Dartmouth 25 June 2027 to 28 June 2027

Dartmouth is on the south west coast of Devon.  Details of accomodation, travel and walks will be posted shortly, and updated as needed.  #2027-06-25T10:00

Barbican - Two giants of the concert hall, the Gewandhausorchester and Lang Lang performing Beethoven

The concert may be nine months away,  but the tickets certainly won't be around for that long, hence the advance notice. 

Tonight, to mark the 200th anniversary of composer's death, we'll hear the world's oldest civic symphony orchestra,  the Gewandhausorchester, led by five-time Grammy Award-winning conductor Andris Nelsons, with household name pianist Lang Lang, performing Beethoven. 

To book,  please click here, tickets from £25

Pre-Concert F&B will be posted in due course. 

A Whatsapp event group will be set up.  If you wish to join,  please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOTcom. 

Programme

• Ludwig van Beethoven   Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastorale’ – 45’
• Ludwig van Beethoven   Piano Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’ – 45’

The evening begins with the composer’s crowd-pleasing Pastoral Symphony. Listen out for a murmuring brook, rumbling thunder and startlingly accurate birdsong. Beethoven represents the nightingale with the flute, the quail with the oboe and the cuckoo with two clarinets. The main focus of the symphony are the emotions that this rural setting inspires. We are invited to feel the happiness of arriving in the country, the disruption of a storm and the peace of its aftermath.

Gewandhausorchester premiered Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto in 1811. The pinnacle of Beethoven’s achievements in this form, it spoke to its audience in fresh, unfamiliar ways. Lang Lang masters its complexities while making it look easy.

 #2027-06-03T19:30

Save the Date - 30-year anniversary of the SWC

A celebratory walk is planned to mark the club’s 30-year anniversary.  

This is an advanced notice to help you plan your busy diary.  

Details will be posted by a walk poster near the time.  

We are celebrating a very special milestone, the 30th anniversary of our walking club.

Over the years, our club has brought together people from all walks of life, united by a simple pleasure: walking in the countryside.  From peaceful paths and woodland trails to challenging hills and action packed holidays, we have explored many places together and created memories that will stay with us for years to come.

But our club has always been about much more than just walking. It is about friendship and community, the conversations along the way, the laughter over a pint of beer or a cup of tea, and the welcome given to new members.  Many friendships have been formed and in some cases blossomed into marriages through the club.   It is this wonderful sense of togetherness that has helped it flourish for three decades.

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we thank the club’s founding father, Nicholas Albery for his ingenious idea,  our webmaster Andrew and many walk posters for their dedication and hard work through the years.  We also remember with fondness those members who have been part of our journey over the years and are no longer with us or have moved away.

This anniversary is a chance to look back with pride at everything we have achieved, but also to look forward with excitement to the years ahead. May the next chapter bring many more enjoyable walks, new adventures, and lasting friendships.

Lastly,  you are invited to share your stories and memories of the club by adding comments to this post.  

Look forward to seeing you at this event. 

 

#2027-05-22T09:30

Scotland 2027: Back to Dornie!

Scotland 2027: Back to Dornie!

The SWC will be heading back to Dornie, Scotland in 2027! We have secured a combination of lodges and cottages from 9 May-16 May 2027. If you are interested in the trip, please contact goepfertkarenATyahoo.COM

#2027-05-09T09:00 #7days

Barbican Hall - Martha Argerich Playing Ravel and more

Tonight,  we will hear the legendary Martha Argerich, arguably the best living pianist in the world,  playing Ravel's piano concerto in G Major M. 82. 

Plus Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals for 2 pianos and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. 

Ticket from £20, to book,  click here.   I expect this concert will be popular,  recommended to book early. 

Pre-concert F&B will be posted in due course. 

A WhatsApp group will be set up for this event.  If you wish to join, please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOTcom. 

#2027-02-14T19:00

The Jungle Book at the National Theatre

Join us for a fun-filled evening of music, adventure and jungle magic. After all,  nobody is too old to enjoy a classic.  It will be a perfect show to close our 2026 social calender. 

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, the beloved tale of The Jungle Book is reimagined with innovative puppetry by two most celebrated puppetry designers Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes.  This thrilling new adaptation brings the jungle roaring to life on the Olivier stage.

Ticket from £25.  To book your ticket,  please click here. This show is likely to be popular so recommended to book early. 

