Evening Walk: Jubilee Preparations in the Royal Parks

Evening Walk: Jubilee Preparations in the Royal Parks T=short.19

Distance:          Approximately 4 miles or 6 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty:         1 out of 10

Meet:                At the entrance to the Queensway tube station (Central Line)

Time:                18:45 – but if you miss our departure, you can certainly catch us up along the way…

With the Platinum Jubilee just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a walk through the Royal Parks to see how the preparations are coming along… 

Post walk refreshments can usually be found at one of the watering holes along Whitehall.

The walk ends on Whitehall with access to various transportation points, including Charing Cross and Embankment.

More information about the route can be found here.

Sunday Walk: South Woodham Ferrers Circular (or to North Fambridge)

Circular: 11.9 miles 19.2 km Difficulty 4/10
To North Fambridge: 14.1 or 15.9 miles (22.7 or 25.5 km). Difficulty 5/10.
This varied -and for Essex, fairly hilly - walk offers splendid views of the Crouch Valley. It winds its way out of South Woodham Ferrers, through fields, over rolling hills, past an RHS Garden, and through more fields to lunch. The afternoon takes you back in the direction of South Woodham Ferrers and a choice of endings;
The circular seems the most amenable length for a Sunday. However there are compelling reasons for pushing on to North Fambridge. One is the CAMRA award winning Prince of Wales in Stowe Marie. Another is the serene finish, along the tidal River Crouch and through the salt marshes of a nature reserve.
Trains: Get the 10:22 Southend train from Liverpool St (Stratford 10:29) changing at Wickford (arr 11:00, dep 11:06) onto the Southminster train (platform 1), arriving South Woodham Ferrers at 11:14
Trains return from South Woodham Ferrers at xx:26, changing at Wickford.
Trains return from North Fambridge at xx:21, also changing at Wickford.
A return to North Fambridge (the furthest station) isn’t much more than one to South Woodham Ferrers and would cover both endings.
Lunch:  The Folly Bistro. in East Hanningfield 01245 400 315
Tea places in South Woodham Ferrers:
Shaw Farm, Old Wickford Road,  01245 320916,  Ex farm building with front rose gardens, huge back garden and lake.
The Whalebone Inn/Scrimshaw’s Restaurant Old Wickford Road, 01245 320231,
The Railway, Hullbridge Road, 01245 320262
Tea Places for North Fambridge
The Prince of Wales, Stow Maries, 01621 828 971 An early stop, renowned for its beer.
The Ferry Boat Inn, Ferry Road, North Fambridge, 01621 740208, 500 year old riverside pub.
Directions here
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Sunday Walk: Farnham to Godalming (or back to Farnham)

20.6km (12.8 miles), 6/10
(A shorter 10 mile walk is possible - see below).
We start along the River Wey, then follow the North Downs Way through woods, past the ruins of Waverley Abbey and through more woods. We peer nervously into Mother Ludlum’s Cave then run away quick before she catches us. In the afternoon, sandy bridleways, woods, open parkland and more River Wey till Godalming is reached.
For a shorter 10 mile walk you could follow the second half of CW2 Walk 12  back to Farnham from the Donkey. (Note, though, that that option involves a 450m stretch along a road with no verge).
Trains
Get the 10:07 Alton /Basingstoke train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 10:15) arriving Farnham 11:13.The train divides at Woking so make sure you are in the Alton section of the train.
Return from Godalming at xx:27 and xx:56.
Get a return to Farnham plus a single from Godalming to Guildford.
(Should you do the shorter walk, trains return from Farnham at xx:00 and xx30)
Lunch
First up, the Barley Mow (tel 01252 792 205) in Tilford. The traditional lunch stop for SWC walkers comes some 2.75km (45 minutes) later, The Donkey (tel 01252 702 124), in Charles Hill (booking advised). Both pubs described as walker-friendly.
Tea: Godalming
For an early stop, try the Stag on the River in Eashing (tel 01483 421568).
In Godalming itself, Caffè Nero is open till 5:30 and Costa Coffee open to 5, both on the High Street. (Café Mila closes at 3). For a pub, there's the Star on Church Street.
Tea: Farnham
The Mulberry, the pub by Farnham station, serves tea and coffee well into the evening,. Quieter pub options nearby include The Lamb and the William Cobbett on the other side of the A31. T=1.12
Directions: Main walk Farnham to Godalming 
Shorter walk back to Farnham: From the Donkey, follow the Guildford to Farnham walk from point 108.

 

Hassocks to Upper Beeding or Shoreham-by-Sea

10 - 13 miles / 16.3 - 21 km

A classic South Downs walk with many fine views along the way.  You can finish in Upper Beeding (a bus is needed from here to reach the railway) or walk on to the coast at Shoreham.

