Wednesday Walk - Marston Vale: Stewartby to Ridgmont [New Walk]

Posted for the walk author who will be present

 

Length: 19.3 km (12.0 mi) 

Ascent/Descent: 238/194m 

Net Walking Time: 4 ¼ hours

Toughness : 3 out of 10

 

Both stations can be reached either from Euston via Bletchley, or from St Pancras via Bedford.

Take the 09.45 Corby service from St. Pancras (EMR platforms upstairs, BZ6 tickets will not be valid) and change at Bedford (10.25/10.47) onto the Bletchley train (the station has a coffee shop), reaching Stewartby at 11.00. 

Return trains are at xx.09 (e.g. 16.09) to Bedford/St. Pancras or xx.12 to Bletchley/Euston. 

Buy a Ridgmont Return.     

This is a first posting. The walk follows the South and West shores of Stewartby Lake before turning North to Lower Shelton and across farmland. Next you head West through the lovely woods of Marston Thrift to Cranfield. The route then largely follows a Sustrans cycle route heading South, but it makes for excellent and surprisingly remote walking to Holcot Wood. Finally head South-West across open countryside, largely following the John Bunyan Trail to Brogborough and Ridgmont station.

Lunch: The Swan/Gurkha Kitchen, 2 Court Road, Cranfield. 11.7 kms in to the walk. This specialises in Nepalese, Indian and Chinese cuisine, including some vegetarian dishes. Or the Cross Keys, 159 High Street, Cranfield. This adds 700 metres to the distance (largely on road).

Note that Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre (the tea stop) will not be open. The short cuts in the text were intended to make sure you got there before closing, so best to stick to the main route.

For walk directions, map, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.404

Sunday Walk – Oxted Circular (short walk)

SWC Walk 63b – Oxted Circular (short walk)

Length: 11½ km (7.2 miles). Toughness: 3/10

10:21 East Grinstead train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:28, East Croydon 10:39), arriving Oxted at 11:00. See below for a late start option.

Trains back from Oxted are at xx:29 & xx:59.

This short walk was last posted on a thoroughly wet day in January when the only report was from two ‘walk inspectors’ who'd driven to the lunch pub. If the weather gods are more favourable this time you'll enjoy a mix of open and wooded sections going up and over the Greensand Hills, returning via the Carpenters Arms on Limpsfield Chart. This rarely seems able to offer walk-ins Sunday lunch but you could simply carry on to Limpsfield and Oxted after a quick pit stop. There are several other pubs and coffee shops here, with the Wetherspoons next to Oxted station being a convenient watering-hole.

* Late Starters: Anyone taking the train half an hour later should be able to catch up the main group at the Carpenters Arms by doing the ‘morning short cut’ (§C instead of §M, making a 10 km walk).

Please bring the directions from the L=swc.63.b page. If you're printing them from this page, clicking 'Short' on the Walk Options line will include both Short Walk options and save 4 or 5 sheets of paper.

Sunday Walk - Laindon Circular: Essex Hills, wooded Nature Reserves and panoramic Thames Valley Views

This worked well last December (less mud than expected, brilliant pub stop, ample time to complete the walk before darkness), so why not do it again, with an earlier train for more time at the pub and/or the cafe, i.e. getting there before it closes?

 

Length: 20.9 km (13.0 mi) 

Ascent/Descent: 336m 

Net Walking Time: 4 ¾ hours 

Toughness: 5/10

[shorter versions possible, see below]

Take the 09.18 Shoeburyness train from Fenchurch Street (Limehouse 09.22, West Ham 09.27, Barking 09.33, Upminster 09.42), arrives Laindon 09.54. 

Return trains: on xx.27 or xx.57.

This is an energetic and varied figure-of-eight walk through some tranquil, hilly parts of Essex, mostly through woods, both ancient and modern, and through flower-rich meadows and some farmland, which are all parts of Langdon Hills Country Park and the neighbouring Langdon Nature Reserve (which itself consists of five separate reserves). The hills form a crescent shaped ridge running West-to-East, giving panoramic views over the Thames Estuary from many points: out to Canvey Island and Fobbing Marshes in the East, across to Kent and to London’s Skyline in the West.