Pre-show F&B will be posted closer to the time

We will set up a WhatsApp event group.  If you wish to be on it, please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOT.com

 

#2026-12-10T19:00

Save the date: Xmas Party

Please mark your diary.  Details to follow

#2026-12-01T18:00

Barbican - Vaughan Williams and Beethoven with Bruce Liu

After a successful prom season this year,  we continue with our classical music voyage at Barbican Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra, its chief conductor Sir Antonio Pappano and the winner of multiple piano competitions Bruce Liu.  

To book,  please click here.   Ticket from £18.  

Pre-concert F&B will be posted in due course. 

A Whatsapp event group will be set up.  If you wish to join,  please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOTcom. 

• Programme 
• Ralph Vaughan Williams   A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No 3)
• Ludwig van Beethoven   Piano Concerto No 3
• Ralph Vaughan Williams   Symphony No 8

With its expressive beauty and folksong-like melodies, Vaughan Williams’ 1922 A Pastoral Symphony was long thought to be an affectionate portrait of England’s rolling hills. But within those four slow movements lie an anguished, ultimately hopeful, response to World War I. Composed 34 years later, Symphony No 8 was premiered during the dawn of the new Elizabethan age. It’s a tauter, more rhythmic work, at times dance-like, yet still offering moments of deep introspection.  

Mozartian elegance and grace surround Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 3, a work that nevertheless includes moments of profound beauty, especially in the yearning second movement. 

 

#2026-11-26T19:00 

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at Young V&A

In Aardman’s 50th anniversary year, go behind the scenes of your favourite stop-motion animations and explore how Aardman’s iconic characters and worlds are brought to life. 

A joyful, educational, and highly tactile experience and a "must-see" expo that combines nostalgia with iconic sets, original models, and interactive, hands-on activities. 

Tickets £11 or £5.5 (Art Fund).  To book your ticket, please click here.  Book the 2:30pm slot. 

The current plan is to link this exhibition in conjunction with a Sunday walk and lunch nearby.    

A WhatsApp group will be set up for this event.  Please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOTcom if you wish to be on it. 

#2026-11-01T14:30

Evening Walk - Frieze Sculpture Park (Regent's Park and Primrose Hill)

Length: 5.0 km (3.1 mi) 

Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hrs

Meet: Regent’s Park tube station at 18.20 hours. Regent’s Park is on the Bakerloo line in Zone 1. 

Finish: Chalk Farm or Camden Town stations, which are on the Northern Line and in Zone 2.

 

A stroll through Regent's Park, including a check on this year’s offerings of Frieze Art Fair’s 14^th edition of its Sculpture Park (“11 leading international artists” with 13 artworks on display) and along the Grand Union Canal, to then climb Primrose Hill for fine views over London.

 

Regent’s Park closes at 20.00, which leaves plenty of time for dawdling after a good look at the sculptures. "Primrose Hill has no usual closing times” (source: Royal Parks website).

 

Eat/Drink: The Princess of Wales, The Engineer or The Pembroke.

 

For walk directions, map, photos, and gpx/kml files click here. t=short.6

#2026-10-12T18:20

 

Sunday walk: Leytonstone to Loughton

#2026-10-11T10:30

12.8km (8.0m) Difficulty 1/10. 

Explore the southern part of Epping Forest’s ancient woodlands, mostly a site of special scientific interest. The walk takes you past Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge, a unique timber-framed survivor from Tudor times (free entry)  Open 11-1  and 2-4.

Meet outside Leytonstone Central Line station at 10.30 

Travel:  Start and finish on the Central Line. (Zone 6).

It takes about 30 mins to travel from central London to Leytonstone. Plan your journey here

Walk directions: here  t=swc.241 

A shorter 5.8 mile option would involve ducking out for Chingford rail station, just 10 mins from the Hunting Lodge.

For a 14.4 mile walk, you could combine these directions with walk 197 and finish at Epping (also on the Central line. Link up details given in the directions).  

Lunch: there are two establishments near the Hunting Lodge 

The Royal Forest 4 Rangers Road, Open throughout the day at weekends. Seems to have gone a bit gastro 020 8149 7879.

And (recommended) the Larder at Butlers Retreat 12 Rangers Road, Tel 020 7998 7858. Originally a 19th century barn it is now an up-market café. 

Tea:  There are places in Loughton High Road.  The Wagon Boulangerie at 174,, Costa Coffee 230. Sadly, the Wetherspoons has closed but there are other pubs, such as these, selected at random. The Standard at 126, The Hollybush at 140. 

