Saturday walk - Alton Circular - Autumn colours around Selborne

Length: 20.4km (12.7 miles)
Toughess: 4 out of 10: a few hills only

Catch the 9.23 train from Waterloo to Alton, arriving 10.37

If you miss this, get the 9.30 Portsmouth Harbour train and change at Woking (arrive 9.54, depart 10.00)

From Clapham Junction, get the 9.27 Exeter St David's train and change at Woking (arrive 9.45, depart 10.00)

For walk directions click here. For GPX click here.

A positive tsunami of RMT industrial action on South Western Railway is on its way, but this weekend will be free of it, so I am sneaking in with this classic Hampshire circuit. Beyond its literary connections with Gilbert White and Jane Austen, an attraction at this time of year is the extensive areas of woodland before and after Selborne, which hopefully will be showing some autumn tints.

Lunch is at the Selborne Arms, which serves food until 2pm: it is 6.3 miles into the walk, so no shilly-shallying. Other alternatives include the tea room of the Gilbert White Museum (they will let you in without paying the entrance fee if you are only going to the tea room) and possibly the Coffee Room cafe, if that still exists, in the main street of the village.

Mid-afternoon the Rose and Crown pub in Upper Farringdon has re-opened (somewhat to my surprise) and could make a drinks stop. Only the superhuman will get to Cassandra's Cup, the tea room in Chawton, before it closes at 4pm, but the nearby Greyfriar pub ain't that bad a place. The backstop tea option is Costa Coffee in Alton, open till 6pm, and no doubt the town has a pub or two worth visiting.

Those eager to buy "refreshments" for the train might like to know that the Waitrose next to the station stays open till 8pm.

Trains back are at 15 and 44 past the hour. T=2.10

Wednesday Walk Wye to Chilham - The Crundale Downs, Sole Street, Godmersham Park and Chilham Castle

Wye to Chilham  Morning leg of  Book 1 Walk 53, and afternoon leg of SWC 138

Length: 17.7 km (11 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10

Either
London St Pancras: 10-08 hrs  Margate service
Arrive Ashford International: 10-46 hrs. Change trains
Leave Ashford International: 11-05 hrs  Canterbury West service
Arrive Wye: 11-11 hrs

or - for South Londoners
London Victoria: 09-25 hrs   Canterbury West service (as above)   Bromley South: 09-42 hrs
Arrive Wye: 11-11 hrs

Return

Chilham to St Pancras: 17-13 (change at Ashford International -AI), 18-13 (AI), 18-44 (AI), 18-46 hrs (change at Canterbury West)
Chilham to Victoria:  16-13, 17-13 and 18-13 hrs

Rail ticket: buy a day return to Chilham


This mix-and-match walk takes - arguably - the best legs of two walks which, when put together,  should give you a delightful walk.

The morning leg is the Book 1, Walk 53 - Wye Circular walk, which takes you up onto the Crundale Downs, then down to the Church of St Mary in the village of Crundale, before you head back uphill,  steeply, on quiet roads to the village of Sole Street. You might be lucky and manage to obtain lunch at the gourmet lunch pub, the Compasses Inn (01227-700300) but you usually have to book in advance. Best bring a picnic, and have a beer in the pub.

The afternoon leg follows the homeward leg of SWC 138 through woods and valleys - with some stunning views - then through Godmersham Park and on to Chilham, for tea at cosy Shelly's Tea Room.  It's then a fifteen  minute walk to Chilham railway station for your journey home.
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Walk Directions: here for the Book One walk.   L=1.53

Here for the afternoon leg of your walk

Sunday Walk - Hoo Peninsula, Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve, Thames Estuary: Higham to Gravesend

Length: 18.5 km (11.5 mi)

Ascent/Descent: negligible; Net Walking Time: 4 hours

Toughness:  2/10

Take the 10.26 Rainham (Kent) Thameslink train from Kentish Town (calls St. Pancras 10.32, Farringdon, Blackfriars, London Bridge 10.48, Deptford, Greenwich etc.), arrives Higham 11.49.

You can also take the 10.52 Sittingbourne train from St. Pancras I’nal (Stratford I’nal 10.59), change Gravesend (11.17/11.43). High Speed surcharge needed!

Return trains from Gravesend: Stopping services to Charing X (via Hither Green) on xx.18 and xx.48; High Speed trains to St. Pancras (via Stratford) on xx.42, Thameslink services (via LBG and St. Pancras) on xx.59.

This is a flat walk on the periphery of the Hoo Peninsula in northern Kent that visits the RSPB Reserve at Cliffe Pools, one of the most important wildlife habitats in the UK. You also take lunch in the interesting village of Cliffe whose history can be traced back to Norman times and possibly earlier. At low tide the extensive estuary mud flats are exposed and there are more opportunities to view the bird life. This walk is best done in autumn or spring to get the best out of the bird-watching opportunities as you walk around the path bordering the huge lakes and mud-flats of Cliffe Pools and by the river Thames. It is not a typical countryside walk and you are aware of the industrial heritage of the area but the spectacular landscape of open water, marshes and big skies is evocative and atmospheric with a rich sense of history. There are gravel working operations at Cliffe Fort but this does not detract too much from the walk.

