Wednesday Walk - Tring to Wendover

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LENGTH 21km (13 miles)

TOUGHNESS 6/10

TRAINS. LONDON EUSTON 09.54 Arrive TRING 10.52

Return from WENDOVER half hourly from 15.57

Two singles required as different companies on different lines. 

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. 

There’s a bus possibility in the lunchtime village. 

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 so today I might have a drink in Red Lion Hotel for a change. 

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Sunday Walk: New Walk, Angmering to Littlehampton

Main Walk: 16½ km† (10.3 miles). Difficulty 2 out of 10 

The walk starts through open spaces, quiet alleyways and unexpected chunks of farmland before climbing up Highdown Hill, open downland owned by the National Trust with the remains of an Iron Age hill fort on top.

Highdown Gardens, created in a former chalk pit, is described as “Worthing's best kept secret” With  a nearby pub and tearoom for refreshment, a visit is highly recommended (free entry).

Then, gently downhill to more possible lunch places in Angmering village, which has retained much of its rural charm . After some quiet streets and a long right of way through a private estate, you follow the England Coast Path into Littlehampton, finishing along its Riverside Walk, with the lure of of a  riverside café or a town centre pub .

Trains 

Take the 9:17 Littlehampton train from Victoria (Clapham junction 9:24, East Croydon 9:33) arriving Angmering 10:48

Return from Littlehampton at xx:13 direct or xx:31, changing at Ford.

Buy a return to Littlehampton.

(If you miss the 9:17, you could try getting the 10:16 to Goring on Sea (arriving 11:44) and taking one of the alternative starts to intercept the earlybirds).

Lunch: The Highdown (01903-924670), near the gardens, is recommended. 

Other choices are available later in Angmering  The Spotted Cow (01903-783919, The Lamb, as well as a micropub, Pete's Den and a café. Why not try them all?    

Tea:  Many possibilities in Littlehampton  (see notes) .I’ve picked out two. The George Inn, a  Wetherspoons in Surrey Street, and the Harbour Lights Café  open to 7

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Directions: here 

Sunday Walk: Chorleywood to Chesham

15.8km (9.8 miles) or with shortcut a, 14.2 km (8.9 miles). Difficulty 5 out of 10

A meander along the Chess Valley, with a number of fine panoramic views. 

For lunch the walk climbs up to the village of Chenies, followed by a pleasant walk high along the valley rim on a permissive path. Then, just when you think it’s all over, there is a bravura finish over the hills taking you down into the heart of Chesham for tea. 

Trains: take the 9.57 Chiltern Railways train from Marylebone arriving Chorleywood 10.24.

(Alternatively, you could take the Metropolitan Line from Baker Street 9:34 arriving 10:16)

Returning from Chesham, Metropolitan Line trains run every half hour, xx:30 and xx:00 direct to Aldgate via Baker Street and Kings Cross.

Chesham is in zone nine, and Chorleywood zone seven, so you can use Oyster or contactless to pay for your journey.  Freedom Passes are valid all the way there and back

Lunch: There are two possible places in Chenies.

We usually stop at the Red Lion (01923 282 722) a smart, friendly pub with a somewhat gastro menu.  Opens 11:30

The Bedford Arms (01923 283 301) larger than the Red Lion and serves food in a table service restaurant, with a more limited menu available in its bar area and garden. Opens 12

If doing the full walk, you've also got The Cock Inn (01923 282 908) in Sarratt but you may be a bit early. Opens 12, 

Tea: The Drawing Room Frances Yard, Chesham (01494 791 691) is an SWC favourite. There’s also a Caffe Nero, a Costa’s and The Queen’s Head. 

But...follow your feet to Chesham’s market square and you'll find a Mad Squirrel micro pub.  

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Directions: here 

Given it's summer, the full walk is recommended, but shorter options are available. 

Option a is a pleasant shortcut to Chenies (don't get there too early).

Option c would allow you to duck out at Chalfont & Latimer. 

Saturday Walk Leytonstone to Loughton

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.

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

Meet outside Leytonstone Central Line station at 10.30  Plan your journey here.

There are toilets at Loughton station before the ticket barrier.

Walk directions here  t=swc.241 

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

Any superhumans up for a 14.4 mile walk, could combine today's walk with walk 197 and finish at Epping Station (also on the Central line). Link up details are given. Find the other walk on this page. 

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. Picnic nearby

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

Saturday Walk - Pulborough to Arundel (Arun Valley Grand Spectacular!)

