Sunday Walk – Barnes to Putney

Extra Walk 261 (second half only) – Barnes to Putney

Length: About 11 km (7 miles). Toughness: 1/10

10:44 Windsor & Eton train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:48, Clapham Jct 10:54, etc), arriving Barnes (TfL Zone 3) at 11:03. If you just miss this and take the 10:50 Woking train you can either get off at Barnes (11:09) and walk quickly to catch up, or stay on the train to Barnes Bridge (11:11) and wait for the group there.

At Putney you can return from the mainline station to Clapham Jct & Waterloo, or on the District Line from Putney Bridge. Both these stations are in Zone 2.

On this short New Years Eve walk you'll soon reach Chiswick House and after a little circuit of its grounds you could break for refreshments on the picnic lawn by the lake or in the Chiswick House café. If you choose to carry on there are plenty of alternative places on the next stretch, with five riverside pubs before you reach Hammersmith Bridge.

The bridge is open to pedestrians and if you reach it before 1pm I suggest crossing the river to complete the walk on the south bank, since Fulham have a home game against Arsenal and the area around Craven Cottage will be thronged with footie fans. However, if you pass the ground after the 2pm kick-off the north bank route should be fine; you can then explore the grounds of Fulham Palace and Bishop's Park before reaching Putney Bridge. A Wetherspoons on the south bank has become the favoured watering-hole for SWC walks ending at Putney, but bear in mind that the trains and tubes will be pretty crowded after about 4pm.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.261.r page. If you're printing it, you can click the Riverside Walk option to leave out the directions you won't need.

Sunday Walk - Hook to Winchfield

Length: 20.0 km (12.4 mi) [for longer and shorter options check the webpage or the pdf]

Ascent/Descent: 154m

Net Walking Time: ca. 4 to 4 ½ hours

Toughness: 3 out of 10  

 

Take the 09.05 Basingstoke train from Waterloo (calls CJ, W’don, S’ton, Woking etc), arrives Hook 10.14. 

Return trains from Winchfield: xx.27 (67 mins journey time; shave off 10 mins by changing at Woking). 

Buy a return to Hook.

 

The start of this walk is affected by Hook's proximity to the noisy M3, but after crossing it on the edge of Bartley Heath nature reserve the motorway is soon out of earshot. The walk then alternates between stretches alongside the River Whitewater and the Basingstoke Canal, with the weatherbeaten ruins of Odiham Castle at their intersection. After passing through the attractive village of Greywell with its ancient church and mill the route doubles back to a lunch stop in the elegant town of Odiham, with its wide Georgian-fronted High Street.

In the afternoon the walk rejoins the canal at Odiham Wharf and continues along the towpath to Broad Oak Bridge, where there is a choice of routes (see Walk Options below). The Main Walk goes through the extensive Dogmersfield Park estate (once a royal hunting ground) and past Tundry Pond to rejoin the canal at Blacksmith's Bridge. It then heads back along the towpath before going across fields and along country lanes to Winchfield station. 

 

Lunch: The Bel & the Dragon (food to 15.00) or the Red Lion (food all day), both adjacent to each other in Odiham (9.3 km). Ten minutes further on the walk route passes The Waterwitch (Chef & Brewer, food all day). 

Tea: The Winchfield Inn.

 

For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.84

Tonbridge Circular via Tudeley

Length: up to 16½ km (10.3 miles), with shorter options. Toughness: 2/10

Train: 10:08 Hastings train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 10:11, London Bridge 10:17, arriving Tonbridge at 10:52. If this train is cancelled, then use the 9.59 and/or 10.16 trains to Tonbridge.

Return Trains:  xx:07; xx:13; xx:37: xx:44

Ticket:  Buy a return ticket to Tonbridge

Walk out of Tonbridge through parkland, farm fields and orchards.  The beautiful stained glass windows by Marc Chagall in Tudeley Church Chagall windows should not be missed. 

Lunch:  Poacher & Partridge is the lunch time pub, but if this is too busy, you can have lunch on your return to Tonbridge which should only be about an hour’s walk from here. 

Tea:  Many lovely tearooms in Tonbridge, if you arrive in time.

Please see the full walk post for options on extending the walk if you wish and bearing in mind that possible flood prevention construction works in Haysden Country Park may have closed some paths.  

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.220 – clicking 'Main' on the Walk Options.  This will cut out the directions for the Capel extension, which needs a longer day.

 

Saturday Walk - Coulsdon South to Whyteleafe

Length: 14¾ km (9.2 miles). Toughness: 4/10

This is a variation on the Whytleafe circular and has a variety of options to shorten the walk. The stations are in zone 6.

Trains: Get the 1008 Reigate train from London Victoria (Clapham 1015, East Croydon 1026) arriving Coulsdon South 1035. There are also trains from London Bridge arriving 10 minutes before or 9 minutes after 1035. Return from Upper Warlingham to Victoria at xx:02 & xx:32, or Whyteleafe to London Bridge at xx:01 & xx:31; both via East Croydon.

Lunch: The Fox (01883-340737) on Coulsdon Common, reached after 6.5 km. This is the only place on the walk route, but shortly before reaching it you could detour to The Boundary on the Green (01883-818087) in the Caterham Barracks development, which had a positive report from a Sunday walk in August.

Tea: the small Pavilion Café open to around 4.30pm, in the Recreation Ground, a friendly place serving hot drinks and a selection of home-made cakes.

On the A22 between the two stations are the refurbished Whyteleafe Tavern and the Radius Arms micro-pub

T=swc.363

Saturday Walk - A Ridgewalk in the nearby West Country: Kintbury to Great Bedwyn

Length: 21.7 km (13.5 mi)

Ascent/Descent: 276/245m

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours

Toughness: 5 out of 10 

 

Take the 09.05 Newbury train from Paddington (Reading 09.33), change at Newbury (09.54/10.11) onto the Bedwyn train. Arrives Kintbury 10.18. 

Return trains from Bedwyn: xx.41 (change at Newbury, 78 mins journey time). 

Buy a return to Bedwyn.

 

This walk has a decidedly West Country feel, far removed from the more manicured charms of the Home Counties. In the morning, it passes through an idyllic series of woods and pastures, with largely gentle gradients.

It then climbs up to Inkpen Hill (290m), and follows a long ridge, giving views as dramatic, but even more unspoiled, than any on the South Downs.

The rest of the walk follows the Test Way, a broad track along the top of this ridge, before descending to the valley and the pretty village of Great Bedwyn.

 

Lunch: Picnic. 

Tea: The Three Tuns (no website). 

 

For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=2.9