Length: 15 km (9.3 miles). Toughness: 3/10
10:10 Tattenham Corner train from London Bridge (Norwood Jct 10:23, East Croydon 10:28) arrives Tattenham Corner at 11:08.
Return trains from Tattenham Corner are half-hourly at xx:15 and xx:45. If you want a short walk, you could finish not long after lunch at Tadworth station, where the same train calls at xx:19 and xx:49. You can use Oyster at both stations (London travel card zone).
Tattenham Corner station was built to serve Epsom Downs Racecourse and you soon get a fine view along its finishing straight towards the Grandstand. A ridge walk along Walton Downs then takes you to what was once arable farmland in Langley Vale but is now transformed by the Woodland Trust into First World War Centenary Wood, with poignant sculptures in new plantations and autumn colours. After an undulating route through this extensive site a sustained gentle climb brings you to the lunch stop in Walton on the Hill , with its attractive village pond. The afternoon section starts with an optional loop around the partly-wooded Banstead Heath (part of Banstead Commons). The rest of the walk is similar to the outward leg in reverse: past riding stables, through another part of the Centenary Wood and over Walton Downs to the racecourse.
The suggested lunch pub is the Blue Ball in Walton on the Hill, with the Village Café as an alternative and benches next to Mere Pond where you can munch sandwiches. If returning to Tattenham Corner, at the end of the walk you can grab a takeaway drink and snack from the Downs Lunch Box kiosk or relax in a large and newly-refurbished Young's pub. There are also a couple of cafes in the small high street.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.398. Click on Option "i" to only download today's written directions (or Main Walk if you want to include the Heath loop).
1 comment:
N=16 gathered at the station and were soon off. A w=misty-start-clearing-to-cloudy
A confusing array of fences led to us walking down the wrong (left) side of the racecourse. This took us through long wet grass, creating a flurry of wet socks. At one point we were even asked to move further away from the fence, through deeper, wetter grass.
When we reached the fancy sculpture thing in Centenary Wood, a Woodland Trust rep was waiting to give us a talk on the woods. We listened avidly.
14 managed to give the slower 2 the slip but there was a reunion of sorts in the Blue Ball.
Lunch looked posh and most went for it. There was a bit of a delay due to a large group ahead of us. This resulted in a decision to do a curtailed loop p.m. and head for Tadworth. That’s the excuse and we’re sticking to it.
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