Lunch: The Six Bells in Cliffe (5.9 km/3.7 mi, food 12.00-18.00).

Tea: not much, how about a Costa Coffee?

For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.209

Sunday Walk – Groombridge Place and Harrison's Rocks

Extra Walk 236c – Ashurst to Eridge, via Langton Green
Length: 14¼ km (8.9 miles). Toughness: 3/10

09:51 East Grinstead train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 09:58, East Croydon 10:09), changing at Oxted (arr 10:33, dep 10:38) for the Uckfield train and arriving Ashurst at 10:59. Buy a return to Eridge.

Trains back from Eridge are hourly at xx:51 and go to Oxted, where you change for Victoria.

Apologies for another walk in the High Weald, but as Walker noted recently these can become horribly muddy in winter so there's an incentive to squeeze them in now (and this one hasn't yet had a Sunday posting).

This is in fact the first outing for this shortish variation via Langton Green, which breaks away from the main walk after an hour to go directly to this settlement on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells. You can either stop for a pub lunch here at The Hare or continue for another half hour to the Crown Inn in Old Groombridge, which features on several other walks.

The afternoon leg may also be familiar, past Groombridge Place and Harrison's Rocks along the course of the Spa Valley Railway to Eridge. The Huntsman pub next to the station is conveniently placed for refreshment while waiting for one of the hourly trains back.

You'll need to bring the walk directions from the Ashurst to Eridge walk page. Unless you might want to switch to one of the longer options, you can save several sheets of paper by clicking the ‘c. Alternative Walk’ option.

If you have trouble printing this document, check that you've got Print Size as 100% and Enable Shrink-to-Fit switched off in Page Setup. If that doesn't work, remember that you can download and print the PDF version from the walk page.
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Saturday walk - Henley to Marlow - Tranquil Thames and Chiltern woodlands

Length: 14.1km (8.8 miles) or 15.9km (9.9 miles) T=2.7b

Toughness: 3 out of 10: three hills, basically, and the rest fairly flat

9.42 train from Paddington (9.50 Ealing Broadway), changing at Twyford (arr 10.30, depart 10.38: connection usually held, but be quick), arriving Henley-on-Thames at 10.50

Buy a day return to Henley-on-Thames (not Henley in Arden). This should be accepted for return from Marlow: if you get any blowback on this, point out that there used to be a "Thames Branches Day Rover" for the same price as a Henley return that covered journeys from Marlow too: if this does not work you would only need to buy a single from Marlow to Maidenhead).

For walk directions click here. For GPX click here. You are doing option b)

This is a lovely walk, with a beautiful wild stretch of the River Thames to start with, then a short climb over a wooded hill (which you can make even shorter by using a short cut - the 8.8 mile version of the walk) and then a descent to the picture-perfect village of Hambleden (often used for filming). The Stag and Huntstman here is a lovely lunch pub and usually fits us in, though ringing at the start of the walk to book a table wouldn't be a terrible idea. The nearby Hambleden Village Stores does hot drinks and deli items and has a couple of outside tables.

After lunch you could simply finish the "main walk", the Henley via Hambleden Circular (which also has a later lunch stop in the shape of the quirky Flower Pot Inn in Aston). But for my money the perfect autumn outing is to do option b) of this walk and carry on through lovely wooded scenery to Marlow, a town so dripping with tea options it would take an encyclopaedia to list them. Burgers, the traditional favourite, remains my recommendation, if you can get to it before it closes at 5pm. If not there are later opening places, with Starbucks and Costa (at the George & Dragon) the ultimate backstop.

Trains back from Marlow are at 06 past, or from Henley at 23 and 53 past.

Saturday Walk Farningham Road to Eynsford

Farningham Road to Eynsford swc.291

Length:  10.9 miles (17.5km) with shorter options possible. 4 out of 10

This is a lovely little walk, with the morning having stretches along the Darent River, and a ridge walk in the afternoon with great views and a shortcut should you need one.

Trains: Take the 0942 Dover Priory train from Victoria, arriving 1020. Get a Farningham Road return. This train is a bit early for the ideal walk, but the next one is an hour later. Return trains are xx05 & xx35 to Blackfriars or Victoria via Bromley South.

