Evening Walk - Olympic Park, Hackney Wick and Fish Island

Length: 8.5 km/5.3 mi km or 9.3 km/5.8 mi [bailout possible at Hackney Wick Overground (5.5 km)]

Meet at  19.00 hours prompt outside Stratford Station (Mainline, Overground, Underground, DLR), next to ‘Robert’, a heritage locomotive displayed on the station forecourt on the Town Centre side (i.e.: not the Westfield side)! [see the pdf directions for how to get there from your platform w/o fault]

Note: Route revised again in March 2020, to reflect the ongoing works in the Park and surrounding areas.

This walk follows a meandering route through Stratford City, a development preceding the idea of London applying to hold Olympic Games, and including the very large Westfield Shopping Centre, as well as through the neighbouring Olympic Park and past its surviving Olympic venues, one of the largest urban parks created in Western Europe for more than 150 years, and designed to enrich and preserve the local environment, by restoring wetland habitats and planting native species of plants along the River Lea and the Bow Backwaters. It is still a work in progress, in its continued transition from sports venue to public park, with many new neighbourhoods and amenities added since the 2012 Games.

This is combined with a detour through parts of the adjacent former industrial areas now famous for artists’ spaces and independent micro-businesses, but undergoing speedy regeneration: Hackney Wick (South) and Fish Island. These areas are still noticeably shaped by their former mix of (often polluting) industries in this complicated space, dominated by railways, canals, locks, river arms, channels, flood plains.

For a shorter walk, start from Stratford International DLR Station, passed after 850m.
For a much shorter walk, Hackney Wick Overground Station is passed after 5.5 km/3.4 mi.

For a southerly extension follow the Greenway on top the Northern Outfall Sewer.

Refreshments: Plenty of options en route, for details please check the pdf.

For a detailed route map, gpx/kml file, photos and pdf directions click here. T=short.27

Wednesday walk Farnham to Godalming - River Wey, Waverley Abbey and Peper Harrow Park

Book 1, Walk 12 - Farnham to Godalming

Length: 20.6 km (12.8 miles). Continuing along the river at walk-end to Guildford adds 4 miles to the walk.
Toughness: 6 out of 10


Meeting place:  outside Farnham station building at 11-30 hrs

We will do a socially-distanced meet up there and split into groups of no more than six. You must please be prepared to swop contact details with others in your group for contact tracing purposes

If you are comfortable travelling on public transport out of rush hour, and comply with social distancing rules and wear face covering etc, the suggested train to the walk-start is as follows:

London Waterloo:  10-23 hrs. Alton service. CJ 10-30 hrs
Arrive Farnham: 11-25 hrs

Return service: Godalming to Waterloo:  16-09, 16-25, 16-41, 16-51, 17-11, 17-25, 17-41, 17-51, 18-25 hrs and so on

Guildford to Waterloo: usually 4 fast trains an hour

Rail ticket: Buy an off-peak day return to Farnham plus a single from Godalming to Woking

Today's walk in the western extremities of leafy Surrey starts and ends along the River Wey. Fit walkers can have an extended walk beside the river by continuing at walk-end from Godalming to Guildford. At this time of year this extension should make for a very enjoyable early evening walk. But for us lesser mortals, 12.8 miles should be quite sufficient for today's walk, along mostly flat sandy bridleways and through commons.

The delightful early pub-lunch stop on this walk is the Barley Mow in Tilford. The pub has reopened and has a new menu for current conditions. But the traditional pub stop for this walk comes 50 minutes later on in the walk at the Donkey pub, Charleshill, which should be open and serving food and drinks. If stopping here say hello to the two donkeys, Pip and Dusty, resident in the back garden.

