Wednesday Walk - Bedfordshire Chalky Downlands: Leagrave to Harlington

Length: 23.1 km (14.4 mi) [for shorter options see below]

Ascent/Descent:   327/353m

Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ¼ hours

Toughness:  5 out of 10 

Take the 10.04 Thameslink Brighton to Bedford service from St. Pancras (West Hampstead 10.11) [also stopping at East Croydon, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon], arriving Leagrave 10.44.

Return trains: 4-5 an hour. Buy a Harlington return.

The start to this walk in Central Bedfordshire with a long urban stretch may sound inauspicious, but most of that actually leads through meadows along the early beginnings of The Lea River. And the rewards are many and varied: far views from solitary North Chiltern hills, ancient woodlands, steep chalk escarpments, two of the largest Neolithic hill forts in the South East and an exceptionally fine and steep chalk down land: Barton Hills, as good as any other.

All this is linked by ancient track ways like the Icknield Way and the Chiltern Way and with rolling grassy fields and fine views up to the escarpments in the afternoon. The finish is in the tranquil hill top village of Harlington.

Shortcuts reduce the effort to 3 out of 10. One of them omits the Barton Hills downland and routes through the Sharpenhoe Clappers chalk escarpment instead, with fantastic views down into the plain. [see pdf for details]

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

Lunch: The Raven of Hexton in Hexton (10.1 km/6.3 mi, food all day); or on Shortcut I The Chequers Inn in Streatley. For the options on Shortcut II see the pdf.

Tea:  The Olde Watermill in Barton-le-Clay (17.7 km/11.0 mi) and two pubs in Harlington (one may be shut for the afternoon…). T=swc.229

Easter Monday - Double Bill: East London Short Walks --- The Ingrebourne Valley (Hornchurch to Upminster) [New Walk] [Walk-Check]

Length: 11.7 km (7.3 mi) [shorter and longer walks possible, see below]

Ascent/Descent:  90m

Net Walking Time: ca. 2 ½ hours

Arrive at Hornchurch station for a 14.00 start. Hornchurch Underground Station is in Zone 6, on the District Line to Upminster. Journey time from Aldgate East is 36 minutes, from Victoria 53 minutes. You can shave off time by taking mainline trains from Fenchurch Street (or from Limehouse or West Ham) to Upminster and then travel back a couple of stops on the Underground. Upminster Station is also in Zone 6 and served by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway from Fenchurch Street (journey time 22 minutes, via Limehouse, West Ham and Barking), as well as the terminus of the District Line and of the Romford to Upminster Overground. Return trains to Fenchurch Street: xx.21, xx.25, xx.51, xx.55.

The part of the Ingrebourne Valley walked through on this walk comprises a varied and unique mixture of interlinked and partly overlapping local green spaces - Ingrebourne Valley Greenway, Berwick Glades, Berwick Woods, Hornchurch Country Park, Ingrebourne Hill and the Sutton, Hacton and Gaynes Parkways. These include habitats ranging from river, open water, grassland, secondary and ancient woodland, marshland, fenland (with the largest continuous area of freshwater reed beds in Greater London), and – not to forget – some arable farmland.

Partly former airfield, ex-quarries, farmland or landfill site, it is now a continuous green space and contains – pound for pound – one of the best viewpoints of London’s Skyline, from all of 11 metres above sea!

Walk Options:

Several shortcuts are possible, as the southerly parts of the outbound and return routes are running close to each other, these are obvious on the route map.

Bus Stops for services to District Line stations are located close to the route after 8.0 km and 9.2 km.

Follow the outbound route back to Hornchurch station instead of going to Upminster: cut 1.8 km.

An Extension through Berwick Woods to the reed-fringed Berwick Pond adds 1.4 km.

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

Tea:  Ingrebourne Valley Visitor Centre (open to 17.00, located 3.9 km from the end of the walk).

Several cafés, bistros and restaurants in Upminster, and also…

The Crumpled Horn A Marston’s pub. Food served.