The lunch destination Horndon-on-the-Hill is a conservation area and features several noteworthy buildings as well as a multi award-winning pub. On the return you walk through more beautiful, undulating woods and then through the Dunton Plotlands part of the Nature Reserve, an interesting area formerly full of bungalows and chalets for Londoners, now with a brand-new large visitor centre and café.

Disclaimer: This walk contains some arable field crossings around lunch (about 1km in total), where it is also afflicted by some road noise from the nearby A13 for a while.

Walk Options: 

Shortcuts cut out 2.4 km (1.5 mi) and 2.6 km (1.6 mi) respectively. 

Cutting out the outer loop to Horndon-on-the-Hill reduces the walk by 5.5 km.

 

Lunch: The Bell Inn (food 12.00-18.00, a table has been booked for 12.15) or The Swan Inn (food served 12.30-16.00) in Horndon-on-the-Hill (10.4 km/6.4 mi). 

Tea: Langdon Visitor Centre in Dunton Plotlands (café open to 16.00, 3.1 km from the end of the full walk).

 

For summary, map, height profile, some photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.114

Saturday Walk - Otford Circular, via Shoreham

Length: 14 km (8.7 miles).

 Toughness: 5/10

For today the directions for the Main Walk are suggested; there are plenty of shortcuts in the directions if you wish to follow one of these.

 Travel:  10.29 Charing X; 10.32 W’Loo East; 10.38 London Bridge; 10.59 Swanley; arrives Otford 11.07

Returns: xx.05 and xx38 from Otford

 Could end walk after lunch in Shoreham by walking to Shoreham station.  Trains xx.02 and xx.32 changing at Swanley.

 Ticket type: Return to Otford

 The walk starts with a stiff climb to the top of Otford Mount then through the secluded valley of Magpie Bottom, one of several small nature reserves in the area managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. A steep descent through the wooded White Hill brings you to the attractive village of Shoreham and lunch.  After lunch we walk through Meenfield Wood, down to Polehill Bank Nature Reserve, picking up the Darent Valley Path for an easy stretch back into Otford, an attractive village with many interesting old buildings.

 Lunch:  There is a good choice of lunch places (pubs and Hospices of Hope café in Shoreham, after around 6 km. 

 Tea:  Hospices of Hope or pubs.  Some of us had the most delicious cakes recently in the Hospices of Hope (open 9am – 4pm).

 Short walk to the station from the High Street.

 Walk directions, map and GPX available here: L=swc.290

 

 

Saturday Walk - Chipstead to Kingswood

Length: 15¼ km (9.5 miles). Four hours walking time. There are various shorter options described

5 out of 10
T=swc.177

"This undulating walk takes in a varied landscape of ancient woodland, open downs and farmland. You will have plenty of company in the popular recreational areas of Banstead Wood and Chipstead Downs, but few dog-walkers venture across the railway into the network of footpaths, horse rides and quiet lanes which make up the walk's middle section.

On the other side of the railway a section along an open valley in Shabden Park and across a golf course takes you to an out-of-the-way pub for lunch.

The return route starts along a remote area of quiet country lanes and narrow paths, followed by a woodland path through the Shabden Park's Long Plantation. After going back across the railway the final section is around the southern edge of Banstead Wood and across farmland to Kingswood station."

This is a walk with loops, so gps followers take care! Always advisable to get the latest version of the instructions and gpx (Jan 24).

Trains: Get the 0940 Southern train from London Bridge to Caterham, Tattenham Corner (0958 East Croydon) arriving Chipstead 1025. This is on the Tattenham Corner branch of the line, the train splits at Purley. Return trains xx22 & xx52. Buy a return to Kingswood. These stations are on the same line and in Zone 6 so use Oyster.

Lunch: The suggested lunchtime stop is the Well House Inn (01737-830640) in Mugswell, after 5m, 8¼ km. Ramblers welcome & now seems to do food all day and have a large covered garden space.

Tea: The Waterhouse Café open to 3.30pm Mon–Fri on Waterhouse Lane. The alternative is the Kingswood Arms directly opposite the station.

