Thursday Evening: London train terminus stations – Part 3 (Charing Cross to Liverpool Street or Moorgate)

Thursday Evening:  London train terminus stations – Part 3 (Charing Cross to Liverpool Street or Moorgate)

Distance:          Approximately 5.3 miles or 8.6 km for those more metrically minded (extension to Moorgate adds 0.4 mile or 0.7 km)

Difficulty:         1 out of 10

Meet:                In the forecourt in front of Charing Cross Station at 18:30

Return:             Liverpool Street or Moorgate Station

At last, the final installment of our journey around central London terminus stations. We will be picking up where we left off at Charing Cross Station and will hopefully manage to make it to Liverpool Street or Moorgate Station.

The route tonight will take us across the river Thames and back again, past many interesting sights and into the heart of the City of London. More information about the route can be found here.  Please bring a print out of the instructions (not just the GPX) as there is a lot of background information within the walk notes.

It is expected to walk in groups of six and provide contact details. To facilitate the collection of contact details, please pre-register for this walk on the "events" page at https://www.lwug.co.uk/. You will need to first sign-on and possibly register if you have not previously registered on the site.

If you test positive for COVID within a week of attending this walk, please contact me by emailing covid@lwug.co.uk.

Enjoy the walk!

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Wednesday Walk Bures to Sudbury - along the Stour Valley in Gainsborough Country

Book 1, Walk 8 - Bures to Sudbury

Length: 16 km (9.9 miles)

Toughness: 4 out of 10

London Liverpool Street:  10-02 hrs     Greater Anglia service to Ipswich     Stratford  10-25 10-09 hrs

Arrive Marks Tey:   10-57 hrs     Change trains

Leave Marks Tey:  11-01 hrs     Greater Anglia service to Sudbury

Arrive Bures:  11-13 hrs

[ Greater Anglia usually hold the connection to Sudbury at Marks Tey from the London train, but holders of senior railcards might prefer a more relaxing interchange, allowing for a coffee, by taking the 09-38 hrs service from Liverpool Street to Colchester Town, arriving Marks Tey at 10-33 hrs ]

Return

Sudbury to Liverpool Street via Marks Tey:  26 mins past the hour

Rail ticket       Buy a day return to Sudbury Suffolk

Covid-19 Compliance: please note the current guidance on this website and observe social distancing. You should all come prepared to exchange contact details for track and trace purpose. You can either pre-register for this walk (not essential ) by e-mailing me at swc-marcus@walkingclub.org.uk  or, if you prefer, please write your name, e-mail address and contact 'phone number on a small piece of paper for handing to me on the train or when we assemble at walk start. Thank you.  

This pleasant, undulating walk (but with no steep hills) takes you along the Stour Valley on the named Valley footpath and the St Edmund Way, in a northerly direction from Bures (which straddles the Essex and Suffolk borders) to Sudbury, Suffolk, home of the painter Thomas Gainsborough.

I suggest today we take the detour from Great Henny to the Henny Swan pub in Henny Street, with its attractive outdoor tables overlooking the River Stour (let's hope the weather is conducive for outdoor dining today).

After lunch we head for Sudbury, an hour away, where those wanting an early bath can take the direct route along the disused railway embankment to the railway station, leaving others to head in the other direction along the embankment to drop down across water meadows (we might be a little early for their  famed buttercups) to make for the delightful Mill Hotel, for an outdoor cream tea (recommended). Allow some 20 minutes from the hotel to the railway station for the hourly service back to London, again changing trains at Marks Tey.  

This walk seldom disappoints.

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Walk Directions are here: L=1.8

Tuesday Evening: An Enchanting Epping Evening (Loughton to Epping)

Tuesday Evening:  An Enchanting Epping Evening (Loughton to Epping) T=swc.197

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

Difficulty:         3 out of 10

Meet:                At the entrance to the Loughton Underground Station (Central Line)

Time:                18:30 – but if you miss our departure, you can certainly catch us up along the way..

The plan for this evening is to do the short version of the Loughton to Epping walk by staying on The Centenary Walk (a wide forest track) heading northeasterly towards Epping and enjoying a meal or some drinks in Epping afterwards…. It should be quite a nice time of year for this evening walk through Epping forest with the beech trees recently leaving…

More information about the route can be found here. As there are no detailed instructions for the short walk, I would suggest printing out the map page from the OS Map tab which shows the short route with a dashed blue line. Once on The Centenary Walk, the route follows a clear wide track to Epping….so route finding should be straight forward…..

Return travel is via the Central Line which runs until “well after 23:00”.

It is expected to walk in groups of no more than six and provide contact details. To facilitate the collection of contact details, please pre-register for this walk on the "events" page at https://www.lwug.co.uk/. You will need to first sign-on and possibly register if you have not previously registered on the site.