The Upminster Tap Room South West Essex CAMRA Pub of the Year 2017, with a wide variety of excellent ales, and also selling well chilled Wine and Prosecco. No food. 
The Junction A Greene King pub. Food served to 21.30 every day. T=short.34

Easter Monday - Double Bill: East London Short Walks --- Dagenham Parks, Rivers and Ponds [New Walk] [Walk-Check]

Length: 10.1 km (6.3 mi) [shorter walk possible, see below]

Ascent/Descent:  negligible

Net Walking Time: ca. 2 ¼ hours

Arrive at Dagenham East station for a 10.30 start. Dagenham East is in Zone 5, on the District Line to Upminster. Journey time from Aldgate East is 32 minutes, from Victoria 49 minutes. You can shave off a few minutes by taking mainline trains from Fenchurch Street (or from Limehouse or West Ham) to Barking for part of the journey.

This is an exploration of several linked green areas in an otherwise densely populated East London suburb, leading through some Local Nature Reserves, two Country Parks, an ex-landfill site and ex-quarry, a river floodplain and along the recently restored beds of the Wantz Stream and the Beam and Rom Rivers.

This walk has a large variety of landscapes, from acid grassland, fenland and woodland to marshland and sandy shrubland via woods and a tranquil meandering valley.

Beam Parklands provides functional flood prevention and public open space for the community, while the Beam Valley Country Park was formerly derelict land after having been partly worked for gravel, leaving a wide diversity of habitats, with wet and dry grassland, tall herbs and scrub, and one small area of willow woodland, a scarce habitat in London. The Chase Local Nature Reserve has large areas of marshland and contains 6 of only 600 mature female Black Poplar trees left in the UK as well as a fenced off Bird Sanctuary (The Slack). Eastbrookend Country Park, now an interesting, undulating landscape, was formerly a gravel quarry then a dumping ground for the rubble left over from the blitz.

A shortcut at the northerly end of the walk reduces the length by 2.3 km.

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

Lunch:  The Pipe Major, at the end, just beyond Dagenham East station. T=short.33

Easter Monday - Glynde to Seaford: an energetic but rewarding walk up and over the South Downs

Book 1, Walk 31- Glynde to Seaford

Length: 23 km (14.3 miles)
Toughness: 8 out of 10

London Victoria: 09-47 hrs   Ore train.  CJ 09-53,  EC 10-03
Arrive Lewes: 10-47 hrs.  Change trains
Leave Lewes: 11-09 hrs   Ore and Eastbourne stopping service from Brighton
Arrive Glynde: 11-14 hrs

Those wanting to "go long" today by adding [as a pre-walk to today's main walk], the opening leg of Book 2, Walk 25, from Lewes to Glynde via  Mount Caburn, then you should take the 08-47 hrs train from Victoria. You should reach Glynde station at the time the main walkers arrive.

Return: Seaford to Victoria via Lewes: 57 mins past the hour.
Return: Seaford to Victoria via Brighton: 25 mins past the hour

Rail ticket: buy a day return to Seaford


Today's walk up and over the South Downs is a favourite of many a SWC walker, and it should make a pleasant Spring outing today if the weather is half decent. As I am sure most of you will have given this walk a go at least once before now, I will limit the pre-amble to a few salient facts and tips, leaving newcomers to read the notes in the walk directions.

Lunch today can be taken at one of the three pubs in Alfriston, which you should reach by 13-30 hrs. Being a Bank Holiday they are all likely to be busy, particularly if the weather is nice, so best if you split up and mix and match. There is also a good pub in Litlington - the Plough and Harrow - which you reach 40 mins after leaving Alfriston.  There is also at least one deli and convenience store in Alfriston for sandwichers to buy provisions.

You can stop for an early tea in Exceat Country Park, or at the pub at Exceat Bridge. You can also terminate your walk in Exceat by taking the bus to Seaford or Eastbourne ( a frequent service).

Wednesday walkers  on 14 March diverted off the Vanguard Way, shortly after the start of your final leg today, and walked through the farms below Seaford Head to view the new born lambs recently turned out into the fields. You might like to do the same on today's walk before your final stretch  along the clifftops to Seaford.  There are pubs and bars in Seaford for tea before you start your journey home.  Trawlers fish and chips restaurant usually opens on Bank Holidays for those wanting  more substantial sustenance at walk-end.
T=1.31
Walk Directions here: L=1.31

Sunday Walk – The Blackwater Valley (Crowthorne-Sandhurst)

Extra Walk 83(b) – Crowthorne to Sandhurst (or Blackwater)
Length: 17¼ km (10.7 miles) to Sandhurst, or 20½ km (12.7 miles) to Blackwater. Toughness: 3/10

10:03 Cardiff train from Paddington, changing at Reading (arr 10:37, dep 10:48) for the Redhill train, arriving Crowthorne at 11:02. A return to Blackwater is the most flexible ticket on this route.

