Yalding to Borough Green
Length: 16.8km (10.4 miles) Toughness: 3/10
09:42 Dover Priory train from Victoria (Bromley South 09:59, Orpington 10:07), changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:25, dep 10:34) arriving at Yalding at 10:49.
Return trains from Borough Green & Wrotham to Victoria are at xx:36 (journey time 45 minutes). A return ticket to Yalding will cover the return journey.
When this walk was posted last month on a miserable day, the one brave soul who turned up didn’t fancy doing the walk on her own and went home. Let’s hope for better weather today. This is a pleasant walk through the woods and fields of the Kentish Weald, with no dauntingly steep climbs. The morning route follows the Greensand Way before diverting to Mereworth whose church has a remarkably tall steeple. The afternoon route is largely through the vast Mereworth Woods.
The original recommended lunch pub, the Queen’s Head, has permanently closed and is being converted for residential use, so the option nearest to Mereworth is now a short detour to The Moody Mare (01622 813038), a gastropub (formerly ‘The Beeches’), where booking before arrival is strongly recommended. An attractive alternative, also requiring a detour included in the walk directions, is the Swan on the Green (01622 812 271) in the pretty village of West Peckham.
For tea, the only option in Borough Green on a Sunday seems to be the Robin Hood bar beside the station, which a recent walker has recommended.
More details and the walk directions can be found on the walk’s information page.
T=1.50
Sunday, 29 October 2017
An easy walk around Henley
Henley Circular via Hambleden
Length: 14.9km (9.3 miles) Toughness: 3/10
09:45 Oxford train from Paddington (Ealing Broadway 09:53), changing at Twyford (arr 10:35, dep 11:02) to arrive at Henley at 11:13.
Return trains from Henley to Twyford are at xx:16 and xx:46. However, there’s little point in catching the xx:16 as it just misses a (non-)connecting train to Paddington and leaves you kicking your heels in Twyford for over half an hour, until the xx:01 to Paddington arrives. The xx:46 from Henley connects nicely with that train (journey time 66 minutes).
The days are shorter now, but you should have no difficulty in completing this walk before daylight starts to fade soon after 5pm. A long stretch of the Thames Path in the morning is followed by a climb through Ridge Wood and then down to lunch at Hambleden. After lunch the path crosses the Thames at Hambleden Mill and follows a gentle route through fields and woodland back to Henley.
The recommended lunchstop is the Stag and Huntsman (tel 01491 571227) in Hambleden, 7.8km (4.8 miles) into the walk. Do ring to book a table before leaving Henley.
You will need to download the walk directions.
T=2.07
Length: 14.9km (9.3 miles) Toughness: 3/10
09:45 Oxford train from Paddington (Ealing Broadway 09:53), changing at Twyford (arr 10:35, dep 11:02) to arrive at Henley at 11:13.
Return trains from Henley to Twyford are at xx:16 and xx:46. However, there’s little point in catching the xx:16 as it just misses a (non-)connecting train to Paddington and leaves you kicking your heels in Twyford for over half an hour, until the xx:01 to Paddington arrives. The xx:46 from Henley connects nicely with that train (journey time 66 minutes).
The days are shorter now, but you should have no difficulty in completing this walk before daylight starts to fade soon after 5pm. A long stretch of the Thames Path in the morning is followed by a climb through Ridge Wood and then down to lunch at Hambleden. After lunch the path crosses the Thames at Hambleden Mill and follows a gentle route through fields and woodland back to Henley.
The recommended lunchstop is the Stag and Huntsman (tel 01491 571227) in Hambleden, 7.8km (4.8 miles) into the walk. Do ring to book a table before leaving Henley.
You will need to download the walk directions.
T=2.07
Saturday, 28 October 2017
Saturday Walk – Epping to Ongar: beyond the Central Line
Extra Walk 276 – Epping to Chipping Ongar
Length: 12.5 km (7.8 miles). Toughness: 2/10
Take a Central Line tube to arrive at Epping (TfL Zone 6) by 11:20 (every 5-10 minutes; a 45-minute journey from Oxford Circus). Meet outside the station.
The walk ends outside the Travelcard / Oyster area and you'll need to take a 420 bus back to Epping. These run half-hourly until 19:30, setting off from Ongar High Street at xx:00 & xx:30.
One of our Sunday regulars has been plotting a series of Central Line routes through Epping Forest and this one breaks a little further out into the Essex countryside. Although it's been on the site for a year its author has been disinclined to rely on the Sunday bus service, so this is its inaugural SWC outing. The route broadly follows the Epping-Ongar section of the Central Line which closed in 1994, but as it's coming up to Halloween you might catch the distant tootings of a Ghost Train creeping along the eastern part of the old line.
The lunchtime village sounds like a good place to hear these trains: Toot Hill. It's about 60% of the way through the walk, so you should get to the Green Man just after 1pm. There are pub and café options for tea at the end of the walk in Chipping Ongar High Street, and an interesting-looking 1 km extension which you could take before heading for the bus stop.
You'll need to print the directions from the Epping to Chipping Ongar Walk page. T=swc.276
Length: 12.5 km (7.8 miles). Toughness: 2/10
Take a Central Line tube to arrive at Epping (TfL Zone 6) by 11:20 (every 5-10 minutes; a 45-minute journey from Oxford Circus). Meet outside the station.