The afternoon leg of the walk takes you towards walk-end back along the river into Godalming. Tea options are listed in the walk directions, found here: L=1.12
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Saturday walk - Penshurst Circular - historic villages in Kent

Length: 21.5km (13.4 miles), with shorter options of 18km (11.2 miles), 15.5km (9.6 miles) and 14.8km (9.2 miles)

Catch the 10.12 train from Victoria (not the usual Charing Cross/London Bridge due to engineering works) (10.29 Bromley South, 10.36 Orpington) to Tonbridge, arriving 10.53, and change there (depart 11.01) for the Redhill-bound train, arriving Penshurst at 11.09. T=3.300

On arrival at Penshurst we will do a socially-distanced meet-up and split into groups of six. Be prepared to share contact details with those in your group for contact tracing purposes.

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

Since it was created in 2017, this walk has had two spring outings (one in the snow in 2018), but has never been done in the summer. It seems to have lots of potential for this time of year, taking in the Bough Beech Reservoir, with its nature reserve, the pretty ancient villages of Chiddingstone and Penshurst, and plenty of relatively gentle Kentish countryside.

There are a number of ways to short cut the main route, so those wanting a shorter walk have various options: see the walk directions for details.

There are three potential lunch pubs, with the Castle Inn in Chiddingstone currently offering a stripped-down menu of "sandwiches, fish/scampi and chips, cakes and nuts", but having a nice garden to sit in. The Leicester Arms in Penshurst has an outside seating area, but is not specific about whether you can have food there. (To eat inside you have to book, limited capacity, yada yada).

Chiddingstone also has the Tulip Tree tea room, which does seem to be open as normal (and which has outside seating and also does takeaways). The Fir Tree House tea room in Penshurst may be open (since it is in a garden anyway). A little off the main route the Porcupine Pantry cafe at Penshurst Place would also be a possible tea stop, if you can get there by 4.30pm.

At the end of the walk, the Little Brown Jug (across the road from Penshurst station) has a big garden: it says even those buying a drink have to "check in" (give contact details?)

Trains back are at 09 past via Redhill (across the footbridge) or 22 past via Tonbridge (the platform this side of the tracks), changing at those stations in both cases. Journey times either way is just over an hour. In both cases you end up at Victoria, but the Redhill trains go via East Croydon.

Saturday Walk: Tadworth Circular via Box Hill and Headley Heath

11.9 miles/19 km main walk
OR
14.3 miles/22.7 km with extensions via White Hill (recommended if you like good views or steep climbs) and the North Downs Way (more ups and downs).

Trains: 09:47 London Bridge, 10:02 East Croydon, arrives 10:38 at Tadworth. Return services at xx:13/43. Tadworth station is in Zone 6.

Lunch
The early lunch stop, The Cock Inn, Headley is open and recommends booking.
The National Trust Cafe at Box Hill is also open.
The late stop at The Tree, Box Hill is also open and doesn't take bookings.

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The Merry Widow at Opera Holland Park (OHP) -Cancelled

OHP has cancelled all performances due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Evening Walk: Rambling with the Royals

Short: 19:  Royal Parks Walk T=short.19

Meet:  19:15 Outside North Exit of Notting Hill Gate Tube Station (i.e. exit signposted for Portobello Road/Market)

Distance:  4 miles/6km (plus a bit with Notting Hill extension)

End: Multiple Choices -- Charing Cross, Embankment, Westminster

With the ongoing closure of the Queensway and Lancaster Gate tube stations, we will start this walk from the Notting Hill Gate Tube station and improvise a route to Kensington Gardens to pick up the main route....in fact, I would suggest that we extend the walk slightly by making a quick circuit through Notting Hill on the way to Kensington Gardens...

This walk links three large parks through central London, passing by several iconic London landmarks in the process.....Sadly, there will be no Serpentine Summer Pavilion this year (as with most of 2020 -- deferred to 2021)....but should still be an interesting and enjoyable evening stroll....

Not entirely sure about post walk refreshments, but feel confident that we will find something on offer....if only a take away beer on along the river....

More information and a route map can be found here.

Enjoy the walk!

