Evening Walk - The Grand Union Canal and an Iron Age hillfort site in the Borough of Ealing: Perivale Circular via Horsenden Hill

Length: 5.3 km (3.3 mi)

Ascent/Descent: 95m

Net Walking Time: 1 ¼ hrs

 

Meet: Perivale Station at 18.45 hours. Perivale station is on the West Ruislip branch of the Central Line, and in Zone 4. Travel time from Bond Street is 24 minutes.

 

You hit the Grand Union Canal and walk along its towpath, then cross a couple of meadows to climb the mostly wooded Horsenden Hill (an Iron Age hillfort site) and descend to a pub. Retreat to the tube along a tarmac path, then a road pavement.

Note: The meadows and the descent off the hill to the pub are mud-prone in places, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary (famous last words and all that).

Eat/Drink: The Ballot Box at Horsenden Hill (a Hungry Horse pub, i.e.: Greene King, open to 23.00, food to 21.00).

For walk directions, map, and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.4

Farningham Road to Sole Street

Length 17.2 km (10.7 miles), 3/10

An early posting because I will be away. This walk, not far from London, worked well in February last year. Kent countryside, villages and lanes with "brief glimpses into the past" along the way with a characterful lunch pub.

Travel: 0942 from Victoria (Denmark Hill 0952, Bromley South 1006), arriving 1021. Return trains hourly at 32 past the hour with an extra one at 1702. Get a return to Sole Street.

Lunch: The Ship Inn, Southfleet, Tel. 01474 833238, got a good reception previously. It is 9.5km (about 6 miles) into the walk. It's a 13th century building made from the timbers of a ship that ran aground in the river Fleet!

Tea: The Railway Inn, Sole Street is just next to the station and makes a good place to wait if you've just missed a train back.

For walk directions, map and GPX click here

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Sunday Walk – Shoeburyness to Leigh-on-Sea

Extra Walk 355 (in reverse) – Shoeburyness to Leigh-on-Sea

Length: Around 12½ km (7.8 miles). Toughness: 1/10

10:35 Shoeburyness train from Fenchurch Street (Limehouse 10:40, West Ham 10:45, Barking 10:51 etc), arriving there at 11:52. The simplest ticket is a return to Shoeburyness, but you can save a pound or two by getting singles in each direction as c2c have implemented the new fares policy (off-peak single = half the price of a return).

Trains back from Leigh-on-Sea are every 15 minutes or so, at xx:15, xx:29, xx:45 & xx:59. The walk route never strays far from the railway line and you could cut the walk short at any of the five intermediate stations along the way.

I'd been planning a newish walk on the North Kent marshes but the resident waders and other sea birds will be enjoying its squelchy conditions rather more than we would, so I'll substitute this coastal walk on the other side of the Thames. Mud shouldn't be a problem here as most of the walk appears to be along the seafront promenade. In the four years it's been on the SWC website it's only had one feedback comment (from an intrepid pair of independent walkers) and this is its début as a group walk.

The outline notes for this walk actually describe it in the opposite direction, but Leigh looks to be a far livelier place to end up. You'd also have the option of carrying on past Leigh and finishing in Benfleet, using the directions in §B of the Benfleet Circular via Leigh walk. Anyway, I'm going to exercise the walk poster's prerogative and specify an east-to-west walk (and hope that there isn't a westerly gale blowing on Sunday).

The walk notes mention several possible refreshment stops along the way, although without any specific recommendations. The greatest choice is presumably on Southend's seafront, which you'll reach in about an hour and a half. Their establishments will surely welcome out-of-season walk-in customers, so just choose somewhere which appeals. You'll also find plenty of pubs and tea rooms along Leigh's High Street; the Crooked Billet pub at the far end (nearest the station) seems to be the favoured watering-hole.

NB. The notes highly recommend walking out and back along the ridiculously long Southend Pier (£1); or you could take the pier railway which glides out and back every half hour, leaving at xx:00 & xx:30 (about £6, half price for oldies).

Please print off the walk notes from the L=swc.355.rev page, even though there shouldn't be any directional challenges doing it in reverse (head for the beach at Shoeburyness, turn right and keep the sea on your left).

Sunday Walk - Hidden valleys of the southern Chilterns - Henley Circular via Stonor

Length: 22.2 km (13.8 mi) (Shortcut and Short Walk possible, see the webpage or the pdf for details]

Ascent/Descent: 480m

Net Walking Time: 5 ½ hours

Toughness: 6 out of 10

 

Take the 09.38 Didcot Parkway train from Paddington (09.54 Slough), change at Twyford (10.07/10.15), arrives Henley-on-Thames 10.27.  

Return trains: 17.00, 17.30, 18.30, 19.00, 20.00 (change at Twyford, from 49 mins journey time).

Twyford is also served by Crossrail (aka the Elizabeth Line).