Length: 20.5km (12.7 miles) T=swc.14

9.35 train from Victoria (9.42 Clapham Junction, 9.53 East Croydon) to Pulborough, arriving 10.52

Buy a day return to Arundel (unless you have absolutely resolved to do the standard Pulborough Circular walk, in which case a day return to Pulborough will do...)

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

The morning of this walk is a fascinating expedition across flat riverside and marshland terrain that is quite different from anything on other walks. Out on the Wild Brooks one feels a good way from civilisation. Wet conditions underfoot might usually be a problem here but there will be no such issues in the present drought conditions.

Lunch is slightly awkward, in that the most conveniently placed pub - the Black Horse in Amberley - is all high-falutin and gastro. The Sportsman, 500 metres away, with a fabulous view across the Brooks, sounds a better and more basic choice: it serves lunch till 2.30pm and was doing food as recently as 8 July, if Facebook posts are to be believed. 

I was going to add that another option, not requiring too much of a diversion, is the Bridge Inn in Amberley, but what do you know, this is their annual staff holiday, so they are CLOSED. The nearby Riverside South Downs tea gardens by the river do offer some meals, however, so could be an alternative.

Talking of alternatives, while you can just do the main circular back to Pulborough in the afternoon (13 miles or 10.9 miles according to option chosen) , I am going to suggest today the Extended Alternative walk via South Stoke, to enjoy more nice Arun riverside scenery...

...Except that with the Bridge Inn closed, ending up back at Amberley station is not so attractive, so we could instead carry on along the river from South Stoke to Arundel. This brings you in 1.5 miles to the very nice riverside Black Rabbit pub, and you can then walk to Arundel station in another 1.7 miles (if you leave the riverbank and cut inland through the town). 

This is only 2.2 km (1.4 miles) longer than route back to Amberley in the walk directions, making the walk 20.5km (12.7 miles) in all. GPX tracks for it could possibly be disentangled from the Amberley Circular via Arundel Park walk, but once you are at the Black Rabbit, Google Maps could probably suggest a route to the station.

Trains back from Arundel are at 14 and 44 past, calling at Amberley at 18 and 48 past and Pulborough at 24 and 54 past. 

Saturday Walk - The Ridgeway: Goring to Wantage (or Harwell or Chilton) [First Posting]

DAC is away

This walk has lingered on the site for 12 years or so but never had an outing. Now is the time, here is the place... 

Length: from 14.0 km to 30.0 km 

Ascent/Descent: up to 330/288m 

Net Walking Time: from 3 ¼ to 6 ¾ hours 

Toughness: 3 out of 10 to 7 out of 10

Take the 9.08 Didcot Parkway train from Paddington (Slough 9.24, Reading 9.53), arrives Goring & Streatley 10.05 (cut off 14 minutes by taking the 9.22 fast train and change at Reading [9.45/9.53]). 

Sub 40-minutes return trains from Didcot Parkway are up to five an hour until 22.38, then they get slower. 

Buy a Didcot Parkway Return!

 

Buses from the end of the walk to Didcot Parkway Station: 

-      Wantage: X35 (hourly until late), X36 (half-hourly to 19.35), plus the X1 & S9 (frequent until late) to Oxford Station;

-      Harwell: X34 (about hourly until 20.17), X35 (hourly until late);

-      Chilton: X34 (about hourly until 20.11).

I quote:

“This walk follows a section of the Ridgeway National Trail, along an open grassy ridge with good views throughout. There are short, long, and very long versions of this walk which follows Britains's oldest road dating back to Neolithic times. 

The very long version visits an ancient (pre Roman) hill fort.More recently, the Ridgeway has been used by 4 wheel drives (now limited to Summer only in small sections), horses and mountain bikes. This means its surface can be rutted after dry weather, and muddy after wet weather.” 

 

Walk Options: 

Short Finishes are shown into Chilton (pub) or Harwell (no pub).

There is also a Shortcut into Wantage.

 

Lunch: Picnic. 

Tea: Several options in Wantage, The Rose & Crown in Chilton, nothing in Harwell; plus The Prince of Wales (Greene King) opposite Didcot Parkway Station.

 

For (minimal) walk directions, map, height profile, and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.171

Evening Walk - Hampstead Heath (Hampstead Circular, in Reverse!)

Length: 7.5 km (4.7 mi) 

Ascent/Descent: 225m 

Net Walking Time: 1 ¾ hours

 

Meet outside Hampstead Underground at 18.45 (Northern Line, Edgware Branch, Zone 2/3 boundary). Journey time is 19 mins from Bank, 16 mins from Charing X (for example).