Wednesday walk Balcombe Circular - the gardens of Nymans and the ruins of Slaugham

Book 1, Walk 16 - Balcombe Circular

Length: 17.6 km (10.9 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10


Meeting place: the Balcombe railway station car park at 11 am.

We will do a socially-distanced meet up there and split into groups of no more than six. You must be prepared to swop contact details with others in your group for contact tracing purposes


If you travel by train out of hours and are comfortable doing so, you have a choice of trains:

Either
London Bridge: 10-15 am. Thameslink service from Cambridge to Brighton. East Croydon: 10-29 hrs
Arrive Balcombe: 10-55 hrs. Cross the footbridge to leave station through its car park, the meeting place

or 
London Victoria: 10-05 hrs. Bognor - Portsmouth H train.   CJ 10-12 hrs. EC 10-23 hrs
Arrive Three Bridges : 10-44 hrs - change trains
Leave Three Bridges: 10-49 hrs  - on Brighton service
Arrive Balcombe: 10-55 hrs. Cross the footbridge, as above

Return service

Balcombe to London Bridge:  04 & 34 mins past the hour. Change at EC for Victoria


This is a pleasant walk through West Sussex countryside. The route is undulating in places in the morning, but it is never steep and demanding of effort. In winter parts of the route can be very muddy but today conditions under foot should be very good, to enhance your enjoyment of this lovely walk.

Lunch can be taken mid-walk in the village of Handcross. The National Trust's Nymans estate has reopened for pre-booked visits. Its cafe is closed but its refreshments kiosk should be open for hot and cold drinks and snacks.  In the village the Red Lion pub has reopened for main meals and drinks. It should be fine for those wanting a classic pub lunch. A mile further on in the hamlet of Slaugham The Heritage pub (previously the Chequers) is not due to reopen for meals or drinks until 03 September.

The afternoon leg takes you initially through the ruins of Slaugham. Then, after taking the underpass under the A23, your route is mostly flat through open country, through farms and over farmland all the way back to Balcombe. The tea rooms there, pleasant but close too early, and the local community run pub with hit-and-miss opening hours, might offer walk-end refreshments if you strike lucky.
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Walk instructions here: L=1.16

Monday Walk - Henrhyd Waterfall (Craig-y-Nos Circular), with or without the Cribarth Limestone Plateau [Brecon Trip]

Length: 13.4 km (8.3 mi) [longer options available]

Ascent/Descent: 270m; Net Walking Time: 4 hours

Toughness: 3 out of 10

Take the 09.20 bus (line T6) from Bus Stand 5 at Brecon Bus Interchange, arrives Craig y Nos Castle/Adelina Patti Hospital at 09.55.

Return buses (from Glyntawe, before Craig-y-Nos Country Park) run at 13.38 (arrives 14.12) and at 15.55 (arrives 16.29). [There’s also an 18.08, arriving 18.42…]

Buses out of Brecon to Abergavenny leave at 14.56 and 17.00. 
The last train from Abergavenny to London leaves at 20.45.

The walk starts through the Craig y Nos Country Park, an idyllic spot on the banks of the Afon Tawe (River Tawe) with its Victorian Gothic building (now a hotel), which was home to the world-renowned opera singer Adelina Patti from 1878 to 1919. The route then follows quiet bridleways and country lanes with excellent views across the valley to the Cribarth mountain, to a steep cliff edge above the Tawe River which it then follows for an extended stretch, with the river running below in rapids.

You then leave the Tawe to walk up a spectacular wooded ravine, formed by the Nant Llech. The river’s name (‘Rock Slab Stream’ in English) derives from the rock strata that tilt or dip to create small waterfalls along its course, several of which can be observed from close quarters. The wooded gorge (owned and managed by the National Trust) is an Ancient Woodland, meaning many of the trees (especially on the southern bank) have never been felled. It is also a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) for its humid habitat, supporting a wide range of damp-loving species.

