Length: Length: 16¾ km (10.4 miles). Toughness: 5/10
09:41 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 9:48), arriving Box Hill & Westhumble at 10:37
Buy a return to Box Hill & Westhumble or Dorking (same price). If you want the option to do one of the alternative endings (see the walk document for details), get a return to Dorking.
Return trains from Boxhill are at xx:35 to Waterloo & xx:46 to Victoria (from Dorking at xx.32 to Waterloo, xx.17 and xx.43 to Victoria
You may recognise the villages of Betchworth and Brockham from another walk, but this walk offers some novelty: the inside of a large chalk quarry (and maybe its pair of peregrine falcons), fine views across parkland towards the North Downs and there's an opportunity to visit the ruins of Betchworth Castle (detour at point 41 in the directions).
The Red Lion in Betchworth (01737-843336) has been well received by past walkers. You may wish to call in advance but their website says they accept walk-ins with no booking. Fifteen minutes further on the walk route also passes the Dolphin (01737-842288), for which booking ahead is advised.
Not long after Betchworth, you arrive in Brockham where it's worth stopping for a drink at the friendly The Royal Oak and Meerkt Retreat pub. In its garden, you'll find the family of meerkats. The pub also serves traditional pub food.
The church in Brockham sometimes offers Teas on the Green with home-made cakes.
The Village Hall contains the Reading Room Coffee and Cake House and a Real Ale pub, The Taphouse.
For end of walk refreshment, there is the Stepping Stones pub near Box Hill station
For full details and to download your copy of the directions see the L=swc.396 page.
4 comments:
What about Kelvedon or somewhere in Essex?
Thanks for the suggestion Marc. Apologies but I can't easily get to Kelvedeon or Essex this Saturday but i've added it to the Walk Requests section of the website so that other walk posters can consider it.
The church teas in Brockham are fabulous: they are the greatest church teas in the world, basically. But alas, they are served on SUNDAYS and bank holidays ONLY.
Someone said there were n-n-n n=19 but by the time we got to Betchworth, I reckon at least t-t-t n=21
A w=hot-sunny day, just what you need for a steep climb up Britain’s highest mountain (felt like it, anyway). The others shot up lilke mountain goats. Not so Mr Tiger, who lumbered up like an overburdened yak.
And what happened when we got to the top? We come down again. Sigh.
En route, at least 2 more joined, having taken an easier start from Dorking (what a less charitable person might call cheating).
After a lot more walking, and the ordeal of ‘nettle alley’, the Red Lion was reached. At last. Cider!
On further to Brockham where most partook of tea in the Village Tearoom. But not before going to coo over the meerkats in the Royal Oak. Some drank there too.
Then back to Westhumble, admiring buttercups on the way. Next stop, the Stepping Stones where there was a huge queue for drinks. (Annoyingly, other people had decided to visit Box Hill for the day) After quenching throats it was home time. Another grand day out.
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