 

A classic walk across Hampstead Heath taking in Parliament Hill, the Pools and Kenwood. The grounds of Kenwood House (on the northern boundary of the Heath and managed by English Heritage), are closed at 20.00 according to the website (which is why we will walk the route in reverse). The rest of the Heath is accessible at all times. Hampstead Heath is a large ancient north London parkland managed by the City of London Corporation.

 

Tea: various options.

 

For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.15

Wednesday walk: Southease to Rottingdean (or Brighton)

Length: At least 15.3km/9.5 miles, potentially up to 23km/14.4 miles if you continue to Brighton. 4/10

I thought I knew this area pretty well but until last year I wasn't aware of this route starting at Southease, walking up the Ouse valley to Kingston – but only the first half mile on the less than thrilling riverside path – then down to Rottingdean following the ridge to the west of the more well-trodden route to Saltdean. The Rottingdean finish involves catching the very regular bus to Brighton, but if the walk isn't long enough you can carry on along the coast as far as you like – Brighton is 5 miles of easy walking from Rottingdean but you could pick up the bus anywhere along the way. Swimming should be possible at Rottingdean.

Trains: 0954 from Victoria (Clapham Junction 1001 East Croydon 1010) changing at Lewes on to the 1100 arriving Southease 1107. There is only a 4 minute connection time which normally involves a dash across the station – quickest if you are in the middle of the train from London - so if we miss the connection we will start the walk in Lewes. This is 3.8km/2.4 miles shorter, so if we do that we can take the extension towards Brighton. Get a return to Southease.

Lunch: the Juggs (01273 472523) in Kingston (7.5km/4.6 miles into the walk) is described on the wak page as a popular and very pleasant country pub. Picnickers might want to wait until they have climbed the hill above Kingston. If we end up starting from Lewes we will get to Kingston too early but will probably get to Rottingdean in time for a late lunch.

Tea: Numerous options in Rottingdean. The nicest tea place is reported to be the Grange Tea Garden, behind the library, open to 5pm Wednesday to Sunday. Plenty more choice along the coast towards Brighton.

Longer and shorter walk options: As well as the possible extension to Brighton mentioned above, a loop back to Southease from Rottingdean is described in the text. Both add about 8km/5 miles. The text also suggests a shorter circular walk, dropping back down to Southease from the downs above Kingston. This is not much shorter than walking to Rottingdean but might be an option for drivers. But the easiest way to shorten the walk is to start from Lewes as per the fall-back option in the “trains” paragraph above.

For walk directions, map and GPX see L=swc.65

 

Monday Walk - Henrhyd Waterfall (Craig-y-Nos Circular), with or without the Cribarth Limestone Plateau [Brecon Trip]

Length: 13.4 km (8.3 mi) [longer options available] 

Ascent/Descent: 270m 

Net Walking Time: 4 hours 

Toughness: 3 out of 10

 

Take the 09.08 bus T6 (direction Ystradgynlais for Abertawe/Swansea) from Stand 5 to Craig y Nos Castle, arrives 09.48. 

Return buses run at 13.19, 14.19, 15.41, 16.23 (arrives 16.59), 17.26 (arrives 18.02), 18.31, 19.29. 

Buses out of Brecon to Abergavenny leave at 14.05, 17.05 and 18.23 (arrives Station Road 19.20). 

The last (reasonably fast) train from Abergavenny to London leaves at 20.41.

The walk starts through the Craig y Nos Country Park, an idyllic spot on the banks of the Afon Tawe (River Tawe) with its Victorian Gothic building (now a hotel), which was home to the world-renowned opera singer Adelina Patti from 1878 to 1919. The route then follows quiet bridleways and country lanes with excellent views across the valley to the Cribarth mountain, to a steep cliff edge above the Tawe River which it then follows for an extended stretch, with the river running below in rapids.

You then leave the Tawe to walk up a spectacular wooded ravine, formed by the Nant Llech. The river’s name (‘Rock Slab Stream’ in English) derives from the rock strata that tilt or dip to create small waterfalls along its course, several of which can be observed from close quarters. The wooded gorge (owned and managed by the National Trust) is an Ancient Woodland, meaning many of the trees (especially on the southern bank) have never been felled. It is also a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) for its humid habitat, supporting a wide range of damp-loving species.

You ascend through the scenic gorge to a natural amphitheatre, carved out over millennia by the highest waterfall in South Wales, the Sgwd Henrhyd (Henrhyd Waterfall), which drops down a rocky ledge forming a water curtain you can walk behind. From there country lanes and paths across pastures get you a prized lunch pub in Pen y Cae and then back along the bridleways and lanes of the outward route to finish with a riverside loop through the Craig y Nos Country Park to its tea rooms.