The walk ends outside the Travelcard / Oyster area and you'll need to take a 420 bus back to Epping. These run half-hourly until 19:30, setting off from Ongar High Street at xx:00 & xx:30.
One of our Sunday regulars has been plotting a series of Central Line routes through Epping Forest and this one breaks a little further out into the Essex countryside. Although it's been on the site for a year its author has been disinclined to rely on the Sunday bus service, so this is its inaugural SWC outing. The route broadly follows the Epping-Ongar section of the Central Line which closed in 1994, but as it's coming up to Halloween you might catch the distant tootings of a Ghost Train creeping along the eastern part of the old line.
The lunchtime village sounds like a good place to hear these trains: Toot Hill. It's about 60% of the way through the walk, so you should get to the Green Man just after 1pm. There are pub and café options for tea at the end of the walk in Chipping Ongar High Street, and an interesting-looking 1 km extension which you could take before heading for the bus stop.
You'll need to print the directions from the Epping to Chipping Ongar Walk page. T=swc.276
Saturday walk - Guildford via Chantries Hill Circular - Surrey woods, hills and views
SWC Walk 57 - Guildford Circular via Chantries Hill
Length: - 20.6km (12.8 miles) for the full circular walk
- 17.2km (10.7 miles) finishing in Shalford
Toughness: 4 out of 10
9.30 (Portsmouth Harbour-bound) train from Waterloo (9.37 Clapham Junction) to Guildford, arriving 10.10.
Buy a day return to Guildford, unless you intend to return from Shalford, when a day return to Shalford is better.
For walk directions click here. For GPX file click here.
I am balancing the clamour for shorter walks here (due to be amply fulfilled anyway between now and the end of January!!!) with the demands who will want to make the most of this last day of British Summer Time.
This walk fits the bill thanks to a new option sneaked into a year and a half ago but not so far given an outing - namely the option to end in Shalford, rather than Guildford (option d in the walk directions).
You don't have to decide if you want to do this till late in the walk. The whole group will be together (as far as SWC groups are ever together...) for a pleasant walk along the River Wey, a climb over Chantries Hill with its woods and views (including sweet chestnut which can be very colourful in October), and the walk over St Martha's Hill - familiar territory for many of you.
You then descend to the village of Albury for lunch at the usually reliable and welcoming Drummond pub (a short cut through the woods to this is available, saving 0.8km/0.5 miles: it been incorporated into the Guildford to Horsley walk - see page 9 in that walk's directions: paragraph 28 in that walk is the same as paragraph 28 in this one).
After lunch it is up onto Blackheath, an area of heaths and more woods, where old timers will eventually recognise that they have jouned the route of book 1 walk 14 (which this walk was partly designed to replace, when that walk lost its lunch pub).
When you get back to the River Wey you have the option to finish at Shalford (where there are two pub options and a cafe, but the latter shuts at 4.30pm) or to carry on along the Wey into Guildford. (You can also use the option d directions to have an early tea in Shalford and then continue the walk to Guildford, it being probably the last day for some months when you have the luxury of having tea before the end of the walk.)
Trains back from Shalford are at 03 past the hour: with a nine minute change in Guildford, this gets you to Waterloo in one hour
Trains back from Guildford are every 15 minutes and take 41-44 minutes. T=3.57
Would the last person to finish please switch the lights off until spring....
Length: - 20.6km (12.8 miles) for the full circular walk
- 17.2km (10.7 miles) finishing in Shalford
Toughness: 4 out of 10
9.30 (Portsmouth Harbour-bound) train from Waterloo (9.37 Clapham Junction) to Guildford, arriving 10.10.
Buy a day return to Guildford, unless you intend to return from Shalford, when a day return to Shalford is better.
For walk directions click here. For GPX file click here.
I am balancing the clamour for shorter walks here (due to be amply fulfilled anyway between now and the end of January!!!) with the demands who will want to make the most of this last day of British Summer Time.
This walk fits the bill thanks to a new option sneaked into a year and a half ago but not so far given an outing - namely the option to end in Shalford, rather than Guildford (option d in the walk directions).
You don't have to decide if you want to do this till late in the walk. The whole group will be together (as far as SWC groups are ever together...) for a pleasant walk along the River Wey, a climb over Chantries Hill with its woods and views (including sweet chestnut which can be very colourful in October), and the walk over St Martha's Hill - familiar territory for many of you.
You then descend to the village of Albury for lunch at the usually reliable and welcoming Drummond pub (a short cut through the woods to this is available, saving 0.8km/0.5 miles: it been incorporated into the Guildford to Horsley walk - see page 9 in that walk's directions: paragraph 28 in that walk is the same as paragraph 28 in this one).
After lunch it is up onto Blackheath, an area of heaths and more woods, where old timers will eventually recognise that they have jouned the route of book 1 walk 14 (which this walk was partly designed to replace, when that walk lost its lunch pub).
When you get back to the River Wey you have the option to finish at Shalford (where there are two pub options and a cafe, but the latter shuts at 4.30pm) or to carry on along the Wey into Guildford. (You can also use the option d directions to have an early tea in Shalford and then continue the walk to Guildford, it being probably the last day for some months when you have the luxury of having tea before the end of the walk.)