Sunday Walk: Whyteleafe to Hayes

#2026-10-11T10:12 

16.6km (10.4 miles), difficulty 5 out of 10

A walk in zone 6, surprisingly rural in character, passing through fields, woods quiet valleys, and shady bridleways.  One or two climbs but, otherwise, plain sailing.

Trains: 

Either the 10:21 East Grinstead train from Victoria (Clapham Jct. 10:28 East Croydon 10:38) arriving Upper Warlingham 10:51

Or the 10:12 Caterham train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10:30) arriving Whyteleafe 10:48.

(The two stations are near each other and directions are given from both. Groups meet near the entrance to Whyteleafe Recreation Ground).

Return trains from Hayes to Charing Cross at xx:11 and xx:41. All stations are in Zone 6.

Lunch: The White Bear, Fickleshole, ( 01883 779384 ) an attractive oak-timbered 16th century  pub. Food served all day.

Tea: There are two pubs near the station,

The Real Ale Way a micropub - beers and ciders from the cask. Recommended.  

The New Inn, a large bar/restaurant, almost opposite Hayes station, open all day and serves tea and coffee as well as the usual range of pub drinks and meals.

Costa coffee shop, open to 5.30 Sun.

Directions: here T=swc.38

Buxted circular - postponed - (ref.: text) - alternative walk to be posted by mid-week.

SWC Walk 95 - Buxted circular 

Length: 16.3 km (10.1 miles). Toughness: 3/10 

Catch the 10:07 from London Bridge, (East Croydon 10:22) arrives Buxted 11:16. 

Return trains from Buxted xx:37 until 22:37 

#2026-10-10T10:07 T=swc.95

Unfortunately since posting this walk, I've been alerted by a vigilant SWC walker to recent delays and cancellations on the Southern railway, including the Uckfield line. 

Apology and amended service information for our customers on the Uckfield line

An alternative walk will be posted by mid week.

Saturday Walk: Mortimer to Aldermaston (or Theale)

#2026-10-10T10:03 

Distance 15.9 km 9.9 miles. Difficulty 3/10.

A walk visiting Silchester with its old church, Roman city walls and amphitheatre. 

Trains: Get the 10:03 Newbury train from Paddington changing at Reading onto the 10:37 Basingstoke train, platform 1, arriving Mortimer 10:50. Get a return to Mortimer. (In practice this is usually accepted for the return journey, but you could be required to buy a single from Aldermaston (or Theale) to Reading). 

A Freedom Pass is valid as far as Reading on the Elizabeth Line (Bond St 9:09, Paddington 9:13, Ealing Broadway 9:26). Arrive Reading 10:12 for the same Basingstoke train. You will still need tickets onward from and back to Reading.

Return from Aldermaston xx:26, changing again at Reading

It is possible to extend the walk to Theale where there is a more frequent service.xx:30 (direct services at 16:18, 17:20, 18:21).

Lunch Calleva Armss  (tel. 0118 970 0305) 

Tea – if you make Aldermaston  early enough, there's the Canal Trust café but it closes at 4 .

Otherwise, there's the Butt Inn  

Directions here

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Hollingbourne Circular via Thurnham

Length: 16km (9.9 miles), with possible extension to 20.5km (12.7 miles)

9.55 train from Victoria (10.12 Bromley South) to Hollingbourne, arriving 11.10.

For walk directions, GPS and map, click here.

This airy North Downs walk proved a fine outing when it was done in June 2025, with plentiful escarpment views. The idea is to do the extended circular version of the walk via Thurnham, where the Black Horse is a fine lunch pub with a large patio garden. Though the headline length of this walk is 13.3 miles (option x), if you miss the end loop around Leeds Castle (option xi), it is only 9.9 miles. Those wanting a longer walk could either do the Leeds Castle loop or combine the Thurnham extension with the Hucking extension (option zi), which makes a walk of 12.7 miles.

All of this ends up in the pleasant village of Eyhorne Street, where there are two pubs for tea. The "traditional village pub" is the Sugar Loaves, which will doubtless appeal to the beer drinkers, but on a visit earlier this year I found the "upmarket" Windmill a lot more cosy (and popular). The reopened Dirty Habit in Hollingbourne is a possible drinks stop about a mile earlier.