Saturday Walk - Hill top villages in East Bucks. Panoramic views of The Chilterns and Aylesbury Vale : Cheddington to Leighton Buzzard

Length: 24.8 km (15.5 mi)

Ascent/Descent: 240/247m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ½ hours 

Toughness: 4 out of 10

 

Take the 09.09 Milton Keynes Central train from Euston (calls Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction), arriving Cheddington at 09.57.  

Return trains: xx.17 (fast), xx.42 (slow). 

Buy a Leighton Buzzard return.

 

Sunset in LB will be at 15.57, i.e. enough light for walking to 16.30.

 

A splendid walk through East Buckinghamshire’s rolling landscape of fields and wooded areas on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, linking up a handful of delightful hill top villages to provide panoramic views across pleasant countryside. Broadly following the Thames/Great Ouse watershed in the morning, it initially heads west, mostly with grand views of the Chilterns (when not walking in wooded areas), to then turn north with far views into Aylesbury Vale to the west, on to lunch pubs at either Aston Abbotts or Cublington.

The afternoon route is more level, but still features the hilltop village of Wing and ends with a fairly tranquil descent into Linslade (for Leighton Buzzard station).

Disclaimers: There are several arable field crossings to contend with, generally along well-cleared paths though. There is also a (relatively undramatic) level crossing of the dual carriageway Leighton Buzzard-bypass road near the end of the walk.

Lunch: No Pub Options, i.e. picnic. [The Unicorn in Cublington (13.9 km/8.7 mi) has been closed since 09/24 and there is a fundraiser to buy it as a Community Asset: https://savetheunicorn.org/, and (a little earlier and 250m off-route) the Royal Oak Inn in Aston Abbotts (11.5 km/7.1 mi) closed in 2021.]

Tea: several pubs listed in the directions, they are all in the Linslade part of town, i.e.: close to the station. There is also The Black Lion in Leighton Buzzard’s centre (at 20 High Street), a bit further away, which has been voted ‘CAMRA Pub of the Year Bedfordshire’ in its first year. Or The Bald Buzzard, a micropub at 6 Hockcliffe Street.

For walk directions, map, height profile, comments, and gpx/kml files click here.t=swc.195

Wednesday walk - Great Missenden to Amersham

 Length: 10.1 miles (16.3 km) with option to shorten to 6.5 miles (10.5 km) by following the South Bucks Way after The Crown pub in Little Missenden. Check the written directions for this.

Difficulty: 5 out of 10

Trains: Take the 9.57 from London Marylebone arriving Great Missenden 10.40.

Trains back to London Marylebone from Amersham run at xx.08 and xx.38. You can also get the Metropolitan line from Amersham to King's Cross and various stops in between at xx.16 and xx.46.

Tickets: Amersham is in zone 9. A travelcard for zones 1-9 (or a Freedom Pass) and a rail single from Amersham to Great Missenden on the way out (see notes) would allow you to return by either tube or train.

Lunch : For the main walk, The recommended pub is The Squirrel in Penn Street 01494 711291

The nearby Hit or Miss pub is another option.
01494 713109.

If taking the shortcut you will cut out the loop to Penn Street and might like to have an earlier lunch stop in Little Missenden The Red Lion (tel 01494 862 876) is a cosy old-fashioned pub and the food is basic but hearty.The Crown (tel 01494 862 571) is more rudimentary, offering pies, baked potatoes, sandwiches and soup (2024) from midday to 2pm.

Tea: Seasons Cafe Deli in Old Amersham is recommended. There are other options nearby.

For more details click on L=1.5

Evening Walk - Heiligabend (*) by the Thames: Southbank Winter Market and Winter by the River

Length: 5 km 

Ascent: none

Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hour

 

Meet: 18:30 at Westminster Tube Station at street level, by the only exit across the street from the Clock Tower (containing Big Ben), with Westminster Bridge to the left.