Trains back from Shalford are at 03 past the hour: with a nine minute change in Guildford, this gets you to Waterloo in one hour
Trains back from Guildford are every 15 minutes and take 41-44 minutes. T=3.57
Would the last person to finish please switch the lights off until spring....
Saturday Walk - The Fruit Bowl of England, Brickfields, Creeks & Marshland - Teynham to Faversham [New Walk]
Length: from
13.6 km/8.4 mi to 29.2 km/18.1 mi, main walk is 24.7 km (15.4 mi)
Ascent/Descent:
90/84m (main walk)
Net
Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours (main walk)
Toughness:
3 out of 10 (main walk)
Take the 09.07 Dover Priory train from London
Victoria (Bromley South 09.23), arrives
Teynham 10.17.
[Or take the 10.07 if walking the very short versions (or
indeed take the earlier train and have lunch in Oare)].
Returns from Faversham are
on xx.03 and xx.38 to Victoria and xx.26
and xx.59 to St. Pancras (High Speed
surcharge needed). Buy a Faversham
return.
This is a
flat walk leading initially through ‘The
Larder of London’, or the ‘Fruit
Bowl of England’, the area around Teynham, not only the home of English
cherries, but also with plentiful orchards of apples, pears, plums,
strawberries and raspberries, as well as foraging opportunities for cherry
plums, elderberries and blackberries. The area also used to be a large exporter
of timber, grain and oysters. The local brick earth and chalk make the area
fertile for fruit, but also were the foundation for the many brickfields in Teynham, Conyer and Faversham, remnants of
which are passed en route. The bricks were an important source in London’s
Victorian building boom, and were transported to London by the famous sailing
barges, ruined remnants of which can be seen on the walk’s Conyer Creek
option.
From Conyer
you follow the Saxon Shore Way along The
River Swale, a tidal channel between mainland Kent and the Isle of Sheppey,
and then along some creeks, with
mudflats, salt marshes and fishing boats on the one side and the stark but beautiful landscape of drainage
ditches and dykes, fertile meadows and windswept grazing marshes on the
other, an unspoilt and tranquil haven for walkers, livestock and wildlife
alike. Oare Marshes NR, passed late in the afternoon, is an internationally
important birdlife sanctuary.
You finish
in Faversham’s bustling streets past
the stunning Market Place and its many cafés and eateries.
Plentiful options enable walk lengths from as
short as 13.6 km/8.4 mi to as long as 29.2 km/18.1 mi. See the route map here.
Lunch: The
Plough Inn in Lewson Street (6.1 km/3.8 mi, food 12.00-15.00), The
Ship at Conyer in Conyer (10.3 km/6.4 mi, food to 14.30), The Three Mariners at Oare in Oare (11-12 km into the walk if taking one
of the early morning shortcuts, food to 14.30), The Castle Inn in Oare (11-12
km into the walk if taking one of the early morning shortcuts).
Tea: Numerous options
close to and in Faversham, see pdf page 2.
For
walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml file click
here.
T=swc.299
Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Wednesday Walk: Bow Brickhill to Leighton Buzzard - woods, the Greensand Ridge and the River Ouzel
Just to mention last Thursday's walk - Crowhurst to Battle - was the last of the "extra" mid-week walk postings for the time being. Mid-week walkers may recall we introduced these extra walks in February 2017 after a period post New Year when Wednesday walks attracted upwards 20 walkers, which some thought was too many. The extra walks helped even out the mid-week demand and numbers for a while, but of late numbers attending both the Wednesday and alternate Tuesday and Thursday walks have dropped off, so it's time to park the extra walks. You may have noticed some of the draft walks for future Tuesdays and Thursdays have "disappeared" from the walk postings. My apologies if anyone was hoping to go on these walks - they will be rescheduled for another time.
Book 1, Walk 41 - Bow Brickhill to Leighton Buzzard
Length: 14.7 km (9.1 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10 (more when the going is muddy)
London Euston: 10-13 hrs Birmingham New Street service
Arrive Bletchley: 10-49 hrs
Leave Bletchley: 11-01 hrs Bedford service
Arrive Bow Brickhill: 11-08 hrs
Return: Leighton Buzzard to Euston: 33, 53 (fast) and 59 mins past the hour
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Bow Brickhill
This lovely woodland walk is particularly nice in late autumn, when leaf colour is near its best. In order during the morning you pass through Back Wood, Buttermilk Wood and Duncombe Wood before you arrive in Great Brickhill for lunch at the homely Old Red Lion pub which serves good, honest pub grub.
After lunch you walk through an oak wood before you walk above the River Ouzel, then cross a water meadow to reach the Grand Union Canal and your suggested tea stop on the canal, the Globe Inn.
Your homeward leg is to follow the canal tow path all the way to Leighton Buzzard, after which it is a short walk through the town to the railway station.
If you like woods, this is a walk for you.