Trains back are at 17 past the hour. There is a short walk up across fields from Eyhorne Street to the station: remember it gets dark at around 6.45pm at this time of year, but I suppose we all have torches on our phones these days.

#2026-10-10T09:55 T=swc.253

One (or more) for the Road on a Historic Thames Journey (Cannon St. to Canary Wharf)

SWC Short 28: One (or more) for the Road on a Historic Thames Journey

Meet: The Banker Pub – 200 meters from Cannon St. Tube and Rail Station (on the Thames)

Time: 18:30 

Distance: 5 miles or 8 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 1 out of 10

This is a relaxed outing along the Thames that hardly requires any instructions, aside from, keep the river on your right. The route basically follows the Thames Path from Cannon St. Station to Canary Wharf Pier, passing through historic Wapping. Note, however, there may be some diversions away from the river here and there for various works..... I have lost track of the status of these.... but it is usually straight forward to regain the river route.....

Of particular interest, the route passes three historic hostelries – the Town of Ramsgate, the Prospect of Whitby and the Grapes. At Canary Wharf Pier, you can catch a Thames Clipper back to central London or meander through the buildings to the DLR/Jubilee/Elizabeth line Stations.

More information and the instructions can be found here.

Enjoy the walk!

#2026-10-08T18:30
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Wednesday walk: Surrey woods, lanes and a quaint village - Witley to Haslemere

Length: 14.5 km (9 miles) 3/10

A favourite Surrey walk with lots of woodland, history and the attractive village of Chiddingfold for lunch before a pleasant amble to Haslemere in the afternoon. Chiddingfold is less than half way (6.1 km) so I'm suggesting a late start.

Travel: 1045 from Waterloo (CJ 1052, Woking 1113) arriving at Witley 1142. Four trains an hour back from Haslemere. Get a return to Haslemere.

Lunch: A good choice in Chiddingfold: nice churchyard foa a pcinic, The 12th century Crown Inn in (tel 01428 682 255) serves lunch till 2.30. The Swan is a good alternative and Elliott's coffee shop has good sandwiches.

Tea: Hemingways (tel 01428 643 048) or Darnleys (tel 01428 643 048) on Haslemere High Street, and several nearby pubs.

Shortening the walk: You could get a bus from Chiddingfold to Haslemere - about once an hour. Otherwise you can only shorten the walk by missing out Chiddingfold - an obvious short cut from Langhurst House (head south on a footpath to rejoin the route at grid ref SU727343) cuts out two miles.

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#2026-10-07T10:45

Sunday Walk – A strenuous little hike around Box Hill and Headley Heath

SWC Walk 450 – Box Hill Circular via Headley Heath, Mickleham & Norbury Park

Length: 13¼ km (8.2 miles), or 16¼ km (10.1 miles) with extension to Dorking. Toughness: 5/10

09:40 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 09:47, etc), arriving Box Hill & Westhumble at 10:34. I suggest buying a return to Dorking – it's the same fare as Box Hill and there are ticket barriers at Dorking to negotiate if you choose to finish there. [Or buy two singles: this is one of those lines where off-peak singles are now half the return fare.]

Trains return from Box Hill & Westhumble at xx:08 to Waterloo, xx:16 and xx:46 to Victoria (4 minutes earlier from Dorking).

This is a fairly strenuous little walk taking in a succession of hills: up and down the southern slopes of Box Hill (though passing below the summit), across Headley Heath and then over Mickleham Downs. There's the option of an equally tough afternoon (back over the downs and up Juniper Top to the summit on Box Hill), but unless you're in training for something I suggest doing the simpler and much easier route around the bottom of Norbury Park, which you could extend through Denbies Vineyard to Dorking.

There are two nice but fairly expensive pubs in Mickleham, with the walk route passing the Running Horses by the churchyard. You'll almost certainly need to book in advance if you want a table for a pub lunch there (or at the King William Ⅳ). At the end the Stepping Stones pub is five minutes' walk beyond Box Hill station; there's lots of choice if you carry on to Dorking, including the informal Conservatory Restaurant in Denbies Visitor Centre.

Please bring the directions from the L=swc.450 page. #2026-10-04T10:35

Sunday Walk - Flitwick Circular (short walk option)

Length: 17.3 km (10.7 mi) 

Ascent/Descent: 87m

Net Walking Time: ca. 3 ¾ hours

Toughness: 1 out of 10

OR

Length: 24.1 km (15.1 mi) 

Ascent/Descent: 207m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ¼ hours 

Toughness: 4 out of 10

 

Take the Thameslink train from Brighton to Bedford, calling East Croydon 09.25, London Bridge 09.39, Blackfriars & Farringdon, St. Pancras 09.53, West Hampstead 10.01, arriving Flitwick 10.43. 