Walk Options: 

Alternative Start , further north in Glyntawe (same bus), for a slightly longer and tougher walk (14.3 km/8.9 mi).

Longer, explore a variation of the morning route by climbing up to the Cribarth plateau from Craig y Nos first to pick up the route in Ynyswen (with or w/o the longer start from Glyntawe). 

 

Lunch: Pen y Cae Inn Restaurant, Gallery & Zoo! (10.5 km/6.4 mi, may or may not be open on a Monday). 

Tea: Changing Seasons Tea Rooms & Restaurant in Craig y Nos or The Gwyn Arms in Glyntawe.

 

For walk directions and options, route map, height profile, photos or gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.280

Sunday Walk – East Malling Circular

Extra Walk 446b – East Malling Circular

Length: 16 km (9.9 miles). Toughness: 3/10

09:55 Ashford Int. train from Victoria (Bromley South 10:12), arriving East Malling at 10:49.

Trains back from East Malling are hourly at xx:38. If you take the longer ending to West Malling (see below), they call there two minutes later at xx:40. A return to East Malling covers both endings.

Although this has a new walk number it's really the result of an option-packed Medway valley walk being split into two, with Walk 337 retaining only the Maidstone endings. This one has a choice of three circular walks and I propose doing the mid-length ‘Alternative Circular Walk’ from East Malling, although at Well Street you could switch to the longer ending (adding 2¼ km) to finish in the larger town of West Malling.

The walk goes through typical Kent countryside of commercial orchards and coppiced woodlands on its way to the River Medway at Wateringbury. You could either investigate the refreshment stops here or cross the river and continue along the valley for another half hour to the up-market Tickled Trout in West Farleigh (where it would be advisable to book a table if you wanted to be sure of Sunday lunch).

If you finish as East Malling there would normally only be the King & Queen pub for refreshment, but there's a tempting alternative as the nearby parish church is advertising Afternoon Teas from 3–5pm on Sundays in June & July.

Please bring the directions from the L=swc.446.b page.

Sunday Walk - A Beacons Traverse: Talybont-on-Usk to Storey Arms (via Waun Rydd, Fan y Big, Cribyn, Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du) or to Brecon [Brecon Trip]

Length: 17.5 km/10.9 mi for the traverse to the Storey Arms bus stop or 23.1 km/14.3 mi for Talybont to Brecon via Pen-y-Fan [shorter options available] 

Ascent/Descent: 1409/1089m for the traverse or 1255/1266m for Talybont to Brecon [easier options available] 

Net Walking Time: 6 hours or 7 hours 

Toughness: 9 out of 10 in both cases

Meet at 08.40 (sharp) next to the Market Tavern, where it borders the Morrison’s car park. Car drivers bring their cars into the car park. We will then allocate walkers to cars.  

Spare walkers will take the 08.51 bus X43 (direction Abergavenny/Y Fenni) from Stand 3 to Talybont-on-Usk, The White Hart, arrives 09.10. This bus also calls at Free Street, Barracks and Dering Lines. The walk will not start before the bus has passed through. 

Return buses from Glyn Tarell, Storey Arms (Line T4): xx.23 to 18.23. 

This route is a combination of some of the many variations described in the pdf for the Brecon Beacons Horseshoe and following the write-up will require frequent shuffling of paper within the 19 page document.

The route rises out of Talybont from the side of the Mon & Brec Canal out of the lush Usk Valley onto the upland peat bog of the Waun Rydd. You pass a WWII airplane memorial and then follow a clear path around a steep sided glacial valley, the first part of one of the best ridge walks in South Britain, featuring some spectacular views in all directions in good weather. It is exceptionally exposed to the elements though.

Climb up to Fan y Big, the first of four table-top peaks across the majestic core of the Central Brecon Beacons (Crybin, Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du being the others) and finally descend to one of the highest bus stops in Wales, on the saddle between the Beacons and Fan Fawr, concluding the adventure.

Alternative descents to the centre of Brecon or to a couple of car parks are described.

Shortcuts: 

      ·        Either descend at the shallow saddle between the Waun Rydd and the Bwlch y Ddwallt, to the right down to Brecon (map-led) or to the left down to the Blaen-y-glyn car park (two cars required), 

      ·        or descend from the ridge off Fan Y Big or Crybin to Brecon, 

      ·        or turn left from the saddle between the two with the Horseshoe Route to the car park that is the starting point for the Horseshoe (two cars required).

Lunch: Picnic. 

Tea: Plenty of options in Brecon.

 

For walk directions and options, route map , height profile, photos or gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.278.a