T=1.41
Walk Directions here L=1.41
Book 1, Walk 41 - Bow Brickhill to Leighton Buzzard
Length: 14.7 km (9.1 miles)
Toughness: 2 out of 10 (more when the going is muddy)
London Euston: 10-13 hrs Birmingham New Street service
Arrive Bletchley: 10-49 hrs
Leave Bletchley: 11-01 hrs Bedford service
Arrive Bow Brickhill: 11-08 hrs
Return: Leighton Buzzard to Euston: 33, 53 (fast) and 59 mins past the hour
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Bow Brickhill
This lovely woodland walk is particularly nice in late autumn, when leaf colour is near its best. In order during the morning you pass through Back Wood, Buttermilk Wood and Duncombe Wood before you arrive in Great Brickhill for lunch at the homely Old Red Lion pub which serves good, honest pub grub.
After lunch you walk through an oak wood before you walk above the River Ouzel, then cross a water meadow to reach the Grand Union Canal and your suggested tea stop on the canal, the Globe Inn.
Your homeward leg is to follow the canal tow path all the way to Leighton Buzzard, after which it is a short walk through the town to the railway station.
If you like woods, this is a walk for you.
T=1.41
Walk Directions here L=1.41
Sunday, 22 October 2017
Sunday Walk - Princes Risborough to Great Missenden
Princes Risborough to Great Missenden Book1 walk 45
15.7km 9.8 miles
Difficulty 5/10
Yay, autumn! A classic chilterns walk with sloping fields, beech woods, three steep bits (one avoidable), fine views and chances of autumn colour.
Trains: get the 10:13 Aylesbury train from Marylebone, arriving Princes Risborough at 11:00.
Trains return from Great Missenden at xx:59 and xx:29.
A return to Aylesbury covers both journeys.
Directions: Get your directions here.
Lunch is at the walker-friendly Gate in Bryants Bottom 01494 488 632 phoning advised.
A later option is the Polecat serving till 3pm 01494 862 253.
Tea: The twit-friendly Cafe Twit, attached to Great Missenden's Roald Dahl museum, last orders 4:45.
The cafe at the station, The Pantry on Platform 1, may be open but, when I peered out of my first class compartment on a recent Sunday, it wasn't.
There's also the Cross Keys pub.
T=1.45
15.7km 9.8 miles
Difficulty 5/10
Yay, autumn! A classic chilterns walk with sloping fields, beech woods, three steep bits (one avoidable), fine views and chances of autumn colour.
Trains: get the 10:13 Aylesbury train from Marylebone, arriving Princes Risborough at 11:00.
Trains return from Great Missenden at xx:59 and xx:29.
A return to Aylesbury covers both journeys.
Directions: Get your directions here.
Lunch is at the walker-friendly Gate in Bryants Bottom 01494 488 632 phoning advised.
A later option is the Polecat serving till 3pm 01494 862 253.
Tea: The twit-friendly Cafe Twit, attached to Great Missenden's Roald Dahl museum, last orders 4:45.
The cafe at the station, The Pantry on Platform 1, may be open but, when I peered out of my first class compartment on a recent Sunday, it wasn't.
There's also the Cross Keys pub.
 |
| Cross keys |
T=1.45
Sunday Walk - Liphook to Haslemere
Liphook to Haslemere Book 1 walk 6
15km (9.3 miles),
5/10
Gently uphill, gently downhill, almost entirely through mixed oak, beech and chestnut woods. After Shulbrede Priory in the middle of the woods, you reach the lunch pub by Fernhurst village green. Then, it's across forest streams, through Valewood Park and up into Haslemere. The afternoon path can get muddy.
Trains:
Get the 10:00 to Portsmouth Harbour from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 10:09) arriving Liphook 11:25
Return from Haslemere at xx:17 and xx:42
Get a return to Liphook.
Lunch: The Red Lion, Fernhurst (tel 01428 643 112). Large groups should phone.
Tea: Two suggested places on Haslemere High Street, Darnleys (tel 01428 643 048) open till 5.00 pm. Hemingways (tel 01428 656904) open till 4.00 pm.
15km (9.3 miles),
5/10
Gently uphill, gently downhill, almost entirely through mixed oak, beech and chestnut woods. After Shulbrede Priory in the middle of the woods, you reach the lunch pub by Fernhurst village green. Then, it's across forest streams, through Valewood Park and up into Haslemere. The afternoon path can get muddy.
Trains:
Get the 10:00 to Portsmouth Harbour from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 10:09) arriving Liphook 11:25
Return from Haslemere at xx:17 and xx:42
Get a return to Liphook.
Lunch: The Red Lion, Fernhurst (tel 01428 643 112). Large groups should phone.
Tea: Two suggested places on Haslemere High Street, Darnleys (tel 01428 643 048) open till 5.00 pm. Hemingways (tel 01428 656904) open till 4.00 pm.
The Swan Inn and the White Horse Hotel are also in the High Street. The station is ten minutes walk from there.
Walk Directions: here
T=1.6
Saturday, 21 October 2017
Saturday Walk - Witley to Haslemere
Book 1 Walk 44 - Witley to Haslemere
8.8 miles / 14.2 km
A great autumn walk through woodlands and various National Trust estates, with a lunch stop at a 12th century pub in Chiddingfold.
Trains: Take the 10:15 Haslemere train from London Waterloo, arriving at Witley at 11:09.