You ascend through the scenic gorge to a natural amphitheatre, carved out over millennia by the highest waterfall in South Wales, the Sgwd Henrhyd (Henrhyd Waterfall), which drops down a rocky ledge forming a water curtain you can walk behind. From there country lanes and paths across pastures get you a prized lunch pub in Pen y Cae and then back along the bridleways and lanes of the outward route to finish with a riverside loop through the Craig y Nos Country Park to its tea rooms.

Walk Options: Alternative Start, further north in Glyntawe (same bus), for a slightly longer and tougher walk (14.3 km/8.9 mi); or even longer, by exploring a variation of the morning route by climbing up to the Cribarth plateau from Craig y Nos first to pick up the route in Ynyswen (with or w/o the longer start from Glyntawe).

Lunch: Pen y Cae Inn Restaurant, Gallery & Zoo! (10.5 km/6.4 mi). This may be open again by then…

Tea: Changing Seasons Tea Rooms & Restaurant in Craig y Nos or The Gwyn Arms in Glyntawe. These may be open again by then…

For walk directions and options, route map, height profile, photos or gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.280

Sunday Walk - Brecon – Fan y Big – Cribyn – Brecon [Brecon Trip]

Length: 21.8 km (13.5m ascent) mi)

Ascent/Descent: 933m; Net Walking Time: 6 ½ hours

Toughness: 10 out of 10

Meet at 09.30 in the south east corner of the Morrison’s car park in Brecon’s town centre, next to the Markets Tavern and near the four-way road junction by the Bus Interchange.

This route deliberately avoids the guaranteed-to-be-busy tops of Pen y Fan and Corn Du and is one of the many variations described in the pdf for the Brecon Beacons Horseshoe. Following the write-up will require frequent shuffling of paper within the 19-page document (we start on page 12, immediately go to page 9, then back to 12, etc. pp.), and the stretch between the two tops is obvious but not written up in text in this anti-clockwise direction.

The route rises from the centre of Brecon up to and then across the majestic core of the Central Brecon Beacons onto Fan y Big, where you turn right along the ridge towards the other of these two least frequented of the four table-top peaks: Cribyn. The clear path around a steep sided glacial valley is part of one of the best ridge walks in South Britain, featuring some spectacular views in all directions in good weather. It is exceptionally exposed to the elements though and also requires one steep descent and re-ascent.

Variations:

·        descend directly back down from the ridge off Fan y Big the way you came, back to Brecon (cut 1.8 km and 196m ascent); 
·        continue past Cribyn to Pen y Fan and descend from there (adds one descent/re-ascent);

·        from Fan y Big, turn left along the ridge – to Waun Rydd alongside an upland bog – offering more superb views, and past a WWII airplane memorial and lastly down into the lush Usk Valley to Talybont and its pubs, or on a loop back from Waun Rydd to Fan y Big. The return from Talybont to Brecon would have to be by taxi or on foot along the Monmouth & Brecon Canal (11.7 km), due to the 43/X43 bus not running on the Sunday;

·        from Fan y Big, turn left along the ridge – to Waun Rydd alongside an upland bog – offering more superb views, and past a WWII airplane memorial but descend from Waun Rydd to Brecon via the Gist Wen and through Llanfrynach village (pub). This descent would be map-led.

Lunch: Picnic lunch.

Tea: plenty of choice in Brecon, but also in Talybont (see the pdf) and that pub in Llanfrynach.

For walk directions and options, route map, height profile, photos or gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.278.a

Other walks today

Alton Circular was chosen by Joe for this slot. To enable a walk report to be posted, I have tagged it. (This means any walk report will be archived with others for this walk) T=2.10

Saturday walk - Marlow Circular - an easy walk along the Thames

Length: 21.3km (13.2 miles). Shorter options are available ending at Henley of 13.5km (8.4 miles) or 15.2km (9.4 miles), though these are obviously not suitable for those avoiding public transport

Catch the 9.57 train from Paddington (10.05 Ealing Broadway) to Marlow, arriving 10.57.

