Wednesday walk - Guildford circular via Watts Gallery

T=2.12.a

Length: 13.4km (8.3 miles)

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

Trains: Catch the 10.00 Guildford train from London Waterloo (10.25 Woking) arriving Guildford 10.32.  From Clapham Junction, you can take the 9.57 train to Woking (10:15) and change for the above Guildford train.

There are several trains an hour from Guildford back to London, some faster than others.

Lunch: Watts Gallery tea shop in Compton (01483 813590), located 6.2km (3.8 miles) into the walk, serves cakes, soups, sandwiches, salads, and hot savouries.

The Withies Inn, Compton (01483 421158) Compton is situated 7.2km (4.5 miles) into the walk.

Tea: Various options in Guildford.

This walk is one of the options described in the L=2.12.a

Evening Walk - Illuminated River: up to nine lit Thames Bridges (Tower Hill to Vauxhall or Battersea Power Station)

Length: up to 9.1 km 

Net Walking Time: up to 2 hours

 

Meet at 18.30 hours prompt outside Tower Hill Underground (Trinity Square Exit).

 

Transport: Tower Hill is served by District and Circle Lines, and has Tower Gateway DLR and Fenchurch Street Mainline Stations just around the corner. Vauxhall is served by the Victoria Line and by Mainline trains out of Waterloo. Battersea Power Station is the terminus of a branch of the Northern Line.

 

Late Start Points = Early Dropouts are aplenty: Monument/London Bridge, Cannon Street, Mansion House, Embankment/Charing X/Waterloo, Westminster, Vauxhall.

 

The aim of this walk is to see most if not all of the nine bridges participating in the Illuminated River Installation (https://illuminatedriver.london/bridges) at least from distance, while avoiding road traffic and Christmas Markets as much as possible. Meet at Tower Hill, walk down to the Tower then the Thames, and – with views of Tower Bridge, the most easterly of the lit bridges – turn right upstream. Keep to the Northbank to Blackfriars Bridge and cross over to the Southbank. Continue past Southbank Centre and Festival Gardens (Christmas Market contamination) to Vauxhall (6 km into the walk). 

 

Then walk on for another 3 km through the wilds of Nine Elms with its many diversions away from the Thames around assorted ‘Luxury’ developments all the way to the spanking new Power Station area with its tube station. Completists will want to initially bypass Battersea Power Station to dive under Chealsea Bridge for a gawp at the most westerly of the lit bridges: Albert Bridge, before returning to the tube station (or an establishment furnishing us with drinks and food).

 

Refreshments: Plenty en route and at the end. T=short.57

#/test/thomas/Illuminated-River-Tower-Hill-to-Battersea-Power-Station.gpx

Sunday Walk: St Margarets Circular

12.6 km (7.8 mi), Difficulty1/10
Ancient tracks and green lanes lead us through  the quiet, rolling Hertfordshire countryside and back along the Lea Navigation  We'll take Shortcut 1 which reduces the length to 12.6 km (7.8 miles). Our lunch stop is in Wareside 3.6 miles into the walk.
Trains
Get the 09:57 Audley End train from Liverpool St and change at Tottenham Hale onto the Hertford East train (arr 10:10, dep 10:26 same platform, 4), arriving St Margarets at 10:52.
You might prefer to take the Victoria Line to Tottenham Hale and catch the second train there (10:26).
That Hertford East train starts from Stratford at 10:15, which may suit Eastenders.
Return trains at xx:17 and xx:47 changing again at Tottenham Hale.
Lunch
Chequers Inn,  Ware Road, Wareside (01920 467 010).
Tea
There are several pubs on your approach to St Margarets
The Jolly Fisherman'  Station Road, Stanstead St. Margarets, (01920 870 125). A McMullen’s pub.
The Oak, 36 High Street, Stanstead Abbotts (01920 877 294).
The Red Lion, 1 High Street, Stanstead Abbots, (01920 410 056). One of the oldest buildings in the area.   
Directions: here. We’ll be taking shortcut 1.   t=swc.165

Sunday Walk - Short hilly walk with longer options: Hassocks to Upper Beeding or the coast

Stargazer is away

 

Length: 16.3 km (10.1 mi) [longer walk possible and recommended, see below]

Ascent/Descent: 465/514m

Net Walking Time: 4 ¼ hours

Toughness: 5/10

 

Take the 09.39 Brighton train from London Bridge (East Croydon 09.53), arrives Hassocks 10.35. 

From Victoria, take the 09.32 Brighton train (Clapham J 09.38, East Croydon 09.49), arrives Hassocks 10.28, and wait. 

Return buses from Upper Beeding (Line 2 to Shoreham-by-Sea Station with 15 mins journey time) are on xx.27 to 17.27, then 18.36. 

Return trains from Shoreham are on xx.44 (direct to Victoria, 77 mins journey time) and at xx.05 (via Brighton, 101 minutes journey time). 

Buy a Shoreham-by-Sea return. 

 

Longer Walk:

 ·        Valley Ending to Upper Beeding (adds 2.5 km, may be waterlogged);

 ·        Finish in Shoreham or at Fishersgate Station, closer to London (add up to 5 km).

The longer finishes in Shoreham or Fishersgate avoid the dependence on the hourly bus with a tight connection to the train. There will be light for walking until 16.30. 

 

Lunch: The Wildflour Cafe (7 km, open 10.00-16.00) or The Devil’s Dyke Pub (9 km, food all day), both in Poynings. 

Tea: Kings Head, Upper Beeding or two hotels/restaurants in Bramber nearby. Plenty of choice in Shoreham. Check the webpage or the pdf.

 

For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=2.23