Finish: London Bridge Station

 

Easy walk along the South Bank of the Thames, taking in the Southbank Winter Market and Winter by the River, further along between London Bridge and Tower Bridge (then walk back to London Bridge, or take a bus). There will be food and drink stalls (including an apres-ski themed bar), knick-knacks, no doubt any amount of tacky Christmas gear but maybe also some useful and tasteful stuff, Stone Curling lanes and much more.

 

*) Winter by the River closes early on Heiligabend (Christmas Eve), which is why we are walking this the day before.

 

For a map, gpx/kml files, height profile and walk directions, click here .

T=short.69

Sunday Walk: Boston Manor Circular (new variant via Osterley Park)

Length: At a guess 8.5 miles, or 9.3 miles if completing the full walk to Northfields. Toughness: 2/10

This variant of walk 418, Boston Manor to Northfields takes you through Osterley Park using parts of walk 42 and short walk 22. 

Early in the walk you pass a giant cedar and two redwoods in Boston Manor Park. A stretch along the canal follows and, later you visit Osterley Park. (Entry to the Park is free, but there’s a charge to visit the House and Gardens).

Transport: Take the Piccadilly line tube (towards Heathrow) to arrive at Boston Manor (TfL Zone 4) by 11:00. It's about a 30-minute journey from central London. Return from either Boston Manor or Northfields, one stop nearer London on the same line. Plan your journey here.  

Directions

You are advised to use the combined map and gps files, available here (SWC.418 Alternative route via Osterley Park). There are sketchy written directions (below) but they are still unchecked. 

1. Start by following Walk 418 (Boston Manor to Northfields). After a stretch along the canal, you deviate from the original walk by taking a left over Trumpers Way Bridge (The first bridge after the motorway -white with big black letters on) You then ...
2. “Cross over Trumpers Way Bridge and continue over the railway line crossing. Turn left immediately after the crossing and follow the path, initially parallel with the railway line. 
3. Then veering right through Long Wood to eventually emerge onto Windmill Lane. Turn left and follow the road to the Hare and Hounds. 
4. Cross the road here (carefully) to a gap in the hedge to follow the path out onto the broad track in Osterley Park. Turn right on this track and follow until past the lake. Turn left at the lodge house to Osterley House (cafe). 
5. Now follow walk 42 in reverse (use the map) to the Plough at Norwood Green and onwards via Tentelow Wood to rejoin the canal at Top Lock."
6. Head north-east, back along the canal and, after a series of locks, you will find, off to the left, the Fox, a pleasant pub worth an afternoon visit. 
7. Then follow walk 418 back to Boston Manor station or further to Northfields.

Sources: 

Combined map and gps.

Walk 418

Walk 42

Short walk 22

Lunch. Two main options. The Osterley Park House café or the Plough (Tel 020 8574 1945) a little later in Norwood Green.

Tea an early-ish option is the Fox in Hanwell, 0208 5670060, near the canal. Good choice of drinks, reasonably priced (for London).

Near Boston Manor station, there’s the No.6 Coffee shop open till 4. If you do the short extension through Blondin Park you should be able to find more refreshment places along Northfield Avenue, and a pub, Ryan’s. There's also a community caff in Blondin Park itself, The sign says "open till 4".

If you would rather just stick to the main walk (418), be aware that the café in Brent Lodge Park is closed, so your lunch place is the Fox, in Hanwell 0208 5670060 t=swc.418.a

Sunday Walk - Rivers, Castles and a Nature Reserve on a Rye Figure of 8 Walk

SWC 365: Rye Figure of 8 Walk         t=swc.365

Train:  Take the 09.40 Margate train from London St. Pancras (Stratford 09.48), change at Ashford (10.18/10.24), arriving Rye 10.46. Return trains are at appx 47 past the hour.

Distance:  10.3 miles/ 16.5 km (longer (13.1/21km) and shorter (9 mile/14.5) options exist -- see the walk notes)

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

Rye is a charming medieval Cinque Port town perched atop a hill. From recollection, it is usually also very festive during the holiday season -- so I thought this Figure of 8 route would make a good Sunday outing with a chance to combine a walk with some festive holiday cheer. With the Figure of 8 configuration, you easily adjust the length of your walk to suit your interests. If you are not in a hurry, Rye has several visitor attractions which are worth considering. See the webpage for details. More information on and the instructions for the walk can be found here.

