[cancelled] Sunday Walk - Moved forward to Tuesday due to nationwide lockdown (Over the South Downs to the Sea: Lewes to Seaford or Bishopstone via West Firle)

Length: 23.7 km/14.7 mi [shorter options available, see below]

Ascent/Descent: 544/545m

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ¾ hours 

Toughness: 8 out of 10 

 

Take the 09.45  Ore train from Victoria (Clapham 09.52, EC 10.02), arrives Lewes at 11.03. 

From Thameslink stations take the Brighton train calling LBG at 09.37 and change at Gatwick Airport (10.16/10.28). 

Return trains  are on xx.31 and xx.59. Buy a Seaford (Sussex) return.

 

From Lewes, the route takes a variation of the familiar south easterly route out of Lewes: cross the River Ouse in the town centre and climb a lane to a golf club car-park. You then follow a circular ridge route, with glorious views throughout followed by a long descent into Glynde. From Glynde station, go through the village to cross over the A24 and pass Preston Court Farm. You go through the entrance to Firle Park, cross a field and enter the village of West Firle for lunch and drinks at the Ram Inn.

Continue through West Firle to start a long climb up to a spot near Firle Beacon. Head westerly to the transmission masts on Beddingham Hill and descend with glorious views to the seafront promenade in Bishopstone and on along the coast to Seaford. 

 

You have four options for shortening the walk:

Lewes to Seaford omitting West Firle 18.6 km (11.6 m);

Glynde to Seaford via West Firle 16.8km (10.5m);

Glynde to Seaford omitting West Firle 12.5km (7.8m);

finish at Bishopstone station (cuts 2.0 km). 

 

Lunch: The Ram Inn  in West Firle  (9.0 km/5.6 mi, food to 15.00, bar menu all day). 

Tea: Plenty of choice in Seaford, the walk author recommends Salts Café. 

 

For  walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.181

[cancelled] Saturday Walk Sunningdale to Windsor - cancelled due to nationwide lockdown

Book 1 Walk 18 - Sunningdale to Windsor

CANCELLED

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[cancelled] Saturday Walk - Cancelled due to nationwide lockdown (Pewsey Vale and Marlborough Downs: Pewsey Circular )

One of the best walks within an hour of London, surely?

 

Length: 26.8 km/16.7 mi [shorter options available, see below]

Ascent/Descent: 413m

Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours

Toughness: 7 out of 10 

 

Take the 08.36  Exeter St. David’s train from Paddington (Reading 09.01), arrives Pewsey at 09.34. 

Return trains  are on 17.06, 19.23 and 20.45.  

Cheap Advance Tickets  are available at time of posting. With a Network Railcard, split the ticket at Newbury.

 

This is an exhilarating excursion through the solitude of the Vale of Pewsey, which separates the chalk upland of the North Wessex Downs to the north from that of Salisbury Plain to the south, including an ascent up the southerly hill chain of the Marlborough Downs, from where there are stunning far views in all directions over this land of wave-like hills, with its scarps, ridges and valleys. It is a mysterious landscape, full of pre-historic earthworks and hillforts as well as barrows – burial mounds of kings and warriors. Part of the walk leads along the Wansdyke – an earth bank and deep ditch running east to west – which sporadically links Bristol to Marlborough. It was built by the beleaguered Romano-British Celts – after being deserted by the Romans in the 5th century – as a fortification to stem the Saxon advance. From there it is just a short walk to Wiltshire’s highest peak (Milk Hill) with its stunning steep serrated Down and then to the Alton Barnes White Horse – cut into the hillside in 1812. After a scenic descent into the Vale of Pewsey, an undemanding stretch along the Kennet & Avon Canal leads back to Pewsey with its tea options. 

 

Shortcuts reduce the rating of this walk to 6/10 or even 5/10.

 

Lunch/Tea: Honeystreet Mill Cafe and The Barge Inn, both in Honeystreet (19.6 km/12.2 mi into the full walk). 

More than a handful of tea options  just off-route in Wilcot and in Pewsey. For details see the walk directions pdf. 

 

For  walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.127

[cancelled] Moved Forward to Wednesday due to Lockdown Evening Walk: From Crime Scene to Prison (Westminster to the Tower)

Remember remember the 5th of November: A Guy Fawkes Special Thames Path Walk

Start:     6:30 PM Vauxhall Tube Station

Finish:    Tower Bridge or London Bridge

Distance:    About 6.5 km/4.0 miles

Following on from our successful summer season and some further requests for evening walks...this is a short Thames Path walk through Central London (hopefully much quieter than usual)....Passing by the main events associated with Guy Fawkes and the Gun Powder Plot.

This will be "map-led" though a map is not really required. From the Vauxhall Tube Station we will follow the South Bank Thames Path eastwards (i.e. river on your left) to the Millennium Bridge where we will cross and turn right to follow the North Bank Thames Path to the Tower.....

I imagine that we will find some outdoor refreshment spots along the way and the Vinegar Yard near London Bridge offers covered and heated outdoor refreshments towards the end...