Trains:  09:35 London Bridge, 10:31 Hassocks.  Or 09:45 London Victoria, 10:42 Hassocks.  Return trains from Shoreham-by-Sea to London Victoria at xx:12/xx:42.

Buses from Upper Beeding (Rising Sun):  No 2 to Shoreham-by-Sea, takes 23 mins, 16:41, 17:41, 18:41, 19:34, then hourly til late.  No 100 to Burgess Hill, takes 42 mins, 16:18, 17:18, 18:22.

If taking the bus to Burgess Hill, only a return to Hassocks is needed, otherwise buy a return to Shoreham-by-Sea.

Lunch/Refreshments:  Wildflour Cafe, Saddlescombe Farm, 4 miles.

Devil's Dyke Pub, 5.5 miles, large and popular pub.

YHA Hostel, Truleigh Hill - cafe open to the public, possible mid-afternoon stop.

Upper Beeding has a couple of pubs - The Rising Sun, The Kings Head.

Bramber has the Castle Inn, buses also stop here.

Shoreham-by-Sea has plenty of places to eat and drink.

Full walk details here

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Saturday Walk - Henley Circular via Turville

DAC is away...

Length: 23.9 km (14.8 mi) [shorter options, see webpage]

Ascent/Descent: 260m

Net Walking Time: 5 ¼ hours

Toughness: 4/10

or

Length: 27.5 km (17.1 mi)

Ascent/Descent: 420m

Net Walking Time: 6 ½ hours

Toughness: 7/10

 

Take the 09.27 Didcot train from Paddington (Ealing 09.35, Slough 09.52), change at Twyford (10.05/10.15), arrive Henley-on-Thames 10.27. 

Return trains: xx.00 and xx.30.

 

This is a similar walk to the Book 2 Walk 6 Henley Circular (via Stonor and Pishill) walk. It’s a bit longer and (the main walk) a fair bit flatter but both go along one side of a valley in open countryside on the opening leg and return to Henley on the other side in the afternoon, often through attractive woodland. This walk, however, also finishes with a lovely, peaceful Thames path back to Henley. However, this walk covers completely different territory to the Book 2 favourite visiting villages and countryside not incorporated in other SWC Henley and Chilterns walks in the area.

The longer version loops through Stonor (Deer) Park, the decision point is after 12.7 km.

Note: apart from being a very nice walk in a very scenic part of the Southeast, there is also a Midsomer Murders theme to this walk, details of which you’ll find on the webpage or in the pdf.

Lunch: The Stag & Huntsman in Hambledon (6.8 km/4.2 mi, food all day) or The Frog in Skirmett (10.9 km/6.8 mi, food to 14.30) or The Bull & Butcher in Turville (12.3 km/7.6 mi, food to 15.00). 

Tea: plenty options in Henley, you will have your favourites, else see the webpage or the pdf. 

 

For walk directions, map, height profile, some photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.223

Deal to Dover - Shingle flowers extravaganza and the White Cliffs

9.10 train from Charing Cross (9.13 Waterloo East, 9.19 London Bridge) to Deal, arriving 11.22.T=2.30

Or get the 9.34 Southeastern High Speed train from St Pancras International (slightly higher fare and no boundary zone tickets allowed) to Ashford, arriving 10.11, to connect with the above train, departing 10.33.

Buy a day return to Deal. If buying the ticket at St Pancras, use the ticket machines on the mezzanine level from where the Southeastern high speed trains depart, as only these offer the cheaper super off-peak fares. The tickets on the main concourse downstairs do not offer these. 

For walk directions click here. (Reverse walk directions start in paragraph 74 on page 8: obviously for the most part you don't need any - just keep the sea on your left - but they are useful in a few places, eg at the start and finish, going into and out of St Margaret's Bay).

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

A gorgeous walk along the White Cliffs (with views of the EU on clear days...); but first the wonderful display of shingle flowers on Walmer and Kingsdown beaches, which should be at its best right now (see photo).

I particularly like doing this walk backwards. You get the longer rail journey out the way first, and the scenery builds in interest, with the best section saved till last (when it is also less busy with day trippers).

Doing the walk in this direction also gives you a choice of two lunch pubs, both with outside tables right by the beach, both very busy on sunny days, it has to be said... The first, after about 3 miles, is the Zetland Arms, which serves food 12-2.45pm. It is another three miles to St Margaret's Bay, where the Coastguard serves food all afternoon. It might be no bad thing to arrive a bit after the main lunchtime rush.

Tea options include * the tea kiosk on St Margaret's Beach * the cafe of the St Margaret's Museum, on the left on the track as you walk out of town * the cafe of the South Foreland Lighthouse, where you can sit outside and look down over the sea * the cafe of the White Cliffs Visitor Centre near Dover.