Return trains from Haslemere at xx02/xx15/xx32/xx39 til mid evening.
You will need a return to Haslemere.
Lunch: The Crown Inn (01428 682 255) at Chiddingfold is about 6km into the walk. Alternatives are the Swan pub and Treacle's Tea Shop (cash only).
Haslemere has plenty of places for refreshments. Some tea suggestions are Darnleys or Hemingways in the High Street, for beer continue to the Swan Inn (Wetherspoons) or the White Horse Hotel.
Click here for full details and walk directions
T=1.44
8.8 miles / 14.2 km
A great autumn walk through woodlands and various National Trust estates, with a lunch stop at a 12th century pub in Chiddingfold.
Trains: Take the 10:15 Haslemere train from London Waterloo, arriving at Witley at 11:09.
Return trains from Haslemere at xx02/xx15/xx32/xx39 til mid evening.
You will need a return to Haslemere.
Lunch: The Crown Inn (01428 682 255) at Chiddingfold is about 6km into the walk. Alternatives are the Swan pub and Treacle's Tea Shop (cash only).
Haslemere has plenty of places for refreshments. Some tea suggestions are Darnleys or Hemingways in the High Street, for beer continue to the Swan Inn (Wetherspoons) or the White Horse Hotel.
Click here for full details and walk directions
T=1.44
Saturday Walk A Chilterns Combo (Saunderton to Wendover)
SWC 10 (in reverse)/Book 1 Walk 52: Through the turning beech woods and over the rolling Chiltern Hills from Saunderton to Wendover T=swc.10
Train: Take the 9:13 AM Aylesbury train from London Marylebone to Saunderton, arriving at 9:55. Late risers who prefer a shorter walk can take the 10:43 AM Banbury train from London Marylebone to Princes Risborough, arriving at 11:27 and just do Book 1 Walk 52 in its entirety. If all goes smoothly you should rendez-vous with the Saunderton starters at the Plough – probably arriving about 20 minutes before the earlier starters. Return trains from Wendover are at 23 and 53 minutes past the hour until 22:23. Buy a day return to Aylesbury.
Distance: 14ish miles or 22.5ish km for those more metrically minded and 8.4 miles/13.5 km for the later/shorter route.
Difficulty: 7 out of 10 (6 out of 10 for the shorter option)
As something a bit different in the Chilterns, I thought this combination of two trusted favorites would make an enjoyable extended foray through the Chiltern hills and woods. We will set off doing SWC 10 in reverse from Saunderton to Lower Cadsden for lunch. After lunch, we will swap over to the instructions for Book 1 Walk 52 to complete our journey from Lower Cadsden to Wendover. Both morning and afternoon routes pass through beech woods which should hopefully be tinting nicely. The walk also includes a couple of nice panoramic views from which to survey the surrounding autumnal countryside. More information and the instructions can be found here and here. Don't forget both sets of instructions and it will also be useful to print the map for the morning section!
Lunch will be at the Plough in Lower Cadsden (01844 343 302), a popular pub. If numbers are very large, some could also have an early lunch at the Pink & Lily in Parslows Hillock. Recommended tea places in Wendover include Rumsey's Chocolaterie open until 18:00 (on the High Street about 5 minutes from the station) and the Shoulder of Mutton Pub (next to the station).
Train: Take the 9:13 AM Aylesbury train from London Marylebone to Saunderton, arriving at 9:55. Late risers who prefer a shorter walk can take the 10:43 AM Banbury train from London Marylebone to Princes Risborough, arriving at 11:27 and just do Book 1 Walk 52 in its entirety. If all goes smoothly you should rendez-vous with the Saunderton starters at the Plough – probably arriving about 20 minutes before the earlier starters. Return trains from Wendover are at 23 and 53 minutes past the hour until 22:23. Buy a day return to Aylesbury.
Distance: 14ish miles or 22.5ish km for those more metrically minded and 8.4 miles/13.5 km for the later/shorter route.
Difficulty: 7 out of 10 (6 out of 10 for the shorter option)
As something a bit different in the Chilterns, I thought this combination of two trusted favorites would make an enjoyable extended foray through the Chiltern hills and woods. We will set off doing SWC 10 in reverse from Saunderton to Lower Cadsden for lunch. After lunch, we will swap over to the instructions for Book 1 Walk 52 to complete our journey from Lower Cadsden to Wendover. Both morning and afternoon routes pass through beech woods which should hopefully be tinting nicely. The walk also includes a couple of nice panoramic views from which to survey the surrounding autumnal countryside. More information and the instructions can be found here and here. Don't forget both sets of instructions and it will also be useful to print the map for the morning section!
Lunch will be at the Plough in Lower Cadsden (01844 343 302), a popular pub. If numbers are very large, some could also have an early lunch at the Pink & Lily in Parslows Hillock. Recommended tea places in Wendover include Rumsey's Chocolaterie open until 18:00 (on the High Street about 5 minutes from the station) and the Shoulder of Mutton Pub (next to the station).
Enjoy the walk!
Saturday walk - Holmwood to Gomshall - beechwoods and the highest viewpoint in the south east
Book 1 walk 42 - Holmwood to Gomshall
Length: 16.7km (10.4 miles) - but see ** at end of post
Toughness: 6 out of 10
9.31 train from Victoria (9.37 Clapham Junction, 9.59 Sutton) to Holmwood, arriving 10.32.