Back by Demand Evening Walk: From Crime Scene to Prison (Westminster to the Tower)

Remember remember the 5th of November(almost): A Guy Fawkes Special Thames Path Walk

Start:     6:30 PM Vauxhall Tube Station

Finish:    Tower Bridge or London Bridge

Distance:    About 6.5 km/4.0 miles

Following on from our successful summer season and some further requests for evening walks...this is a short Thames Path walk through Central London (hopefully much quieter than usual)....Passing by the main events associated with Guy Fawkes and the Gun Powder Plot.

This will be "map-led" though a map is not really required. From the Vauxhall Tube Station we will follow the South Bank Thames Path eastwards (i.e. river on your left) to the Millennium Bridge where we will cross and turn right to follow the North Bank Thames Path to the Tower.....

I imagine that we will find some outdoor refreshment spots along the way and the Vinegar Yard near London Bridge offers covered and heated outdoor refreshments towards the end...

Wednesday Walk Bow Brickhill to Leighton Buzzard - Back, Buttermilk and Duncombe Woods, Great Brickhill, Rushmere Park, the River Ouzel and the Grand Union Canal

Book 1 Walk 41 - Bow Brickhill to Leighton Buzzard

Length: 14.7 km (9.1 miles)

Toughness: 2 out of 10 (upwards to 4 when very muddy)

London Euston: 10-15 hrs    West Midland Trains service to Birmingham New Street 

Arrive Bletchley: 10-49 hrs  Disembark

Leave Bletchley on bus service to Bedford: 11-01 hrs

Arrive Bow Brickhill station: 11-10 hrs

Return

Leighton Buzzard to Euston: trains at 16-07, 16-34, 16-54, 17-07, 17-42, 17-55, 18-09, 18-34 and later

Rail ticket: buy an off-peak day return to Bow Brickhill

This is likely to be our last posted walk for a month or so as we enter another period of lockdown on Thursday 05 November. I am unable to attend the walk myself but a fellow walk poster should be in attendance to "officiate" in my place. I look forward to the resumption of SWC mid-week walks hopefully in December or soon thereafter. 

We tend to avoid walks with replacement bus services, but today the "inconvenience" of a connecting bus at Bletchley only lasts for 9 minutes, so we will accept it today.

This is a short(ish), mostly woodland walk best walked at this time of year to enjoy some lovely late autumn leaf colour, particularly after lunch in Rushmere Park where the oak trees should be in full leaf colour.

After leaving Bow Brickhill station the route takes you up into, then down through, Back Wood, which is likely to be muddy to very muddy in places today. This wood is a bit of a pig all year round for slubberdub mud, so no bad thing when you extricate yourselves from it and make for the more genteel Buttermilk Wood. Onwards then through Duncombe Wood then along a track through farmland to the village of Great Brickill for lunch at the Old Red Lion pub, or for a picnic nearby. An alternative lunch stop on this walk comes in Rushmere Park - if its cafeteria is open today.

After Great Brickhill you have arguably the best bit of today's walk - the leg through Rushmere Park - an oak wood which should be in full leaf colour.  Then you have a leg above the River Ouzel before crossing over water meadows to join the Grand Union Canal for an early tea stop at the Globe Inn.  You then have a relaxing walk along the canal's tow path to the outskirts of Leighton Buzzard. The short walk from the town's bridge to the railway station is dreary but thankfully short: I am sure there must be some attractive parts to Leighton Buzzard but I have yet to discover them.

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Walk Directions are here: L=1.41

Tuesday Walk - Over the South Downs to the Sea: Lewes to Seaford or Bishopstone via West Firle

Length: 23.7 km/14.7 mi [shorter options available, see below] 

Ascent/Descent: 544/545m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ¾ hours 

Toughness: 8 out of 10 

 

Take the 09.54  Ore train from Victoria (Clapham 10.01, EC 10.10), arrives Lewes at 10.56. 

From London Bridge take the Caterham & Tattenham Corner train at 09.47 and change at East Croydon (10.01/10.10).  

Return trains  are on xx.25 and xx.53. Buy a Seaford (Sussex) return.

 

From Lewes, the route takes a variation of the familiar south easterly route out of Lewes: cross the River Ouse in the town centre and climb a lane to a golf club car-park. You then follow a circular ridge route, with glorious views throughout followed by a long descent into Glynde. From Glynde station, go through the village to cross over the A24 and pass Preston Court Farm. You go through the entrance to Firle Park, cross a field and enter the village of West Firle for lunch and drinks at the Ram Inn. 

Continue through West Firle to start a long climb up to a spot near Firle Beacon. Head westerly to the transmission masts on Beddingham Hill and descend with glorious views to the seafront promenade in Bishopstone and on along the coast to Seaford. 

 

You have four options for shortening the walk: 

Lewes to Seaford omitting West Firle 18.6 km (11.6 m);

Glynde to Seaford via West Firle 16.8km (10.5m);

Glynde to Seaford omitting West Firle 12.5km (7.8m); 

finish at Bishopstone station (cuts 2.0 km). 

 

Lunch: The Ram Inn  in West Firle  (9.0 km/5.6 mi, food to 15.00, bar menu all day). 

Tea: Plenty of choice in Seaford, the walk author recommends Salts Café. 

 

For  walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.181