If you test positive for COVID within a week of attending this walk, please contact me by emailing {remove the AAA} AAAcovid@lwug.co.uk, a private dedicated COVID reporting email address.

Enjoy the walk!

Sunday Walk Guildford to Gomshall

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Guildford to Gomshall with options to extend or shorten the main walk

 

Length:  Main walk: 17.2km (10.7 miles)

              Short walk to Gomshall : 11km (6.8 miles)

              Longer route to Gomshall: 19.2km (11.9 miles)

              Ending at Boxhill station: 23.4km (14.5 miles)

 

Toughness: 5 out of 10

This walk explores the lovely ridges and valleys leading eastwards from Guildford - the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It starts with a short steep climb out of Guildford which leads straight to the dramatic viewpoint of Pewley Down. Then it joins the North Downs Way to climb to the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill. From there the route passes through follows the Pilgrims Way along the foot of the Downs to lunch in the pretty village of Shere. Climbing up onto the downland again and following first a wooded section and then a more open one, it finally descends to the valley again to Gomshall or stay up on the downs to continue to Dorking or Box Hill.

Trains: Catch the 9.30 train from London Waterloo (CJ 9.39, Woking 10.04), arriving Guildford 10.13).

Return from Gomshall: Trains every two hours  

                                      15.04, 17.04 and 19.04 to Waterloo via Guildford,

                                      14.44, 16.44, 18.44  to London Bridge via Redhill

Return from Dorking Deepdene: 15.19, 16.16, 16.52, 17.16 – change at Redhill for London Bridge

Return from Box Hill: replacement bus xx:10, to Epsom for train to Waterloo   

Buy a day return to Gomshall via any route to cover all of the above journeys.

Lunch: There are lots of options in Shere but it’s likely to be very busy so best to ring and book ahead if you want a pub lunch - details in the walk directions. Otherwise bring a packed lunch.

On arrival, set off in small groups (no more than six), allowing gaps between each departure. You must provide your email address for contact tracing purposes. Please email swc.wandererAAAgmail.com {substitute @ for AAA} or register for this walk on the "events" page at https://www.lwug.co.uk/

In the event that you develop COVID symptoms in the week following the walk, please email swc.wandererAAAgmail.com or covidAAAlwug.co.uk {substitute @ for AAA}

Saturday Walk Borough Green to Sevenoaks - Plaxtol, Igtham Mote and deer in Knole Park - plus apple blossom and bluebells

Book 1, Walk 36 - Borough Green to Sevenoaks 

Length: 15 km   (9.3 miles)

Toughness: 4 out of 10

London Victoria:   10-25 hrs   South-Eastern service to Ashford International    Bromley South: 10-42 hrs

Arrive Borough Green: 11-11 hrs

Return

Sevenoaks to Victoria:  19 & 49 mins past the hour, plus 05 & 35 mins past the hour (slow stopping service)

Sevenoaks to Charing Cross: 00 & 30 mins past the hour

Rail ticket   a day return to Borough Green usually works. If your return ticket is queried, use your sweet talking skills to get through the barriers at Sevenoaks 

Covid-19 Compliance: please note the current guidance on this website and observe social distancing. You should all come prepared to exchange contact details for track and trace purpose. You can either pre-register for this walk (not essential ) by e-mailing me at swc-marcus@walkingclub.org.uk  or, if you prefer, please write your name, e-mail address and contact 'phone number on a small piece of paper for handing to me on the train or when we assemble at walk start. Thank you.  

This is a pleasant, undemanding walk and modest in length which takes you through Kent countryside, a village with a Cromwellian church, parkland and by a moated Manor House before, in the afternoon, you walk through the vast Knole Park with its herds of deer. The apple orchards you walk though in the morning should be coming into apple blossom for a touch of colour, and the bluebells near Igtham Mote, the said moated Manor House, should be close to their best.

It's a picnic lunch today, although you can purchase hot (and cold) takeaway food from the cafe in Igthtam Mote if you wish. At the time of putting this walk up on our website,  the only pub on this walk, requiring a detour to Shipbourne - the Chaser Inn - is reporting no outdoor table availability at lunchtime today - so there is little point in taking the detour today.

The afternoon leg of the walk takes you initially uphill though woodland, then through a lavender farm before it's over fields and down a long woodland track to come out beside Sevenoaks Preparatory School. You now head down between pitches in the school's playing fields, along a track which passes through a stud farm then up to a deer protection gate where you enter the 1,000 acre Knole Park.  Having traversed the park you eventually exit the park through another deer protection gate to head up a path which takes you up into the heart of Sevenoaks. You should find somewhere open for outdoor refreshments or a takeaway. The downhill walk to the railway station is the only dull bit on today's lovely walk. 