It is probably a bit too early in the season for sea swimming (sea temperature 13 degrees and it doesn't look as if the air temperature will be super hot either) but if you fancied a brief token dip, St Margaret's Bay is your best bet. Kingsdown (ie opposite the Zetland Arms) is also possible, but currents are strong here. High tide is 11 am and low tide is 6pm

Dover itself is....disappointing, though there is now a beach bar at the eastern end of its seafront.

Trains back from Dover are at 49 past to St Pancras (1hr 05 minutes) or 30 past (though oddly no 18.30 train.....??) to Charing Cross (1hr 53 minutes)

Evening walk - Fryent Country Park

Length: 5.5 km (3.5 miles) 

Net Walking Time: 1½ hours 

Toughness: 1 out of 10 

Meet 19:30 prompt outside the entrance to Preston Road station (Metropolitan Line). 

Finish up at Kingsbury for end of walk refreshments.T=short.2

 

Wednesday Walk Balcombe to East Grinstead - Balcombe Lake, Wakehurst Place, West Hoathly, Bluebell Railway, Weir Wood and Reservoir - then on to East Grinstead

Book 1 Walk 34 - Balcombe to East Grinstead 

Length: 17.2 km (10.7 miles)

Toughness: 6 out of 10     No steep hills but lots of ups and downs to keep you awake

Travel

Thameslink service from Cambridge to Brighton, with stops at:

Finsbury Park:   09-52 hrs    with connections to LT Victoria and Piccadilly lines

London St Pancras:  10-00 hrs

London Bridge:  10-15 hrs

East Croydon: 10-29 hrs

Arrive Balcombe: 10-55 hrs

Return

East Grinstead to London Victoria :  06 and 36 mins past the hour

Rail ticket  is a bit tricky: either separate singles, or - and the play safe option - try a day return to Balcombe plus a single from East Grinstead to East Croydon. The extra single ticket is required to get through the barriers at East Grinstead station.  But if you possess the gift of the gab try sweet talking your way through the barriers at East Grinstead station with just your Balcombe return ticket - it has been known to work on the odd occasion.

It has been a little while since this walk was given an airing, so let's dust it off and give it a go today.  Leaving the railway station we head up into Balcombe village then on to Balcombe Lake. We then cross farmland and drop down to Tilgate Wood before entering the grounds of Wakehurst Place - Kew Gardens outpost and seed centre. An early lunch can be taken here in its Seed Cafe in the visitor centre. Continuing on the walk, after leaving the extensive grounds of Wakehurst Place we drop down though woodland and head through woods before heading uphill to exit the woods close to a quarry. A section along a track takes us to the village of West Hoathly, where we find the (usually excellent) Cat Inn, popular with SWC foodies.  Booking ahead is strongly recommended: 01342-810369   Your e.t.a is 1-20 pm. 

Leaving the village after lunch, having first visited the church, the walk continues, soon through Giffard Wood before you cross the Bluebell Railway line. On then over fields and up to Stone Farm Rocks before dropping down to Weir Woods and Weir Reservoir, on the Sussex Border path. Having traversed these woods close to the edge of the reservoir you next walk up over fields and along a series of field edges to the outskirts of East Grinstead. You now walk uphill to reach the railway station.

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Walk Directions are here: L=1.34

 

An Elizabethan adventure to South East London.

With the new Elizabeth Line scheduled to open on this day, I am posting Thomas's Lesnes Abbey Woods with Bostall Woods Walk which starts at the south eastern end of this new line. 

The outing is aimed at those of you who have an interest in travelling on this inaugural date or who would simply like to partake in a short weekday walk.

Getting there

These new trains intersect tube lines at Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel (which is also served by the overground). Make sure you catch an eastbound train to Abbey Wood. Aim to arrive about 11:00 am

Those of you travelling in from the west of Paddington will need to change there for the time being.  

Those of you travelling from Stratford and beyond will need to travel westbound to Liverpool Street (surface line) and change to the underground section to catch an eastbound train to Abbey Wood. 

TFL has a route Map for this new line HERE and Abbey Wood Station is in Zone 4. 

You can view a short video on the construction and layout of the new Abbey Wood Station HERE

Rendezvous point

As these new trains are advertised as being frequent, the meeting Point will be at the Abbey Café about 100 metres to the south of Abbey Wood station at 183 Abbey Wood Road SE2 9DZ. Here walkers can relax with a drink and/or a bite while waiting for others. Departure time from the cafe will be at 11:30 am.

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Sunday Walk – Hildenborough to Tonbridge [New]

Extra Walk 235c – Hildenborough to Tonbridge, via Penshurst

Length: 18¼ km (11.3 miles). Toughness: 3/10

10:26 Tonbridge train from Cannon Street (London Bridge 10:30, Orpington 10:51, etc), arriving Hildenborough at 11:07. Buy a return to Tonbridge.