Meet just outside the station to do a socially-distanced meet up and split into groups of no more than six. You must be prepared to swop contact details with others in your group for contact tracing purposes

As usual, you must also bring the directions, map or GPX so you can be responsible for your own wayfinding if necessary.

I thought that those on the western side of London deserved to have a walk this week. For any that don't know it, this is a straighforward walk along the Thames Path in the morning, with a walk back through the woods in the afternoon.

One seasonal attraction on the last section of this walk is Homefield Wood: normally a rather dull stretch through a wood on a valley-bottom track, but at present you should find it full of wild flowers and butterflies, the latter hopefully including the magnificent silver-washed fritillary, one of our largest and most striking butterflies (I hoped to provide a link to a photo, but Blogger/Flickr has other ideas: Google it). In fact, if you only know this stretch of the walk in autumn or winter, you will be quite amazed.

Experience on recent walks is that everyone opts for a picnic lunch, but there are several pubs en route, as you will see from the walk description. The Flower Pot in Aston has no special information about its current status on its walk page. The Stag and Huntsman says anyone using it has to send them a contact number by email.

Hambleden also has a village shop that does takeaway teas in normal times, and Marlow, at the end of the walk, has lots of refreshment options.

The shorter options are to stay on the river or go over Remenham Hill to Henley: see the walk directions.

Trains back from Marlow are hourly, on the hour (00 past)

Trains back from Henley are at 01 and 31 past. If doing this ending, you would be best advised to buy a day return to Henley-on-Thames rather than to Marlow. T=2.8

Saturday Walk - Bwlch Circular (via Mynydd Troed and Lllangorse Lake) [Brecon Trip]

Length: 21.6 km (13.4 mi) or 19.4 km/12.1 mi if walking the short walk

Ascent/Descent: 816/820m or 556/560m on the short walk

Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours or 5 hours

Toughness: 9 out of 10 or 7 out of 10

Take the 09.56 bus (line X43 to Abergavenny) from Bus Stand 3 at Brecon Bus Interchange.

Arrives Bwlch, opposite All Saints at 10.11.

Return buses  are on: 16.34, 17.47 and 18.13 (journey time 14 or 23 minutes). Buy a Bwlch return.

The last time around this walk was made harder by the footpaths around the lake being impassable due to flooding, necessitating long diversions. But Britain had a very dry spring, so here's hoping…

From the pdf: “This is a varied walk from the small settlement of Bwlch (‘pass’ in Welsh), starting from a low col high above the Usk Valley onto the rolling moorlands of Cefn Moel and Mynydd Llangorse. The following long ridge walk along this outlying peak’s plateau – and the subsequent optional ascent to Mynydd Troed –command panoramic views across to many of the much higher giants of the Brecon Beacons National Park: across the Rhiangoll valley to the south-western flanks of the Black Mountains massif, west to the Central Beacons and south to Mynydd Llangynidr and Mynydd Llangattock. A road descent leads to Llangorse village for lunch and around its iconic lake, of glacial origin and the largest natural lake in South Wales, with its watersports centre – and the only crannog outside of Scotland and Ireland. This is a busy touristic site in season.

Leave the crowds behind to further circumvent the large lake to a remote bird hide and an even more remote church-with-views in Llangasty-Talyllyn and then up the Allt yr Esgair ('wooded slope of the ridge' in Welsh). It is crowned by an Iron Age hillfort and a Roman road and overlooks the valley of the River Usk to the west and south and Llangorse Lake and the Black Mountains to the northeast.

You then follow the Roman Road back down to Bwlch.

Variations:

·        Cutting out the steep out-and-back up to Mynydd Troed makes this a 7/10 walk.

·        Cut out the ascent to the Allt yr Esgair Iron Age Hill Fort site near the end by contouring around the hill’s flank (yet to be walked).

·        A more easterly loop back to Bwlch from Mynydd Troed via its long plateau ridge and down into the Cwm Sorgwm and back up across Pen Tir makes it a more serious outing.” For a visual assessment of how much tougher the alternative route via Pen Tir is, have a look at the two height profiles at the bottom of the walk’s webpage linked below.