Returns: xx.14, xx.28, xx.44 and xx.58

 

The main walk's description: 

This Central Bedfordshire walk just north of the easterly end of the Chilterns initially follows the tranquil Flit River along the shady wooded fringes of Flitwick Moor, one of the most important wetland sites in the south east of England, and then veers away from the river through a couple of quiet villages, en route passing the Grade I-listed De Grey Mausoleum in Flitton and the also Grade I-listed Wrest House and Gardens in Silsoe. This is followed by a longer stretch through rolling fields with views to the Greensand Ridge. After crossing the Flit near Clophill the walk leads up the Greensand Ridge, descending for lunch back into Clophill.

After lunch it’s back on to the ridge for a long stretch through and along Maulden Wood, at times with far views south to the Chiltern Hills. The highlight of the return route from Maulden to Flitwick is the passage through Flitton and Flitwick Moors, including a stretch along a narrow path through the very heart of Flitwick Moor.

Walk Options:

Longer Main Walk, as above.

Lunch: The Stone Jug (14.6 km/9.0 mi, but no food on Sundays!) or The Flying Horse (15.2 km/9.5 mi, food all day) in Clophill [or 7.8 km/7.2 km respectively into the walk on the short walk]. 

Tea: Options in Maulden (6 km from the end of the walk) and in Flitwick. For details see page 2 of the pdf.

 

 #2026-10-04T09:53 T=swc.231.a

Saturday Walk - Tonbridge Circular

Length: 18¼ km (11.3 miles). Four hours 5 minutes walking time. 3 out of 10.

This walk is usually posted as going to Penshurst, with this circular as an option. The decision point is at lunch.

"This walk provides a link from a major town with a frequent rail service to the rolling countryside around the villages of Penshurst and Chiddingstone. You are soon out of Tonbridge town centre and heading for Haysden Country Park , a popular recreational area of lakes and water meadows alongside the River Medway . The area's industrial past can be glimpsed in the many abandoned waterways and reclaimed gravel pits, while the modern Leigh Flood Relief Barrier is a reminder that this low-lying area is prone to flooding.

The remainder of the morning section follows the Eden Valley Walk , reversing part of the Hever to Leigh walk (1–19) to a choice of lunch places in Penshurst . This attractive village is dominated by Penshurst Place , a well-preserved medieval manor house with an attractive formal garden, the home of the Sidney family since the 16 th C. It is open, admission is £15, or £13 for the gardens only (2024).

The Circular Walk back to Tonbridge, initially on a familiar path through Penshurst Park which reverses the start of the Leigh to Tunbridge Wells walk (1–15) and continues with a new route back to the town via the playing fields of Tonbridge School."

Trains: Get the 1004 Dover Priory train from Charing Cross (London Bridge 1013), arriving 1046. Frequent return trains. Buy a return to Tonbridge (or Penshurst if planning to end there).

Lunch: The suggested lunch place (after 8¼ km) is the refurbished Leicester Arms Hotel ( 01892-356141 ) in Penshurst . This up-market establishment has a large garden and serves good food until around 3pm. There is a churchyard nearby. On the way into the village the Porcupine Pantry ( 01892-871277 ) is just outside the main entrance to Penshurst Place. It serves light lunches but might struggle to cope with a large group.

Tea: the Fleur De Lis in Leigh is a possible mid-afternoon stop. T he suggested tea place, serving good home-made cakes – the Finch House Café & Bakery ( 01732-771775 ; open to 5pm at the front of the Pavilion Shopping Centre. Also The Humphrey Bean a Weatherspoons, which means walking down the High Street.

#2026-10-03T10:04

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Tring to Wendover

LENGTH 21km (13 miles)

TOUGHNESS 6/10

TRAINS. LONDON EUSTON 09.54 Arrive TRING 10.52

Return from WENDOVER hourly at .54 hours

Two singles required as start and finish are on different lines. (Though both are now directly run by HM Government)

You can omit the third reservoir and save 1km (Plums available this way)

A further shortcut is possible by continuing along the canal into Wendover after lunch instead of climbing steeply up to the Go Ape play area and cafe. 