Buy an any permitted day return to Gomshall, is my advice: this gives you the best choice of routes on the way home. This may be accepted to Holmwood or you may be liable for a small supplement for the one stop from Dorking to Holmwood.
For walk directions click here. For GPX file click here.
Weather warning: When I picked this walk, I did not know a big storm was forecast. Since Leith Hill is the highest point in southern England and faces into the teeth of the south westerly gale predicted for today, it is likely to be very windy. A danger from falling branches or trees cannot be ruled out. Once over the top of the hill, things may (I stress may) be more sheltered, as you will have the ridge between you and the wind. Remember that you are always doing these walks at your own risk. Exercise your own judgement at all times. Be prepared to take alternative routes. If looking for a walk in this area that might be more sheltered, I would suggest Dorking Circular, SWC 274, which sticks to the valley between the Greensand and North Downs ridges. Dorking is a stop before Gomshall on the specified train.
Kay-okay: no prizes for originality this week, but what is autumn without Holmwood to Gomshall? There may be a bit of beechwood colour but there certainly will be a glorious climb to Leith Hill, the South East's Mont Blanc, and with luck the tea kiosk there will be open. Stand on the hummock 10 metres or so behind the tower and on a clear day you can see both Canary Wharf (at about 60 degrees) and the sea (due south through Shoreham Gap: they have helpfully built a windfarm out to sea so you can see where it is): is there anywhere else where you can see both from the same place?
After that there is a fine descent through the woods, though later the walk has some fields and views too. The lunch pub in Friday Street can be popular (they have hopefully forgotten about the time we reserved a table for 13 and only 3 turned up), but if they are full, the Wotton Hatch pub 40 minutes further on serves food all afternoon.
Gomshall groans with nice tea options: Tillings Cafe is the best, but one not mentioned in the walk directions is the Gomshall Mill, opposite the Compasses: nice armchairs and puddings.
Trains back from Gomshall have big gaps. At 15.53, 17.53, 19.53 there are trains westwards to Guildford and on to Waterloo (58 mins) and at 16.04, 18.04, 20.04 there are trains eastwards to Redhill and on to East Croydon and London Bridge (1 hr 14 mins). In either direction you can admire the new footbridge at Gomshall, which has been tastefully blended into its surroundings and does not look monstrously out of scale at all.... T=1.42
** Tough guy/gal challenge: last year five of us did this as a midweek walk and then finished it off by reversing book 2 walk 13 into Guildford - a further 6.8 miles. A great way to make use of one the last days of British Summer Time....
Length: 16.7km (10.4 miles) - but see ** at end of post
Toughness: 6 out of 10
9.31 train from Victoria (9.37 Clapham Junction, 9.59 Sutton) to Holmwood, arriving 10.32.
Buy an any permitted day return to Gomshall, is my advice: this gives you the best choice of routes on the way home. This may be accepted to Holmwood or you may be liable for a small supplement for the one stop from Dorking to Holmwood.
For walk directions click here. For GPX file click here.
Weather warning: When I picked this walk, I did not know a big storm was forecast. Since Leith Hill is the highest point in southern England and faces into the teeth of the south westerly gale predicted for today, it is likely to be very windy. A danger from falling branches or trees cannot be ruled out. Once over the top of the hill, things may (I stress may) be more sheltered, as you will have the ridge between you and the wind. Remember that you are always doing these walks at your own risk. Exercise your own judgement at all times. Be prepared to take alternative routes. If looking for a walk in this area that might be more sheltered, I would suggest Dorking Circular, SWC 274, which sticks to the valley between the Greensand and North Downs ridges. Dorking is a stop before Gomshall on the specified train.
Kay-okay: no prizes for originality this week, but what is autumn without Holmwood to Gomshall? There may be a bit of beechwood colour but there certainly will be a glorious climb to Leith Hill, the South East's Mont Blanc, and with luck the tea kiosk there will be open. Stand on the hummock 10 metres or so behind the tower and on a clear day you can see both Canary Wharf (at about 60 degrees) and the sea (due south through Shoreham Gap: they have helpfully built a windfarm out to sea so you can see where it is): is there anywhere else where you can see both from the same place?
After that there is a fine descent through the woods, though later the walk has some fields and views too. The lunch pub in Friday Street can be popular (they have hopefully forgotten about the time we reserved a table for 13 and only 3 turned up), but if they are full, the Wotton Hatch pub 40 minutes further on serves food all afternoon.
Gomshall groans with nice tea options: Tillings Cafe is the best, but one not mentioned in the walk directions is the Gomshall Mill, opposite the Compasses: nice armchairs and puddings.
Trains back from Gomshall have big gaps. At 15.53, 17.53, 19.53 there are trains westwards to Guildford and on to Waterloo (58 mins) and at 16.04, 18.04, 20.04 there are trains eastwards to Redhill and on to East Croydon and London Bridge (1 hr 14 mins). In either direction you can admire the new footbridge at Gomshall, which has been tastefully blended into its surroundings and does not look monstrously out of scale at all.... T=1.42
** Tough guy/gal challenge: last year five of us did this as a midweek walk and then finished it off by reversing book 2 walk 13 into Guildford - a further 6.8 miles. A great way to make use of one the last days of British Summer Time....
