Deepdene Trail : Dorking via Brockham

SWC Walk 364 – The Deepdene Trail: Dorking via Brockham Circular

Length: Length: up to 16km (10 miles). Toughness: ~5/10

10:41 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:48, Balham 10:53 etc ...), arriving Dorking at 11:40

Buy a return to Dorking Stations.

Return trains from Dorking are xx:17, xx:53: to Victoria and xx:32 to Waterloo

This walk has only been posted once before, on a Sunday. I haven't done it myself but its web page says "This walk is mostly gentle over wide surfaced parks, so besides rhododendron flowering in spring, it would make a lovely mud free winter walk". So this seems a good time to give it a try, even though it's too early for rhododendrons.

The recommeded route today is to follow the GPX/map route on the SWC site. You start with a tour of the restored woodland gardens of Thomas Hope's Deepdene Estate (and Coady, the cast of an original Coade stone lion) and climb to the Terrace with its viewpoint. From here, take the southerly part of the loop across Betchworth Park, along surfaced paths across fields with open views of the Downs to Brockham. After lunch in Brockham, the northerly part of the loop leads back to Dorking via Glory Wood and the Terrace. There's an optional short out-and-back extension to the ruins of Betchworth Castle. Back at the gardens, at the ridge viewpoint, there's another short out-and-back loop to visit the Hope Mausoleum, the only surviving building from the original 17thC estate.

For lunch in Brockham there's:

Inn on the Green (01737-845101). I'd recommend booking ahead as it's Mother's Day this weekend.

Inside the Village Hall, you'll find The Taphouse (a public open bar, whose website says it is "Home to the £3 pint" and advertises a range of beer, real ales, wine, cider, soft drinks as well as pasties from Nelly's Farm

the Reading Room Coffee and Cake House.

Back in Dorking, there are several refreshment choices, including Cake Rider at 7 South Street, several pubs in Dorking town centre, as well as the usual chain coffee shops.

Please remember that these walks don't have a leader so come prepared with the SWC gps route and/or map from L=swc.364 page. It's also recommended to bring a ‘Map of the Trail’ from the Deepdene Trail websbite (there's also an app).