Indeed you could shorten the walk by several more miles by avoiding lunch entirely and remaining on the canal path. 

Buses back to Tring are hourly or less from the main road in Aston Clinton.  

LUNCH

https://oakastonclinton.com/ A Fullers Pub

TEA. In Wendover we nearly always end up in the Shoulder of Mutton by the station, or at Rumsey’s Choclaterie  but last time we loved our visit to the atmospheric Red Lion Hotel. 

#2026-10-03T09:54

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Saturday Walk - Holmwood to Reigate Walk

An easy walk through Surrey's Low Weald and the Mole Valley.

‘This walk in the Low Weald of Surrey follows broad paths through gently undulating country with glimpses of the North Downs ridge to the north.  The lunch stop is in the attractive village of Leigh with its village green, pub and church. In the afternoon the walk crosses the Mole at Flanchford Bridge and then rises on the Greensand ridge near Reigate Priory to give extensive views of the North Downs and on a clear day the South Downs near Devil's Dyke.’

Length: 16km (10 miles)

Difficulty : 2 out of 10

Trains : 0 9.41 from London Victoria, 09.48 Clapham Junction; 09.53 Balham and stops at multiple stations en route to Holmwood arriving 10.47.

Return trains from Reigate: xx.02 and xx.32 go direct to London Victoria, xx.08 and xx:38 go to Redhill where you can change for trains to London Bridge.

Ticket: Buy a return to Holmwood which is valid from Reigate though it may not work at the ticket barrier.

Lunch : The Plough in Leigh 01306 611348

Tea : Monty Bojangles and other options available in Reigate.

For more detailed information follow the link L=swc.32

 

#2026-10-03T09:41

Wednesday walk - Ockley to Warnham

#2026-09-30T10:51 T=1.47

A beautiful walk through an unspoilt countryside of fields, woods and gentle hills, with a choice of two homely country pubs for lunch.

Length : 16.5 km (10.3 miles)

Toughness : 3 out of 10

Trains: London Victoria : 09-41 hrs Southern service to Horsham Clapham Junction 09-48; Balham 9.53; Sutton 10-13; Epsom 10-24 hrs. Arrive Ockley : 10-51 hrs

Return trains from Warnham to Victoria : xx:19 and xx:57. Change at Horsham if taking the latter.

Buy a day return to Warnham.

Lunch : The Scarlett Arms pub (tel. 01306-627243) in Walliswood, is 7.2 km into the walk.

An alternative is the Punchbowl pub (tel. 01306-627249) in Okewood Hill. The pub is reached via a detour beginning in the woods in Walliswood; the main walk can then be rejoined at point [5A].

Tea: The Sussex Oak pub (tel.01403-265028) in Warnham. The bar is open in the afternoon but no food is served between 2.30 and 6pm. The village shop in Warnham is open until 6pm. Warnham station is approximately 20 minutes walk from the village.

Walk details: L=1.47

Evening Walk: Hampton Court and Bushy Park Short Walk

Hampton Court and Bushy Park Short Walk

Distance: Approximately 4 miles or 7 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 1 out of 10

Travel: 17:57 South Western train from London Waterloo, arriving at Hampton Wick at 18:30. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE CORRECT TRAIN STOPPING IN HAMPTON WICK (NOT Hampton).

Return trains run every fifteen minutes until 23:30.

This is one of my absolutely favorite evening walks and has proved to be a real cracker of a walk the past few years at this time of year. Plenty of magnificent beasts starting the annual rut!

The walk meanders through a combination of the public grounds of Hampton Court Palace and neighboring Bushy Park with its resident deer population. The grounds are varied with pretty gardens and water features. Please ensure you keep a safe distance from any deer spotted in Bushy Park and do NOT feed them – they are potentially dangerous wild animals!

Post walk refreshments and possibly a meal can be had at the Foresters Arms, open until 23:00 with kitchen open until 22:00.

More information about the route can be found here.

Look forward to seeing you there!

#2026-09-29T18:00

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Monday Walk - Crickhowell Circular (via Table Mountain and two of the Three Pens) [Crickhowell Trip]

Walking the short version of the full walk today…

 

Length: 16.5 km (10.3 mi), with options to shorten or lengthen 

Ascent/Descent: 741m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours 

Toughness: 6 out of 10 

 

Meet at 09.30 at Crickhowell Square Bus Stop

 

Return to London:

Buses from Crickhowell to Abergavenny: 14.42, 16.42, 18.06, 18.54 and 20.44 (15 mins journey plus 10 mins walk). 