Thursday, 19 October 2017
Thursday Walk: Crowhurst to Battle - a battle to Battle via Westfield, the Pestalozzi Village and the River Brede
Book 1, Walk 35 - Crowhurst to Battle
Length: 20 km (12.4 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10
London Charing Cross: 10-15 hrs Hastings service. Waterloo East 10-18; London Bridge 10-23 hrs
Arrive Crowhurst: 11-46 hrs
Return: Battle to Charing Cross: 17-01, 17-36, 18-07, 18-36, 19-02 and 20-07
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Crowhurst
Sections of today's walk in the morning, between Beauport Park golf course and Westfield, can be overgrown and it can be quite a battle to get through. That said, early in August the Council had cut back the undergrowth and paths were clear and the going was good. Two months on - who knows ! Hopefully you will make Westfield just in time for lunch at the usually excellent and busy The New Inn. Last orders are 'twixt 2-15 and 2-30 pm and do 'phone ahead with your numbers - your e.t.a 2-10 pm if you maintain a steady pace: 01424-752800.
After lunch the going is pleasant and easy as you cross fields and go through the grounds of the Pestalozzi International Village before walking beside the River Brede as you make your way towards Battle, and the site of the Battle of Hastings, and the ruins of the Abbey. Lots of tea options in Battle although many of them close at "Tea Time": really bugs me how a so-called Tea Shop can close at Tea Time - there should be a law against it........... that apart, this is a good, long walk that gets fewer outings than most Book 1 walks.
T=1.35
Walk directions here: L=1.35
Length: 20 km (12.4 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10
London Charing Cross: 10-15 hrs Hastings service. Waterloo East 10-18; London Bridge 10-23 hrs
Arrive Crowhurst: 11-46 hrs
Return: Battle to Charing Cross: 17-01, 17-36, 18-07, 18-36, 19-02 and 20-07
Rail ticket: buy a day return to Crowhurst
Sections of today's walk in the morning, between Beauport Park golf course and Westfield, can be overgrown and it can be quite a battle to get through. That said, early in August the Council had cut back the undergrowth and paths were clear and the going was good. Two months on - who knows ! Hopefully you will make Westfield just in time for lunch at the usually excellent and busy The New Inn. Last orders are 'twixt 2-15 and 2-30 pm and do 'phone ahead with your numbers - your e.t.a 2-10 pm if you maintain a steady pace: 01424-752800.
After lunch the going is pleasant and easy as you cross fields and go through the grounds of the Pestalozzi International Village before walking beside the River Brede as you make your way towards Battle, and the site of the Battle of Hastings, and the ruins of the Abbey. Lots of tea options in Battle although many of them close at "Tea Time": really bugs me how a so-called Tea Shop can close at Tea Time - there should be a law against it........... that apart, this is a good, long walk that gets fewer outings than most Book 1 walks.
T=1.35
Walk directions here: L=1.35
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Wednesday Walk – Eden Valley and Greensand Ridge: Edenbridge Town to Westerham
Length: 18.8 km (11.7 mi) [shorter walk possible, see
text and route map on the webpage]
Ascent/Descent:
442/378m
Net
Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness:
6 out of 10
Take the 10.08 Uckfield train from London Bridge (East Cr. 10.23), arrives Edenbridge Town
10.46.
Return from Westerham is
by (TfL) bus to one of many stations, please see the webpage for details.
Buy an Edenbridge Stations return, to cover
you for most possible return routes.
I
know, this walk has already had two (weekend) outings this year, but only 2 and
3 people turned up respectively...and it sounds like a proper midweek walk: short
but with hills.
The
walk climbs out of the Eden Valley up to the Greensand Ridge for splendid
views, passes Chartwell (NT),
Churchill’s abode, and also Emmetts
Garden (also NT). In between it skirts Toy’s Hill
around its base, but later climbs Ide
Hill, one of a total of five ascents.
Lunch: The
Royal Oak
in Crockham Hill (6.4 km/3.6 mi,
food 12.00-14.30), Chartwell (NT café and self-service resto, 8.5 km/5.3
mi), Fox and Hounds in Toy’s Hill (off route uphill, 11.8
km/7.3 mi, food 12.00-15.00), Cock Inn in
Ide Hill (13.3 km/8.3 mi).
Tea: Old
Stables Café at Emmetts Garden (NT, 15.3km/9.5), several pubs and cafés
in Westerham.
For
walk directions, map, height profile, some photos, a video and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.79.a
Sunday, 15 October 2017
Sunday Walk – [New: Penshurst Circular] Around Bough Beech reservoir
New Walk – Penshurst Circular
Length: 15½ km (9.6 miles), with longer option possible. Toughness: 3/10
09:40 Dover train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 09:43, London Bridge 09:50, Orpington 10:07), changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:25, dep 10:36) for the Redhill train from Platform 1, arriving Penshurst at 10:44.
A return ticket from London to Penshurst is valid for travel back via Tonbridge (hourly trains at xx:07) or Redhill (at xx:44), but there are confusing messages about engineering works in the Redhill area so the Tonbridge route looks a better bet.
