). The Berwick Arms by Berwick station is also quite nice and you can sit in its garden with your pint and wait for the train since you have time to cross the road to the platform once the level crossing barriers come down.

Trains back from Berwick are at 17 past, getting to Lewes at 28 past. Despite what the online timetable says it is no slower and much pleasanter to change here and wait for the 54 past trains to London than to go into Brighton and change onto crowded trains full of day trippers.

A day return to Newhaven Harbour will probably be accepted from Berwick, but if not, you will only need to add a single from Berwick to Lewes where the two lines join.
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Hassocks to Upper Beeding with Optional Extension to Shoreham

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Length: 16km (10m) or 22km (14m)
Toughness: 7 / 10
Transport: Take the 9:20 train from London Victoria arriving in Hassocks at 10:07. To return from Upper Beeding take bus number 2 to Shoreham-by-Sea. Trains from Shoreham are frequent, some are direct others involve a change in Brighton.

From the description:
It is a matter of opinion which is the finest view in South East England, but the amazing panorama from Devil's Dyke on the South Downs escarpment must surely be a strong contender. Such beauty comes at a price, however, and the area immediately around the viewpoint can be exceedingly busy on a fine weekend. However, the South Downs also afford numerous other less frequented viewpoints, and this walk introduces you to several of them, including tranquil Wolstonbury Hill and Edburton Hill. The morning in particular is a delightful series of climbs and descents on slopes covered by rare chalk grassland. In the afternoon - which is somewhat easier on the leg muscles, though still with a couple of short uphill sections - you follow the South Downs Way for a while across Fulking Escarpment, before descending into the riverside village of Upper Beeding for tea.

I can recommend having tea in Bramber just beyond Upper Beeding in either the Castle Inn or the Old Tollgate Inn after visiting Bramber Castle. Afterwards there is the option to stroll along the Adur to Shoreham-by-Sea for fish-and-chips which adds about 6km to the walk.

Saturday Walk - Bruton Circular or from Castle Cary (via Hauser & Wirth Somerset) [New Walk] [Early Start] [Long Journey]

New Walk, we'll take the opportunity to check the walk directions.

Length: 25.1 km (15.7 mi) [longer and shorter walks possible, see pdf for details]

Ascent/Descent: 472m; Net Walking Time: 6 ½ hours

Toughness:  8/10       

Another walk far away, with advantages for early bookers (Advance Ticket Prices at time of posting are as quoted below). Start either from Bruton (longer journey with some waiting time in Westbury [but with a decent waiting room with hot drinks]) or from Castle Cary (this makes for a longer walk, but you’ll probably meet the Bruton starters along the way due to the earlier start).

Take the 08.35 Paignton train from Paddington (09.03 Reading), change at Westbury (arr. 09.56, dep. 10.37) to arrive Bruton 10.58 (£20.00) or stay on the train past Westbury to arrive Castle Cary 10.16 (£16.50).

Return trains from Bruton (which is a very nice place to while away some time):

18.02 via Castle Cary (46 mins wait, 500m to a pub), dep. CC 18.53, arr. Paddington 20.37; £20.00.
19.01 via Castle Cary (41 mins wait, 500m to a pub), dep. CC 19.47, arr. Paddington 21.36; £20.00.
19.40 via Westbury (16 mins wait) and Swindon (8 mins wait), arr. Paddington 22.23; £20.00. 

21.29 via Bath Spa (22 mins wait), arr. Paddington 00.33; £16.50.       

This excursion is centred on the remote Somerset town of Bruton, with its honey-coloured stone-built cottages, a large dovecote on a mound overlooking the townscape and a fine selection of lunch and tea options. It leads through a scenic South Somerset landscape of narrow steep-sided valleys and coombes with some fast flowing streams and rivers, with the route dipping in and out of the Brue, Alham and Pitt valleys. From the rolling hilltops you get some far views across to the range forming the boundary with Wiltshire and Dorset, with the local landmark Alfred’s Tower, a folly, on top of it.

The route leads close to the renowned art gallery Hauser & Wirth Somerset, and a short version of the walk (16.2 km/10.1 mi, rated 3/10) leaves enough time for an extended visit to it and/or its fascinating bar and restaurant (exhibition at time of walk: Rashid Johnson).

The recommended lunch stop on the main walk is a fine country inn in Batcombe.

A start from Castle Cary (with faster and more frequent trains) adds about 50 minutes of walking. 

Lunch: The Three Horseshoes Inn (8.9 km/5.5 mi) on the full walk, and any of four choices in Bruton (7.1 km/4.4 mi, see pdf for details) and the Roth Bar & Grill  at Hauser & Wirth (8.0 km/5.0 mi) on the short walk (pre-booking recommended at the Roth). Tea/Dinner: Roth Bar & Grill (as above), Cole Manor Tea Rooms in Cole hamlet (2.6 km from the end), or The Godminster Farm Shop near the station or any of five choices in Bruton (see pdf for details). 

For summary, route map, height profile, photos, walk directions  and gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.284