Lunch:  The suggested lunch stop (after 9¾ km) is the William the Conqueror pub (01797-223315) in Rye Harbour village, which specialises in Greek Cypriot dishes. The alternatives in this area are the Bosun's Bite café by the Lifeboat Station and the Lime Kiln Cafe (01797-360960) in the new Discovery Centre. There are also many pubs and other eateries to choose from in Rye, which you go through after around 6½ km on the Short Walk and 13 km on the Long Walk.

Tea:  There are a number of cafes and pubs in Rye for post walk refreshments.

Night Walk - Winter Solstice Walk to Stonehenge (it's on)

After the very successful Summer Solstice walk in June, it is obvious to look at "can we do The Double for the Winter Solstice"? Well...

Stonehenge is open and free to visit for the sunrise on Solstice Day, opening at 05.15 and closing again at 10.00 (for cleanup before re-opening later for the paid-for crowds). Sunrise is at 08.09. See more information here: https://production.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/solstice/Winter-Solstice-2025/ 

So, if we'd take the last train out from Waterloo to Salisbury (23.39-01.11) and assume a slower walking pace than in the summer (wetter and muddier ground, colder temperatures and probably less moonlight due to cloud cover), we'd arrive in the 06.30 to 07.00 window, about 90 minutes before sunrise, same as we did in the summer (we took 5 hours then if we deduct the time at the pub in Salisbury).

If anyone is interested in a group walk along those lines, please contact me or post a comment below and if there is a critical mass of people interested, I will post the walk (and be on it). 

Note: the elegant solution would be to start from Amesbury and walk the route in reverse, but there is of course no train/bus combination early enough on Sundays to do this. 

t=swc.67 

============================================================================================================================================= 

The winter solstice in astronomical terms occurs at 15.03 GMT on 21 Dec this year. Get wise about the solstices here: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/summer-winter-solstices-explained-how-sun-determines-longest-shortest-days and about the timing of the winter solstice here: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/time/when-winter-solstice-shortest-day. The sunrise out there on the day will be at 08.08 GMT.

Entrance is free to the area by the Stones (“the Monument Field”) from 05.15 hours. Presumably fewer people will be there than in June, but a lot of those people arrive the evening before with their flasks and blankets, or even days before with their tents and campervans and they will already be hogging the central area when we arrive, including self-declared druids, assorted hippies and other spiritual people, tourists from nearby and afar etc. But with some astute shuffling about we will get right close to the Stones and then into the centre circle and – maybe – even see the sun rise over the Stones.

In past years, the following rule regarding bags has been applied by English Heritage “Only small bags (approx. 30cm x 25cm x 15cm) will be allowed into the Monument Field and searches will be conducted.” Anyone still wanting to get into the ‘Monument Field’ therefore will need another SWC walker to guard their backpack. For all the dos and don’ts (no glass, pets, flames, drones, blades…) read more detail here: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/solstice/what-and-what-not-to-bring/. Although as we found in June, the checks can be cursory at best.

Arriving at the Stones too early can be dealt with by walking the Cursus Barrow Cemetery and Western Cursus extension, which is worth half an hour of walking (or just by ogling at all the other people and soaking in the atmosphere).

A Special Bus Service (Line 333) is run by Salisbury Reds between Stonehenge Car Park and Salisbury Station. Tickets can be pre-booked on the app. The 2025 timetable is available via a link from here .

 

As for the Walk

Stonehenge is 20.2 km into the full walk route, with the very most of the 288m total ascent done by then, so at daytime this would be worth 4 ½ hours of walking at most for the average SWC walker. Most of the route follows tarmac paths, roads, solid farm tracks or wide grassy tracks, so I don’t think the pace will be much slower at night than during the day (there are a couple of semi-tricky descents, one from Old Sarum, the other through a wood along a narrow path, but the latter can be avoided by following a road from Salterton Farm). But to be on the safe side, let’s add a cushion for slowness, food breaks and stuff going wrong (but how could it, we’re the SWC?), then this gets us to – say - 5 ½ hours from the station to Stonehenge.