 

Henley is normally thought of as a riverside town but, as this walk demonstrates, it is also on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills, a charming area of hidden valleys, mixed woodland and farmland, and largely gentle slopes (although the main walk does have one substantial steep hill after lunch). The walk takes you up one side and down the other of the long valley leading up to Stonor, with plenty of charming views and some fine beechwoods en route. This is also a wonderful walk in which to see red kites, a bird of prey that has been successfully re-introduced here, and which can often be seen wheeling slowly overhead.

 

Lunch: Picnic (the only remining pub on this route is passed after just 5 km, ie way too early.

Tea: a plethora of options in Henley, you will all have your favourites (see the webpage for details).

 

For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions/options and gpx/kml files click here. T=2.6

Cowden to Eridge

Length: 19.5km (12.1 miles) or 16.5km(10.3 miles) if you don't go to Hartfield for lunch. (directions for shortcut in walk details).

This is a beautiful walk in classic Weald territory of pasture, woods and hills.  In the lunchtime village of Hartfield you will find Pooh Corner, selling all kinds of paraphernalia relating to A.A. Milne's famous creation (including the official Rules for Poohsticks).

Toughness 4 out of 10

Trains: 10.07  from London Bridge arrives Cowden 10.53.

Return trains from Eridge run hourly at xx.50 

Buy a day return to Eridge

Lunch: The Anchor Inn Church Street, Hartfield, TN7 4AG (01892 770424

Food served noon - 1.45pm Sun).

Located 10 km from the start of the walk

The Dorset Arms Withyham, TN7 4BD (01892 770278 /

Food served noon - 2pm. Located 7 km from the end of the walk,

Tea: The Huntsman pub, Groombridge Lane Eridge (01892 864258) is open from 12 - 6pm on Sunday. Food is served between 12 and 4pm.

For walk directions, map and GPS click here

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Saturday Walk - Three rivers, two castles, one very pretty town and a coastal nature reserve: Rye Figure Of Eight

Length: 20.9 km (13.0 mi) [Longer and Shorter Walks possible, see below] 

Ascent/Descent: 110m

Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours

Toughness: 2 out of 10 

 

Take the 09.37 Dover Priory train from St. Pancras (Stratford I’nal 09.44), change at Ashford (10.14/10.24), arriving Rye 10.46. 

Return trains: xx.48 (from 66 mins journey time).  

Buy a Rye (Sussex) return, with High Speed Surcharge.

 

Perched on its sandstone outcrop, the medieval hilltop town of Rye was an important member of the Cinque Ports confederation. However, great storms in the 13^thC changed the coastline in this part of the south-east and the town now lies 3 km from the sea, at the confluence of three rivers. A small fishing fleet at Rye Harbour maintains the town's tenuous link with the sea, and the many places with ‘salt’ in their name testify that it was once a centre for preserving the catch. 

The walk consists of two loops around the town in a Figure-of-8, with stretches alongside all three rivers. The northern loop is across the undulating Wealden countryside between the Tillingham and Rother rivers, a varied landscape of sheep pasture, arable farmland and orchards, ending with a riverside stretch on the edge of Walland Marsh. The southern loop has a completely different character, taking in part of the large area of reclaimed land between the Brede and Rother rivers designated as Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, “a mosaic of shingle, saltmarsh, saline lagoons, coastal grazing marsh, freshwater gravel pits and reedbeds”. In between, the town's historic centre (known as the Citadel) has so many attractive buildings that there is an extra loop around its cobbled streets to appreciate them. 

The walk also reveals the threats of invasion over many centuries, a consequence of Rye's vulnerable location on the English Channel. In the town itself Ypres Tower (jocularly pronounced Wipers) and the Landgate are remnants of its fortification against French raids in the Hundred Years War. The same enemy also led to the construction of forts such as Camber Castle in the Tudor period and many Martello Towers in the Napoleonic era. Concrete blockhouses and pillboxes scattered around Rye Harbour are reminders of a different enemy in the last century. 

If you are not in a hurry, Rye has several visitor attractions which are worth considering. See the webpage for details.

 

Walk Options: 

A Long Walk extends the morning section by taking in more of the undulating countryside north of the town, going out as far as the village of Iden before looping back (in another Figure-of-8) via Playden. 

If you want to spend more time exploring Rye, the Short Walk cuts out most of the afternoon section, only venturing as far as Camber Castle and Castle Water.

The loops making up these options could be switched around or even done separately as half-day walks. 

The Harbour Walk is essentially the full afternoon section with an optional short loop over Rye Hill at the end for variety. This Extension duplicates part of the Long Walk but it also makes a worthwhile addition to the Short Walk.  

 

Lunch: Plenty of options in Rye, plus one pub earlier on in Iden. See the webpage or the pdf for details. 

Tea: Plenty of options in Rye, see the webpage or the pdf for details.

 

For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.365