Return trains from Tonbridge are every half hour, at xx:20 & xx:50. For the benefit of car drivers returning to Hildenborough, the xx:50 trains stop there; there's also a 401 bus going this way at 15:30 & 17:30.

You might have done the main version of this walk (from Tonbridge to Penshurst station) but it was always my intention to include the option of a route back to Tonbridge; this eventually materialised when a dodgy footbridge over the A21 was replaced. In a misguided fit of enthusiasm an alternative start from Hildenborough got added too, so this variation is arguably a ‘New’ walk even though the central loop between Leigh and Penshurst will be familiar to most of you.

If you want a shorter walk the directions mention a short cut bypassing Penshurst village (but missing out the main lunch places). You could even cut out the whole of the central loop and watch the cricket on Leigh's village green instead, for a total walk of less than 10 km. However, don't be tempted to head for Leigh (or Penshurst) station: there's a replacement bus on this branch line.

Last month a large contingent of Saturday walkers got a friendly welcome and enjoyed a pub lunch in the beer garden of the Leicester Arms Hotel in Penshurst, but if this doesn't appeal you could visit the Porcupine Pantry outside Penshurst Place or have a picnic in the churchyard. There are plenty of options for post-walk refreshment in Tonbridge, with the Finch House Café suggested if you get there before it closes at 5pm.

NB. A recent scouting expedition on the outward leg returned with positive vibes but warned of several wobbly stiles. There's also an awkward 200m or so of road walking between Leigh and Tonbridge, so it's not all plain sailing.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.235.c (if you click c in the Walk Options list it will show this route on the Walk Map as well as skipping the directions for other variations when you print).

Sunday Walk - Quiet hill top villages in eastern Aylesbury Vale, finishing along the Grand Union Canal: Aylesbury Vale Parkway to Aylesbury

Length: 25.9 km (16.1 mi) [shorter walks possible, see below] 

Ascent/Descent: 263/260m

Net Walking Time: 5 ½ hours

Toughness: 5 out of 10 

 

Take the 09.57 Aylesbury Vale Parkway train from Marylebone (10.09 Harrow-on-the-Hill, then all stations via Amersham), arrives Aylesbury Vale Parkway 11.03.  

Return trains: xx.20, xx.33, xx.50 (but not 19.50 or 20.50).

 

This walk links up a few quiet hilltop villages north of Aylesbury in the rolling landscape of East Buckinghamshire, providing for good views into the Aylesbury Vale and back to the Chiltern Range. 

After an inauspicious start along the pavement of an A-road the walk leads along the River Thame and some of its tributaries, past the site of the deserted medieval village of Quarrendon and on to the picturesque villages of Weedon and Hardwick. After ascending to and skirting around the site of the medieval Bolebec castle mound in Whitchurch, the route leads eastwards to Aston Abbotts with views across to the Chilterns, and then south back down into the Thame Valley, mostly along pastures. 

You pass St. Osyth’s Well in Bierton and negotiate a quiet route through one of the many new villages that have sprung up around Aylesbury, to finish with an extended stretch along a branch of the Grand Union Canal and crossing over into Aylesbury’s historic centre for tea.

 

Walk Options: 

It is possible to shorten the walk in two ways. Shortcuts I and II are mutually exclusive though:   

Shortcut I from Weedon to Rowsham cuts out 6.2 km length and 84m ascent/descent (lunch in Weedon);   

Shortcut II from Hardwick to Aston Abbotts cuts out 2.8 km length and 51m descent/re-ascent (lunch in Hardwick or Aston Abbotts).   

Several useful bus stops are passed en route and have a Sunday service (check the route map for their exact location):

 ·        Lines 60 (Buckingham-Aylesbury) and X60 (Milton Keynes-Aylesbury) travel along the A413 through Hardwick (an early lunch stop) and Whitchurch (a later lunch stop). Between them, they provide an at least hourly service Mondays to Saturdays and some buses on Sundays/Bank Holidays;

 ·        Lines 100, 101 and 150 (Milton Keynes-Leighton Buzzard-Aylesbury) run along the A418, with stops at Rowsham (8 km from the end of the walk) and Bierton (5 km from the end). Between them, they provide a frequent service Mondays to Saturdays, and a two-hourly one on Sundays/Bank Holidays.

 

Lunch: Four Pubs on or just off route, after 5.3, 7.0, 9.6 and 14.5 km respectively (for details, see webpage or pdf).

Tea: A plethora of options in Aylesbury City Centre (see the Walk Directions pdf), recommended is: The King’s Head in the King’s Head Passage, just off Market Square. 

 

For summary, route map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.194