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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 20 January 2018

Saturday Walk – Headley Heath & the North Downs (Tadworth Circular)

Extra Walk 139a – Tadworth Circular (short walk)
Length: 14¼ km (8.9 miles). Toughness: About 3/10

10:20 Tattenham Corner train from London Bridge (Norwood Jct 10:33, East Croydon 10:37, etc), arriving Tadworth at 11:06. Tadworth is in TfL Zone 6 so you can use Oyster, contactless or a Travelcard.

Trains back from Tadworth are at xx:22 & xx:52 (4 minutes earlier from Tattenham Corner: see below). Change at East Croydon for Clapham Jct or Victoria.

The longest version of this walk includes some stiff climbs up White Hill and through Box Hill Country Park – and no-one will stop anyone who wants to take these on – but this shorter version cutting across Headley Heath seems like a more suitable walk for winter. Lunch is at a large and not usually too crowded pub on Boxhill Road, The Tree; on the short walk you should get there just before 1pm.

You also have some options for extending this walk after lunch. The walk notes describe a longer and hillier alternative route along the North Downs Way and across Banstead Heath, making a total walk of about 17 km (5/10). In addition, after your tea stop* in Walton-on-the-Hill you could substitute one of the endings of the Merstham to Tattenham Corner Walk, finishing with fine views of the London skyline from Epsom Downs Racecourse (an extra 3-4½ km).

* The walk notes suggest a couple of pubs in this village but you could also check out the Grey Dove Village Café (01737-814171) in the parade of shops overlooking Mere Pond, serving home-made cakes, pastries and cream teas until about 4.30pm.

You'll need to download the walk directions from the Tadworth Circular Walk page.
T=swc.139.a

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Is it possible to join the group on the train at East Croydon for this walk? And can I bring my dog with me?

Sean said...

Grace: Yes. See the 'FAQ' page on our website.

Unknown said...

Brill! Would it be possible to meet the group at Tadworth station then? I’ll be getting on the train at East Croydon but just in case I can’t find you would be great to meet there.

Bill S said...

It is unlikely that you will find everyone sat together on the train, but people will gather on the arrival platform before setting off on the walk. They should be easy to spot.

Lisa said...

Thank you for the info. Something came up so I won't be able to make it tomorrow, but will try to do another walk very soon.

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Daisy Roots said...

n=17 people plus Bear the larger than life but gentle puppy! Weather was w=drizzly. Most of us did the short walk. I think only 2 went on the long option. The Tree pub easily accommodated us for foods and/or drinks at lunch time where we were joined by the "walks inspector". Despite his kind offer of a lift back to civilisation from the pub, the thought of yet more mud and drizzle was just too tempting and so all ventured on. At Walton on the Hill, the Grey Dove cafe was closed but a few went into the pub for tea while others headed straight for the station. A nice day out.

Anonymous said...

A great day out, great walk, lovely people and lovely doggie.. see you all again soon, Dee

sylvia said...

Two did indeed walk the Box Hill extension in the morning, didn't see anyone else doing it. We had a very nice lunch in the small NT cafe there. The mist really thickened and there were no views at all at the viewpoint. We carried on and did the same route as the main group in the afternoon, getting to Tadworth in the descending gloom and catching the 5.22pm train. It was a very good day out, atmospheric and full of small delights such as the raindrops decorating the birch trees.