Lunch: The Lion Hotel with it's nice spot on the river after 4 miles (6¾ km)

Tea: Various options in Eynsford

Saturday Walk A Safari in Sussex at the Knepp Castle Re-wilding Project

SWC Walk 283: Christ’s Hospital to Billingshurst T=SWC.283

Distance:  16.9 Miles or 27.1 km for those more metrically minded (with shorter bus options available)

Difficulty:  4.5 out of 10

Train:  Take the 8:46 AM Portsmouth Harbour train from London Victoria (stopping at Clapham Junction at 8:53 and East Croydon at 9:03), arriving at Christ’s Hospital at 9:49.  Return trains from Billingshurst are at 28 and 57 past the hour until 22:28. Buy a day return to Billingshurst.

This walk has only ever had one Sunday outing which was well received. It very interestingly spends about 6 kilometers exploring a 10-year old re-wilding project taking place a Knepp Castle, featuring Old English Longhorn Cattle, Tamworth Pigs, Fallow Deer and Exmoor Ponies (unfortunately, no native elephants or giraffes…) As an added bonus at this time of year, we may be lucky enough to see some deer rutting taking place…..Although long, the route is more or less flat, so probably not as challenging as you may think just looking at the numbers…..You can find more information about the walk and download the walk instructions here.

The recommended lunch spot is the Crown Inn (01403 710 902) in Dial Post (what a name!) (8.9 miles/14.3 km into the walk), food served until 2:00pm. Tea and other post walk refreshments can be had at the Railway Inn across from Billingshurst Station.

Enjoy the walk!

Wednesday Walk - The Sussex Weald: Eridge to Forest Row or East Grinstead

Length: 17.5 km (10.9 mi) or 22.8 km (14.2 mi)

Ascent/Descent: 359/296 to Grinstead; Net Walking Time: 4 ¼ hours or 5 ½ hours

Toughness:  5/10 or 6/10

Take the 10.07 Uckfield train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10.22), arrives Eridge 11.03.

Return trains from East Grinstead: xx.06  and xx.36.

Buy an East Grinstead return (you may then have to buy a single Oxted – Eridge ticket on board).

After leaving the rural station at Eridge – shared with steam trains on the Spa Valley Railway – you are soon in the undulating countryside typical of the High Weald. At Mottsmill Stream the walk joins the High Weald Landscape Trail and follows this long-distance path through the Buckhurst Estate, with a glimpse of its grand house, Buckhurst Park. As you leave the estate you enter the small village of Withyham with its notable parish church, and the pub lunch the Dorset Arms.

A short stretch then takes you to the neighbouring village of Hartfield, associated with the author AA Milne and his most famous creation: coachloads of tourists regularly descend on Pooh Corner to buy all manner of Winnie-the-Pooh memorabilia. The walk then crosses the River Medway and climbs up the other side of the valley, with fine views across to Ashdown Forest. The descent into Forest Row goes through the co-operative enterprise of Tablehurst Farm.

You can either finish the walk here or complete an Extended Walk up the long gentle incline of the Forest Way, a popular cycle route along the track bed of a disused railway line. The hilltop town of East Grinstead has many old buildings dating back to the 14^thC, including Sackville College (a Jacobean almshouse) and the imposing St Swithun's Church.

Lunch: The Dorset Arms in Withyham (8.0 km/5.0 mi, lunch served to 14.30).

Tea: plenty options in Forest Row and Grinstead, check the webpage for details.

For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.109

Sunday Walk: Autumn, Epping Forest (Loughton to Epping)

SWC walk 197
13.4km (8.4miles) Difficulty 3/10
There should be some autumn colour on this walk, through the ancient woodland of Epping Forest to lunch at a pub in Upshire. After lunch there's open countryside with good views around Copped Hall Park.
The forest is renowned for its ancient pollarded trees, primarily oak, beech and hornbeam, which support a wealth of rare insects and fungi. It is common to see deer in the more open areas. In the afternoon, you may see English Longhorn cattle.
Transport 
Start from Loughton Underground Station at 10.30am. Meet outside near the ticket gates.
Loughton and Epping are both in Travel Zone 6 on the Central Line. Loughton is about 37 minutes from Oxford Circus. Use the TfL journey planner to calculate your journey time from other stations.
There is parking at both Loughton and Epping stations.
Lunch
You could have an early lunch at High Beach Visitor Centre where there is a refreshments kiosk, toilets, café and the nouveau-posh Kings Oak pub (0208 508 5000).
The Horseshoes pub (01992  712745) in Copthall Green is better placed, with  friendly service and good food. Nearby, St Thomas’ Church has a pleasant grassy area with benches suitable for a picnic. (The other pub we used to visit, the Good Intent, is no longer a pub).
Tea
The Verde Café, 88 High Street, Epping (01992 571476) is recommended. Tea in china cups and delicious cakes. It closes at 4pm on a Sunday. If you're too late, there are any number of pubs, cafes and restaurants in Epping High Street (see text).
Walk Directions here
The path through the forest from paragraph 7 to 11 can be tricky to follow. A map and compass or gps device would be helpful.
You can shorten the walk to about 5 miles by staying on the Three Forest Way at paragraph 7. This rejoins the main walk near the end (see text).
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