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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 4 January 2020

Saturday walk - Earlswood to Oxted - a gentle section of the Greensand Way

Length: 16.9km (10.5 miles) T=3.148
Toughness: 4 out of 10

9.51 Thameslink train from London Bridge (9.35 St Pancras Thameslink, 10.07 East Croydon) to Earlswood, arriving 10.27

Buy a day return to 'Edenbridge stations' (even though you are not going to Edenbridge!!), choosing "via East Croydon only" if offered that option.

Please note that the late start option at Nutfield is not, at time of writing, possible due to a landslip on the Redhill-Tonbridge line: but this does not affect the main walk

For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here.

This walk had a midweek outing back in October but has not been exhibited on a Saturday since March 2018. It follows an easy section of the Greensand Way, which starts some way south of the ridge on flat fields, before climbing up into hillier territory, with some fine escarpment views, after the village of South Nutfield. Mud is inevitable on any January walk, but this is the GreenSAND ridge, so might be a bit drier underfoot than other territory.

Lunch is at a very pleasant pub in Bletchingley after just 3.8 miles, though stride-out types might make it to Barley Mow in Tandridge, 8.1 miles into the walk, which serves food till 3pm. Oxted has plenty of tea opportunities.

Trains back from Oxted are at 20 past the hour to London Bridge (33 minutes) and 23 and 53 past to Victoria (29 minutes), with all trains going through East Croydon


5 comments:

Bill S said...

Bill S, Sun 05 Jan 20, 12:43

Mud, mud, glorious mud! A few slippery, squelchy stretches at first leading inexorably soon afterwards to a length of fenced in path that would have made a grown hippo weep with joy. Boot topping liquid mud that would have kept a beauty parlour in face masks for weeks. Although there was plenty more to come, none of it came close to the quality of that early encounter. However conditions underfoot were such that it prompted one regular to talk shamefully of taking a bus after lunch. But most, I think stayed the course.

Thirteen of us gathered together on the platform at Earlswood station. Another walker, initially thought to be our walk poster, was spotted shuffling paper further down the platform. But he departed before us, and although our paths crossed a few times, and he seemed to be walking the same route as us he kept himself to himself and by doing so ruled himself out of the count. Later on we were joined by a dog with far too much energy which raced from end to end of our, by then, strung out group in a vain attempt to herd us together: poor thing would have had more success trying to herd cats. After 10 or 15 minutes we managed to collar it and, fearing that it might be lost (its tag showing that it hailed from Chiswick), tried to contact the owner by phone, to no avail. But moments later he appeared and, as he was following our directions and stayed with us for the rest of the walk, he qualified for the count. So 14 - of whom two were first timers - and one dog.

When we reach Bletchingley just after 12.00, five or six decided to head for the Red Lion, the recommended lunchtime pub, and were never seen again. Five of us, however, decided it was too early to stop and continued on to the Barley Mow at Tandridge where the service was prompt and the food fine. (Special mention must go the bowl of chips served to one of our number which was probably the largest in SWC history. So many were there that the recipient generously declared them a shared resource, and very fine they were to). There was a note in the bar to say that the current tenants (owners?) were leaving soon, but there was no indication that the pub was closing.

The three of us (and dog, who must have ran the walk twice over) who were out front after lunch headed straight for the station when we reached Oxted and caught the 15.53. Others were debating about stopping for tea and cake, but I don’t know whether they did so in the end.

The weather was overcast turning to clear skies-and-sunshine-in-the-afternoon. All in all a fine days walking in good company, even allowing for the mud.

Bill S said...

n=14 , w=overcast-turning-to-clear skies-and-sunshine-in-the-afternoon

Anonymous said...

3 caught the later train and caught up with the main group at lunchtime.

Anonymous said...

n=17 including the 3 on the later train and caught up at the first lunch pub.

David Colver said...

The largest of raspberries to Cafe Papillon, conveniently close to Oxted station, but inconveniently locking at 1545 the doors that clearly declare a 1700 closing time, no matter that there were half a dozen would be customers standing in front of them. Why enter the tea shop business if you are unwilling to be open at tea time?