 

Lunch: The Castle Inn (not sure this will be open) and  The Red Lion (this has changed hands recently and been fully refurbished, but will it be open?), both in Llangors (12.0 km/7.4 mi if walking the full walk). Picnic lunch is the safe option and indeed the only option if walking the extended walk via Pen Tir!

Tea: several options en route (see the pdf for details), and The New Inn (CAMRA South Wales' 2017 Pub of the Year and its 2019 Brecknockshire POTY) right by the bus stop in Bwlch.

For walk directions, map, photos, height profile, and gpx/kml files click here.

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Friday Walk - Still South Britain’s best ridge walk: The Black Mountain – Y Mynydd Du (Glyntawe Circular) [Brecon Trip]

Length: 21.9 km (13.7 mi) [shorter walk options available, see below]

Ascent/Descent: approx. 1000m; Net Walking Time: 7 hours

Toughness: 10/10

Meet at 09.00  in the south east corner of the Morrison’s car park in Brecon’s town centre, near the four-way road junction opposite the Bus Interchange (drivers willing to take passengers in their cars: please bring your cars). We’ll then allocate walkers to cars. The start of the walk is in Glyntawe at the bus stop by the bridge over the River Tawe (called: Glyntawe, near Field Study Centre). This is on the A4067, south west of Brecon, Grid Reference SN 846 167.

Both publicans in Glyntawe have expressed their strong preference that walkers who spend all day on the hill, do NOT park their cars in the pub car parks. Please use one of the few side roads off the A-road (and not the small lay-by by the church either).

In case of more walkers than spaces, the ‘spare’ walkers will have to…

Take the 09.20 bus T6 (direction Abertawe/Swansea) from Stand 5 to Glyntawe (near Field Study Centre), arrives 09.52. In any case, the walk will not start before the bus has passed through.

For the easiest short option of walking SWC 86 instead (see below), the next bus at 11.20 would suffice.

Return buses run at 15.56 and 18.09.

The Black Mountain (Y Mynydd Du in Welsh), in the Western Brecon Beacons, is often referred to as the last wilderness in the Brecon Beacons National Park  and a walk along it as South Britain’s best ridge walk. It traverses a series of high peaks along a sequence of steep dramatic escarpments and features some of the most spectacular upland scenery in Britain. The route involves remote and rugged terrain, with a couple of glacial lakes and superb mountain views and leads almost entirely through open country.

From the Tawe Valley you rise steeply up a grassy hillside onto the first ridge, Fan Hir, and soon follow its edge with some far views to the two famous peaks in the Central Beacons: Pen y Fan and Corn Du. After dropping into a saddle you re-ascend to Fan Brycheiniog and then onto the northerly top Fan Foel. The views of the moorland and open country to the north are spectacular, and reveal the isolation of the range. Turn west through a deep saddle to conquer the even more spectacular ridge of Bannau Sir Gaer.

The return route along the bottom of the steep escarpments, past some glacial lakes and moraines, reveals a different and fascinating perspective of the high buttresses and some steeply carved valleys below.

Fully written up, shorter circular or out-and-back options, as well as a start from a car park near the northerly end, are described on the webpage and on page 2 of the pdf.

For a very straight-forward short option with easy-to-follow minimal text, consider walking SWC 86.

An alternative return route from the last top initially leads through open pathless, sometimes boggy, moorland, then through a veritable moonscape of shake holes, swallow holes, pot holes and limestone pavement before dropping back into the Tawe Valley (Cwm Tawe in Welsh).

Lunch: Picnic on the ridge.

Tea: Tafarn Y Garreg pub or The Gwyn Arms (note: this latter pub last time had somewhat conflicting policies regarding walkers: no walking boots, but no socks only either).

For all walk options, a summary, route map, height profile, photos, walk directions or gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.279