You might have seen Bough Beech Reservoir from a vantage point on the Greensand Hills but it is tucked away in the undulating countryside and surprisingly well-hidden as you get closer. This new walk takes in the few places where you can get a good view, principally the causeway across the Nature Reserve at its northern end. There's the added attraction from noon today of a Festival of Apples in its Visitor Centre, advertising a “merry folk band” and freshly-cooked apple fritters (but sadly not unlimited cider tastings).
On the walk route there are two up-market lunch pubs serving very good food but both have the air of establishments where you need to book days in advance for Sunday lunch, particularly the Wheatsheaf in Bough Beech. You might have more luck 45 minutes later at the Castle Inn in Chiddingstone, but if not there are a couple of tearooms nearby where you should be able to get a light lunch (or a large tea).
My suggestion is to do the Short Walk 1 option and head directly back to Penshurst station from Chiddingstone, but sunset is still after 6pm so there'll be plenty of daylight for anyone attempting the 21½ km Main Walk.
You'll need to print the directions from this temporary New Walk page. T=swc.300
Length: 15½ km (9.6 miles), with longer option possible. Toughness: 3/10
09:40 Dover train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 09:43, London Bridge 09:50, Orpington 10:07), changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:25, dep 10:36) for the Redhill train from Platform 1, arriving Penshurst at 10:44.
A return ticket from London to Penshurst is valid for travel back via Tonbridge (hourly trains at xx:07) or Redhill (at xx:44), but there are confusing messages about engineering works in the Redhill area so the Tonbridge route looks a better bet.
You might have seen Bough Beech Reservoir from a vantage point on the Greensand Hills but it is tucked away in the undulating countryside and surprisingly well-hidden as you get closer. This new walk takes in the few places where you can get a good view, principally the causeway across the Nature Reserve at its northern end. There's the added attraction from noon today of a Festival of Apples in its Visitor Centre, advertising a “merry folk band” and freshly-cooked apple fritters (but sadly not unlimited cider tastings).
On the walk route there are two up-market lunch pubs serving very good food but both have the air of establishments where you need to book days in advance for Sunday lunch, particularly the Wheatsheaf in Bough Beech. You might have more luck 45 minutes later at the Castle Inn in Chiddingstone, but if not there are a couple of tearooms nearby where you should be able to get a light lunch (or a large tea).
My suggestion is to do the Short Walk 1 option and head directly back to Penshurst station from Chiddingstone, but sunset is still after 6pm so there'll be plenty of daylight for anyone attempting the 21½ km Main Walk.
You'll need to print the directions from this temporary New Walk page. T=swc.300
Sunday Walk - Mudflats and Birdlife on a tidal river, a Regatta & Big Skies: North Fambridge to Burnham-on-Crouch
Length: 20.9 km (13.0 mi) [shorter walk possible, see
below]
Ascent/Descent:
127/120m
Net
Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness:
3 out of 10
Take
the 10.14 Southend Victoria
train from Liverpool Street (10.23 Stratford, 10.34 Romford etc.), change at Wickford
onto the Southminster service (arr. 11.03, dep. 11.06), arrives North
Fambridge 11.20. Nervous about the 3 minute connection in Wickford (the
connecting train typically does NOT wait)? Take the 09.44 train from L’pool Street…
Return
trains
from Burnham are hourly on xx.10 (80
mins journey time). Buy a Burnham-on-Crouch return.
Serenity,
tranquillity, solitude: you’ll find lots of it on this walk on the Dengie Peninsula in Essex, which
largely follows the tidal River
Crouch
eastwards towards the North Sea, on a wide grassy path atop the sea wall, and
with the prevailing wind in the back. Far away from any conurbations, you’ll
experience wide open and scenic countryside, constantly changing river views,
salt marshes, reed ponds, mudflats, creeks, rich bird life, sailing boats and
marinas, to then end along the promenade in charming Burnham-on-Crouch, with its plethora
of tea options, on the last day of The Endeavour Trophy regatta. Flat throughout (apart from the diversion inland for lunch at
the good value pub The Three Horseshoes in Althorne), and with exceptionally
easy route finding.
Shortcuts:
·
It
is possible to shorten the walk by taking the train back from Althorne, just
before/after lunch.
·
You
can also cut short the approach to the river from Fambridge station in the
morning by using a more direct route (cuts 1.4 km/0.9 mi) or cut the Burnham
ending short by using a more direct route to the station (cuts 2.1 km/1.3 mi).
·
Taking
both shortcuts therefore reduces the length of the walk to 17.4 km (10.9 mi).
·
Finally,
if you bring your own lunch (no shops along the route) for a picnic by the
river, you can cut out the walk inland to the lunch pub, reducing the walk by
2.9 km/1.8 mi.
Lunch
is at the family-run The Three Horseshoes in Althorne (11.5 km/7.2 mi). For tea, you are spoilt for choice for
cafes, restaurants and pubs in Burnham (we might even manage to gate crash the
bar at The
Royal Corinthian Yacht Club again in its stunning location overhanging
the river estuary…). For details on all these options consult the Walk
Directions pdf.
For
walk directions, map, height profile, some photos, a video and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.162
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