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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.

Sunday 5 May 2019

Sunday Walk: Ham Street to Appledore, (Wye Circ substituted)..

A sortie into Romney Marsh.
The main walk, with a rating of 3/10 and length of 19¼ km (12 miles), takes you on a circuit of Ham Street Woods (hopefully with bluebells) and along the (inland) Saxon Shore Way. Listen out for the chatter of the marsh frogs, European interlopers that have settled in these parts. They sound a bit like they're laughing......maybe someone's told them a good croak?
You have a short morning and a long afternoon but options 1 & 2 let you skip sections of that. One favours the Royal Military Canal (total walk length 13½ km, 8.4 miles), the other Gusborne Vineyard (total 12¾ km, 7.9 miles). Both rated 2/10.
From what I remember of Romney Marsh footpaths, they seek out the higher ground, so your tootsies should stay dry.
Trains: Take the 10:37 Hi-Speed Ramsgate train from St Pancras (Stratford International  (10:44) and change at Ashford International  for the Marshlink line (arr 11:15 dep 11:25) arriving Ham Street at 11:33.
Trains return from Appledore at xx:54, changing again at Ashford International.
Get a return to Appledore.
A cheaper, slower, journey is possible from Victoria but it includes a ½ hour wait at Ashford. The 9:25 Canterbury West train would get you to Ashford Int. for 10:58 (if taking this route, ask for a ticket without the Hi-Speed supplement). The journey is an hour longer each way. Don't even think about travelling from Charing Cross - the re-jigged timetable just misses the connection.
Lunch: The Woolpack Inn (01233-732900) in Warehorne comes up fairly early in the walk after 5 km. Note that there's no further refreshment stop till Appledore is reached.
Tea: There are two nice places in Appledore village. The Black Lion (01233-758206), and Miss Mollett's High Class Tea Room (01233-758555), open to 5pm.
You need to allow at least half an hour to reach Appledore Station, 2¼ km away.
Directions here. Click option M for the main walk, 1 or 2 for the short versions (or keep all options open by not clicking nothing).
T=swc.106

3 comments:

Mr M Tiger said...

At least 5 arrived on the Hi Speed to discover that the 11:25 to Ham Street had been “cancelled due to lack of train crew”. Thanks, Southern. There was supposedly a bus replacement but also a huge crowd waiting for it.
One of us returned home and 4 decided to switch to the Wye Circular. (This, strangely, was the traditional emergency walk in days of yore). The other 3 will have to tell their story. The slow guy at the back, your correspondent, (who thought he had successfully downloaded the Wye directions to his phone but hadn’t) found they disappeared along with the internet after the first hill. (Should know the route by heart by now but obviously doesn’t). Anyway he forsook the route for a magical mystery tour, taking in Wye NNR and the Devils Kneading Trough. One spectacular discovery – while still officially on the Wye Circular - was an impressive display of wild garlic in the wood coming down the other side of the “Crown” down. If anyone DID make it to Romney Marsh, were the frogs laughing for you? Weather, w=sunny-turning-colder

Anonymous said...

Three forged ahead and ate sandwiches on a sunny bench in front of Crundale church. We walked on to the lunchtime pub but eschewed a lunchtime libation in favour of three delicious pints at the Tickled Trout back at Wye Station. Indoors as the sunny garden was a degree or two on the chilly side.
The return high speed train was every bit as rammed as the morning one, pointing perhaps to an upsurge in staycations, or a Brexit related fall in foreign weekend trips. It looked like we'd have to stand all the way as we had in the morning until one of us worked out that if a single bicycle was moved, three jump seats would become available. Well done, that woman!
In all, a lovely day salvaged from the jaws of the railway goblins. Joe.

Anonymous said...

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