If it's more convenient you could take the 09:30 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 09:39) and change at Guildford (arr 10:11, dep 10:23) for the Reading train, arriving on Crowthorne's other platform 10 minutes earlier at 10:52. However, there are rumours of industrial action over Easter on South Western Railways out of Waterloo. If you do take this route, buy a return to Crowthorne.

The Waterloo/Guildford ticket is cheaper but is not valid for return via Reading; the more expensive ticket lets you return on either route.

The Sunday service on the Reading-Redhill line was improved at the end of 2017 and trains back from Sandhurst are now hourly in each direction, at xx:05 via Guildford and xx:49 via Reading. If you take the optional 2-mile extension to Blackwater there are two trains per hour, at around xx:09 & xx:34 via Guildford, xx:18 & xx:45 via Reading.

I'm taking a chance on posting this walk since the most recent feedback was from some punters who got hopelessly lost, although I have an unworthy suspicion that they clicked a 'random play' button on the directions and tried to follow the sections out of order. To be fair, the ongoing gravel workings in the Blackwater valley might have resulted in some footpath diversions, so be prepared to use your initiative.

The walk itself is a mix of woodland, heaths and pastures, returning alongside flooded gravel pits and through nature reserves in the Blackwater valley. The Queen's Oak has always been very welcoming and if you call them in advance they've been know to reserve a cosy bar for groups of walkers at lunchtime; let's hope they can manage on Easter Sunday. The options for tea in Sandhurst or Blackwater aren't quite so enticing, but there are several pubs in the area and a Café in the Park on the route between the two stations.

You'll need to bring the directions from the Crowthorne to Sandhurst Walk page. You can click the word 'Main' in the Walk Options heading to hide the unnecessary directions for the Short Walk variation. T=swc.83

Easter Day - Amberley to Pulborough [New Variant] [Walk-Check]

Length:  25.7 km (15.9 mi)

Ascent/Descent:  514/512 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours

Toughness:  8 out of 10 

Take the 09.02 Bognor Regis train from Victoria (09.08 CJ, 09.18 EC, Purley 09.24, Coulsdon South 09.31), arrives Amberley at 10.34; or take the 09.17 Portsmouth Harbour & Littlehampton train and change at Gatwick Airport onto that train (you have 6 minutes).

Return trains: xx.26 (80 minutes).

This walk has recently been fully revised, not least after the previous lunch pub is now shut (again). The new – longer and more varied – route leads through Duncton for lunch, a deviation that the original walk author envisioned as early as 2009, but never got around writing up. The old route survives as the short walk (but now w/o a lunch pub).

“The route follows the South Downs Way out of the scenic Arun Valley along some steep chalky tracks high up onto Bignor Hill for some magnificent views along the ridge, out to sea and across the West Weald. You leave the South Downs Way and pass Glatting Beacon with its transmission masts to then gradually descend from the ridge – not without a few short re-ascents up Farm Hill and Barlavington Down – past a few hanging woods into the Rother Valley. Pass the quaint setting of Duncton Mill and head for The Cricketers pub for lunch. Onwards you go through the magnificent Burton Park with its ponds, before you walk through several idyllic commons, part wooded, part sandy heathland, and eventually cross the Rother River and progress to Pulborough along a westerly route familiar from other walks, past the picturesque Stopham church and medieval bridge.

A shorter option descends steeply from Bignor Hill through hanging woods to the quiet villages of Bignor and Sutton (where the village pub is currently shut).”

Bus line 1 (Midhurst – Worthing via Pulborough Station) follows the A 272 and A 283 through the last part of the walk area. Convenient stops for shortcuts are: Fittleworth and Stopham. The bus leaves Midhurst two-hourly to 18.30 last, and calls Petworth 15 minutes later, Fittleworth and Stopham later still.

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

Lunch:

The Cricketers in Duncton (13.0 km/8.1 mi, food all day).

Tea:

The Swan Inn (Hotel) in Fittleworth (5.3 km from the end);

The White Hart at Stopham Bridge (2.3 km from the end);

The Oddfellows Arms (1.2 km beyond the station);

The Chequers Hotel (650m beyond the station).T=swc.39