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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.

Saturday 2 December 2017

Saturday Walk - South Downs Way Section 3: Petersfield to Cocking

South Downs Way Section 3: Petersfield to Cocking (return by bus to Haslemere) (map-led)

Length:  20.3 km (12.6 mi)
Ascent/Descent:  430/390m
Net Walking Time:  5 ½ hours
Toughness:  6 out of 10 
  
Take the 09.00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (Woking 09.25), arrives Petersfield 10.00. From Battersea Central (a.k.a. Clapham Junction) take the 8.52 Portsmouth & Southsea service, change at Haslemere (09.45/09.49).
In Cocking take bus line 60 to Midhurst (xx.40 until 18.40, takes 13 minutes) and change there to bus line 70 to Haslemere  (xx.00 until 18.00, then 19.05), through-tickets are supposedly available. Return trains from Haslemere are four per hour. Buy a Petersfield return.

Shorter Walk: bus 54 back to Petersfield from South Harting, either from Uppark House (on the main road) at 16.12 or from outside the pub (16.15).

Lunch: Picnic  or The White Hart in South Harting (10.3 km/6.4 mi, 1 km off route downhill, food to 15.00) or the Café at Uppark  (10.3 km/6.4 mi, 1 km off route but not downhill, NT membership or ticket needed, open 10.00-16.00).
Tea: The Bluebell in Cocking, plenty of options in Midhurst.

For summary, map, height profile, some photos and gpx/kml files click here.t=swc.155

4 comments:

Kelda said...

Intend going!

Thomas G said...

10 off the train plus 1 other who had missed the train by a fraction and decided to take the next one and (having no route map and only the details from the walk posting) somehow make her way to the lunch pub and link up with the group there. At Petersfield she did not go for the easy option of waiting for the 54 bus to take her to South Harting, but walked instead, guided by Google maps, along the roads. That's the spirit!
We successfully negotiated the muddy paths out of Petersfield to lovely Buriton, incl. one diversion due to a closed footpath (housebuilding), and slowly climbed up to the range through deep layers of leaves on ground, to pick up the SDW after a full 75 minutes of walking. Progress was good from there, and hardly any other soul encountered, and views started to emerge from the hills, aided by the lack of leaves on trees. Not long after, decision time had arrived: descend to lunch or continue along the SDW? All of us descended to South Harting, where the roadwalker had already arrived and had blocked a table for us. The White Hart had had a power cut in the morning, so it initially was not clear whether they could serve food, but soon the ok was given: orders would be taken from 12.30. So we had plenty of time to pick our favourites from the sumptious menu. The 9 lunchers had a very satisfying meal, and all n+11 then went back up the hill together to pick up the route again. What a contrast in scenery! p.m. it was all about steep ascents and far views (still no soul in sight, what a luxury on the SDW). We had a close look at the Devils Jumps just off route (a line of barrows aligned with the summer solstice) and eventually descended through pastures to Cocking, where the pub was unfortunately shut (for a month apparently). And while a few considered walking on to Midhurst, the 16.10 bus arrived and we all just jumped on. That meant we had 30+ minutes in Midhurst to wait for the connecting bus to Haslemere, which most of us used for tea and cakes/scones at Fitzcane's Cafe, which were splendid indeed. 17.32 train. w=dry-and-without-any-wind-with-a-beautiful-sunset, i.e perfect for the season.

Thomas G said...

n=11

Anonymous said...

And the one that missed the 'group' bus at 4.10pm at Cocking and took the later 4.40pm which arrived at 4.50pm (driver guaranteed me reassuringly that I would definitely miss the connection at Midhurst with the 5pm no 70 bus going to Haslemere), caught up with the rest but only thanks to a comfort stop by driver of no 70 and then being held hostage, more or less, by my good and persuasive friend KW (data protection), till my bus arrived at 5.10pm. PHEW that saved an hour waiting in another dark village...

Lessons learned: always have a good and persuasive friend on your walk; and in winter: walk fast, avoid walks with multiple connections/buses in small dark villages and have a charger for your phone...just in case
Thanks K. and congratulations on your wonderful future plans...