The Morning Shortcut (starts 8.2 km into the walk) cuts 2.2 km of walking and may be useful if the pace is slower than assumed above, or more generally for slower walkers.

From Stonehenge, it is another 5.8 km to Amesbury and there is of course also another extension en route that can be walked.

The Walk Post 

Length: 26.0 km (16.1 mi) [shorter and longer options possible, see the webpage for details] 

Ascent/Descent: 288/268m

Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours

Toughness: 5 out of 10

Take the 23.39 Salisbury train from Waterloo (23.46 Clapham J, 00.08 Woking), arrives at 01.11.  

Meet outside the station building in the car park, to the right as you come out. 

Return buses from Amesbury (outside Library) to Salisbury Blue Boar Row (from 19 mins journey time): Line 8 (Activ8) - xx.27 and xx.57; Line X4 – xx.33. 

Return trains from Salisbury: xx.27 (fast) and xx.44 (slow). 

Buy an Anytime Return to Salisbury or Advance Singles.

This walk mostly follows the Avon Valley upstream from the quintessentially English Cathedral City of Salisbury with its many historic buildings, to Amesbury which claims to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settled around 8820 BCE. En route you rise out of the valley to the site of Salisbury’s earlier incarnation: Old Sarum, with its impressive hilltop location, banks and ditches, ruined remains of an earlier cathedral and supreme views across the Avon Valley and to the modern town.

A meandering route (to the lunch pubs) then crosses and recrosses the Avon while passing through several twee villages, dominated by mills, thatched walls and cottages and several impressive grand homes.

You then bear away from the Avon Valley to enter the very evocative Stonehenge World Heritage Site with its numerous pre-historic monuments: barrow cemeteries, large linear or non-linear earthworks and wooden and stone henges. All but two of the fifteen most prominent monuments in the Stonehenge area, as well as many more minor sites, are either passed on, or can at least be spotted from, the main walk or the various extensions and shortcuts.

Breakfast in Amesbury: A handful of pubs in town, probably some cafés as well. The George Hotel and The Bell (Wetherspoon’s, open from 08.00) appear to be the best bets for (solid) food amongst the pubs.

Breakfast in Salisbury: Plenty of cafés and pubs in Salisbury at the central square on Blue Boar Row and on Station Road. See the webpage or the pdf for details.

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

 

Saturday Walk - Hayes Circular

t=SWC.281

Length: 9.5km (6m)
Toughness: 1/10
Transport: Take the 10:21 train from London Charing Cross, arriving in Hayes at 11:08. Return trains every 15mins. Hayes (Kent) is in Zone 5.

On the day before the shortest day of the year, one of our very short walks. It meanders through woodlands across 3 commons visiting the source of the river Ravensbourne and 2 iron age forts. There are 2 pubs and a cafe for lunch. Bookings are recommended. Back in Hayes there is the unique Real Ale Way pub, which opens at 14:00 and serves real ale, still cider and wine. There are also some cafes.

Saturday Walk - Kenley to Caterham - a short but hilly walk in the North Downs

Length: 14.5km (8.9 miles), with a possible shortcut of 12km (7.5 miles) T=swc.406

9.40 train from London Bridge (9.58 East Croydon) to Kenley, arriving 10.14

Both Kenley and Caterham are in zone 6, so use Oyster, contactless or passes.

For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here

This walk did have a Sunday posting in September, so apologies to anyone who did it then, but it has not had a Saturday posting since June 2024. Though relatively short, it nevertheless includes four fairly stiff downland climbs, so you should feel adequately exercised at the end of it. You can cut out one of the hills by doing the afternoon shortcut - the 7.5 mile version. 

Anyone wanting a longer walk could switch to the shorter walk of the Woldingham to Oxted walk on arrival in Woldingham: I reckon this would make a walk of about 12 miles. 

Lunch is after four miles in the village of Warlingham, where there are two large pubs, a cafe or two and also a supermarket. Tea in Caterham seems to be a choice between a pub and Caffè Nero.

Trains back from Caterham are at 25 and 55 past