Book 1 Walk 34 - Balcombe to East Grinstead
Length: 17.2 km (10.7 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10 Probably over-rated. No serious hills.
Either
London Bridge: 10-05 hrs Thameslink service from Bedford to Brighton. East Croydon 10-19 hrs
Arrive Balcombe: 10-46 hrs
Or
London Victoria: 09-55 hrs Brighton service CJ 10-02 hrs
Arrive East Croydon: 10-11 hrs Change trains
Leave East Croydon: 10-19 hrs Thameslink service as above
Arrive Balcombe: 10-46 hrs
Return
East Grinstead to Victoria: 06 and 36 mins past the hour up to and including 17-36, then 17-51, 18-06, 18-21 and 18-36 hrs. Change at East Croydon for return to London Bridge.
Rail ticket
A little tricky: a Balcombe return is not usually accepted by rail staff at East Grinstead station, They usually require you to possess a ticket from East Grinstead to East Croydon. So you choose: either a day return to Balcombe, plus a single from East Grinstead to East Croydon, or buy separate off peak singles, London to Balcombe, and East Grinstead to London, or buy a day return to Balcombe and try sweet talking your way though the barriers at East Grinstead: again, your choice !
This pleasant walk takes you via Balcombe Lake through gentle wooded hills as you make your way to Wakehurst Place, the seed conservation and germination centre for Kew Gardens aka the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Free access to the facilities for National Trust members. The public footpaths through the complex are open to all. The Seed Cafe in the complex makes for an early lunch stop (after 3 miles). Otherwise, the walk continues through woodland and open land as you make your way to the village of West Hoathly, where you stop for lunch at the popular - and usually very good - Cat Inn.
After lunch you pass through more woods as you cross the embankment for the Bluebell Railway. You then head for Stone Farm Rocks where rock climbers practise their skills on the sandstone rocks. Onwards then around Weir Wood Reservoir, at times on the Sussex Border path, then on into East Grinstead.
T=1.34
Walk Directions are here: L=1.34
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
there are some absolutely treacherous steps down at the beginning of this walk where I had a really awful fall many years ago . Hold tight to the hand rail . maybe see u all jfk
I second that .... broke my arm on these steps a few years back. The mossy stone is slippery when wet.
I am informed n=4 on this walk, with w=rain-during-the-lunch-stop, but otherwise mostly dry and autumnal. The diners enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Cat Inn, West Hoathly. I'm sorry I was unable to be with you.
Post a Comment