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Walk Directions are here: L=1.36

 

 

Saturday Walk - Goring Circular (Lardon Chase & Streatley Warren route)

Goring Circular (with variations) T=swc.17

Length: 18km (11.2 miles) 4 out of 10

I propose taking the Lardon Chase & Streatley Warren variations

The walk leaves Goring with a pretty vista over the Thames, before following the Ridgeway path up on to the Down. The route back ends with a steep climb, and a lovely view over the Thames, before a steep descent, and re-crossing the Thames into Goring. There is a shorter, map led,  8 mile version.

Do not hang about on the platform, but assemble outside the station.

Covid-19: Please pre-register with Eventbrite here to avoid delays on starting, to conform with organised group walking guidance & minimise hassle for me! (no obligation to go on the walk). On the walk, social distance, minimise contact with gates etc and keep to small groups.

Trains: Get the 0957 Didcot train (Ealing Broadway 1005) arriving 1104. Return trains are hourly at xx:48, some with an option to change at Reading for a faster journey to Paddington

Lunch: The Bell Inn Aldworth. Real Ales accompanied by simple rolls, soup and traditional puddings, 4.6 miles (7.5 km) from the start of the walk.

Tea: The Bull Inn as you approach Streatley has a garden as does the Miller of Mansfield & Catherine Wheel (nearest the station). There is also a Tesco Express by the station.

Haslemere to Midhurst via Henley

SWC 263: Haslemere to Midhurst via Temple of the Winds and the tiny hamlet of Henle

Distance: 14.1 Miles (22.7 km), with options to shorten to approximately 12 miles (19.4 km)

Difficulty: 8 out of 10 (7 out of 10 with both shortcuts)

Train: Take the 9:30 Portsmouth Harbor train from London Waterloo to Haslemere, arriving at 10:20. The return journey requires taking a 70 bus from the Midhurst Bus Terminal to Haslemere station (20 minutes) – buses run at 17:05; 18:05 and 19:10 and return trains to Waterloo from Haslemere are frequent (02; 14 and 30 past the hour). Buy a day return to Haslemere.

First off, apologies for the bait and switch. I was very much looking forward to a Rowlands Castle extravaganza and had been hoping the forecast would improve….However, it is still looking like a potentially very soggy day for being on such an exposed walk. So, thought this little gem might make for a reasonable (and less exposed) back-up….combining some of the best features of the route from Haslemere to Midhurst – first gently climbing to the Temple of Winds viewpoint on the Black Down before dropping steeply into the valley to lunch in the tiny hamlet of Henley. After lunch the route again climbs for more stunning views back across the morning route and onward to the South Downs in the distance before dropping down to finish with a stroll through the Cowdray Estate and its evocative house ruins. The walk instructions and more details are available here. For those wishing to avoid a bus, it would be possible to switch to walk 218 (Midhurst Way – Midhurst to Haslemere direction direction) at Henley and walk back to Haslemere (about 15 miles).

The recommended lunchtime pub is the Duke of Cumberland Arms in Henley (tel 01428 652 280), about 8 miles (12 km) into the walk, which serves food until 2:30PM. An alternate pub, the Kings Arms (tel 01428 641 165), which serves food until 2:30 can be found with a diversion from the main route.  Please call ahead to confirm availability or bring a picnic!

The recommended tea stop is the Cowdray Farm Shop and Café – open until 5:00pm. Midhurst also has a several options for post walk libations.

It is expected to walk in groups of no more than six and provide contact details. To facilitate the collection of contact details, please pre-register for this walk on the "events" page at https://www.lwug.co.uk/. You will need to first sign-on and possibly register if you have not previously registered on the site.

If you test positive for COVID within a week of attending this walk, please contact me by emailing {remove the AAA} AAAcovid@lwug.co.uk, a private dedicated COVID reporting email address.

Enjoy the walk!

Bluebells in the Evening (VI) - Osterley Park (a stately home, a park, a canal, a flight of locks, a river, a grand viaduct)

Greenford to Osterley - in reverse and shortened

 

Length: 6.5 km, Ascent/Descent: negligible 

Net Walking Time: ca. 1 ½ hours, Toughness: 1 out of 10.

Meet at 18.45 outside Osterley Station on the Piccadilly line. Journey time from Hammersmith is 17 mins, from Green Park it is 32 mins. 

Return trains from Hanwell to Paddington: every 15 mins on xx.11 (journey time 15 mins).

Osterley and Hanwell are in Zone 4. 

 

From Osterley Station through Osterley Park past Osterley House (NT), where bluebells ought to be found “in the Great Meadow and on the Long Walk”. Continue for a short section along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, passing the famous “Hanwell Flight of Locks” and a point where road, rail and canal bridges pass over one another in an intriguing manner. Turn left along the River Brent to the Wharncliffe Viaduct, which carries the original line of the Great Western Railway across the Brent Valley, just before which you turn right to Hanwell Station’s Grade II-listed building. 

 

Tea: The Fox Inn or The Viaduct 

 

For walk directions, map, photos, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.42.a