Train Connections to London with those buses: 16.06, 18.04, 18.36, 20.40 and 21.08 (with some luck). There is a pub at Abergavenny Station.

 

From the centre of the rightly popular town of Crickhowell, within minutes you rise up steeply (with an 12% average gradient) for 3 km – mainly through pastures – to the excellent viewpoint that is the eponymous Iron Age hillfort site of Crug Hywel (or Table Mountain), which gives its name to the town and towers above the Usk Valley. You ascend further up the flank of the main mountain range above the town to Pen Cerrig-calch, the first of three high tops along the ridge. Continue to the slightly higher second top, Pen Allt-mawr, where we leave the main walk’s route and return along the westerly escarpment with very fine views, off the mountain down the Darren nose, before dropping down to town through the ancient woodland of the Cwm Cumbeth, with the bubbling Cumbeth Brook never far away. The route finishes through the heart of Crickhowell past most of its tea options.

Walk Options: 

A Very Short Walk leads back down to town from the Table Mountain, on a westerly loop along the Beacons Way and down the wooded Cwm Cumbeth (7.5 km/4.6 mi, 389m ascent, 4/10). 

A Short Walk leads in a westerly loop from either Pen Cerrig-calch and down the lower part of the wooded Cwm Cumbeth (11.5 km/7.2 mi, 658m ascent, 5/10). 

Longer Walks – check the webpage and the pdf for the Main Walk and Extensions of it.

Lunch: Picnic. 

Tea: Plenty of options in Crickhowell, see the pdf for details.

 

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

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Sunday Walk - Crickhowell Circular (via Mynydd Llangatwg and Craig y Cilau) [Crickhowell Trip] [Extra Walk]

Length: 18.9 km (11.7 mi), with options to shorten or lengthen 

Ascent/Descent: 680m 

Net Walking Time: 6 hours 

Toughness: 6 out of 10 

 

Meet at 10.00 at Crickhowell Square Bus Stop (or join in Llangattock if you are staying there)

 

From the centre of the rightly popular town of Crickhowell, the route leads across the Usk River and the Monmouth & Brecon Canal up steeply through quiet pastures-with-views up to the easterly end of the Llangattock Escarpment and the fascinating limestone pinnacle of the Lonely Shepherd, overlooking the Clydach Gorge. From there you follow the escarpment westwards, past ex-quarries, surreal looking grassy spoil heaps, a couple of raised bogs and some extensive cave systems leading deep into the underlying limestone layers.

 

The natural amphitheatre of the Craig y Cilau escarpment with its spectacular high limestone cliffs and extensive cave systems, is negotiated with some easy walking along a former tramroad contouring the dramatic grassy ledge with some superb sweeping views across the Usk Valley to The Black Mountains, from the Mynydd Llangorse and Mynydd Troed via Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig-Calch to Sugar Loaf. You continue through the Craig y Cilau National Nature Reserve, where the Eglwys Faen cave system allows for some optional caving and down the slope to the raised bog of the Waun Ddu.

 

A very scenic descent and re-ascent leads through the beautiful Cwm Onnau and across into the very lush Usk Valley, from where you contour through more pastures with extremely fine views of the Central Black Mountains back down to the canal and via Llangattock village to Crickhowell with its many tea options.

Walk Options:   

A Morning Shortcut cuts 1.5m and 40m ascent. 

A rougher version of that shortcut, up a long and steep bouldery track, cuts another 1.4 km. 

Cut out the out-and-back to the Lonely Shepherd limestone pinnacle with views: cut 1.4 km. 

Caving (for beginners) can be done in the Eglwys Faen complex. Bring your headtorch and an extra layer or two! Good profile soles necessary, scrambling experience reassuring. And mind your head! 

An Afternoon Shortcut, cutting the ascent out of the Cwm Onnau and into the Usk Valley, cuts 2.8 km. 

An Extension of the route, higher up the Cwm Onnau adds 2.0 km and 35m ascent. This starts with 20 minutes along the grassy verge of a busy road though.

Lunch: Picnic. Best location: on the grassy ledge below the Llangattock Escarpment, with views across the Usk Valley. 

Tea: Plenty of options in Llangattock and Crickhowell. Check the pdf or the webpage for details.

 

For walk directions, maps, height profiles and gpx/kml files click here.

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