Friday Walk - Llangynidr to Bwlch or Circular [Crickhowell Trip]

Length: 21.9 km (13.6 mi) [longer or shorter walk possible, see below] 

Ascent/Descent: 781/685m 

Net Walking Time: 6 ½ hours 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Take the 10.11 Bus Line 43 from Crickhowell Square to Brecon (calls Llangattock Plas Derwen at 10.15), arrives Llangynidr Village Hall at 10.26. 

Return: 17.49 from Llangynidr Village Hall (Line 43) on the shorter ending and 16.30, 18.43 and 20.33 from Bwlch, All Saints (Line X43) on the full walk.

 

This walk leads from Llangynidr village up along a tight valley, the Cwm Cleisfer, and onto the open limestone uplands of Mynydd Llangynidr, initially along a lane then through pastures, in the latter stages with some difficult-to-find-and-negotiate paths near the transition to the open moorland. Mynydd Llangynidr is a basically treeless undulating mountain of open limestone uplands with numerous depressions, shake holes and pits, as well as many ancient cairns (burial mounds) dotted across the moorland. You climb to the source of the Cleisfer, a perfect picnic spot, and then across the scarred landscape (map and compass come in handy) to the Chartist Cave, arguably one of Wales' most important historic monuments. The Chartists were a 19^th century working-class movement for political reform and this cave is where the local group met and stored weapons before the Newport Rising of 1839.

You cross the top of the moorland hill and descend to a remote road by an active limestone quarry and pick up a former tramway for transporting goods to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal to skirt around the rim of the picturesque wooded Crawnon Valley. A stretch along a ridge high above the Talybont Reservoir is followed by a descent through lush pastures back to Llangynidr. To complete the walk, cross the Usk River and ascend to Bwlch on the other side for a return bus.

Walk Options:

A Variation on the Cwm Cleisfer route circumvents an often-overgrown stretch with difficult route finding.  

An Extension near the end over the Tor y Foel hill adds 250m and 113m ascent.  

A Variation of the route near the end through Llangynidr leads along the rivers Crawnon and Usk to Llangynidr Bridge rather than along the canal. This is flood-prone when The Usk is in spate and has some steep and rocky bits.  

A finish at the start point in Llangynidr is described but note that there is only one bus late afternoon through the village.

 

Lunch: Picnic.

 

Tea:  

The Coach & Horses Inn; open all day, located 3.1 km from the end of the walk; 

The Walnut Tree Café; open to 16.00, located 2.2 km from the end of the walk;  

The Red Lion; open all day, located near the start of the walk, i.e. at the other end of the village from the end of the walk route; 

The New Inn; open from 17.00, located right at the end of the walk.

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

#2026-09-25T10:11 t=swc.332

Crickhowell Trip - 4 Nights, 4 Walks (2 with bus journeys, 2 from/to Crickhowell)

A Thursday to Monday trip with 4 walks:

Notes:

-  Travel is by car or by train and bus: Paddington to Newport, change to Abergavenny, buses to Crickhowell (14 on Mon-Sat, 5 on Sun): Line X43 from the bottom of Station Road, Line 43 from the bus station.

-  note that the X43 now runs evening journeys, all the way to Bwlch, i.e. it is possible to travel to Crick on Thursday after work.

-  Train and bus details are based on the current schedule, which may be different in September.

 

Friday 25 September: 10.11 Bus Line 43 from Crickhowell Square (calls all stops in Llangattock), arrives Llangynidr, Village Hall at 10.26. Walk SWC Walk 332 Llangynidr to Bwlch or Circular: 21.9 km (13.6 mi) with 781/685m ascent/descent. 7/10 rating. With lots of options, shorter and longer. Picnic lunch.

Saturday 26 September: 09.26 Bus Line X43 from Crickhowell Square (does not stop in Llangattock), arrives Bwlch, All Saints at 09.36. Walk SWC Walk 308 Bwlch Circular via Mynydd Troed, then Llangorse Lake or Pen Tir: 21.6 km (13.4 mi) with 837/840m ascent/descent. 7/10 rating. With two principal options, and two shortcuts on the Llangorse Lake option. Picnic lunch on the rarely walked Pen Tir option, but a pub and tearoom in Cwmdu for ‘tea’.

Sunday 27 September: Meet at 10.00 at the Crickhowell Square bus stop. And start walking. Walk SWC Walk 370 Crickhowell Circular via Mynydd Llangatwg and Craig y Cilau: 18.9 km (11.7 mi) with 680m ascent/descent. 6/10 rating. Shorter and longer options: one extension, several shortcuts plus an opportunity for caving (for beginners).

Monday 28 September: Meet at 09.30 at the Crickhowell Square bus stop. And start walking. Walk SWC Walk 333 Crickhowell Circular via Table Mountain and the three Pens: 20.4 km (12.7 mi) with 973m ascent/descent. 8/10 rating. Feel free to walk this main walk version, or even the much harder 10/10 version, as some did last year on the Brecon Trip, but my intention is to walk the very different (and shorter) version which leads in a westerly loop from either Pen Cerrig-calch or Pen Allt-mawr (the latter route partly map-led) and down the lower part of the wooded Cwm Cumbeth (11.5 km/7.2 mi, 658m ascent; or 16.5 km/10.3 mi, 741m ascent) back to Crickhowell. [There is an even shorter version described.] This will enable me to check the old text, equip the currently map-led stretch with written directions, and still leave Crick relatively early for London.

#2026-09-24T18:00 #5days

Wednesday Walk - A heath and woodland walk near London: Oxshott to Ashtead (or Epsom)

Length: 18.6 km (11.6 miles) 3/10

This (further) revamped route features a big area of open heath land only a few stops from London, followed with mainly open woodland later on. Bring the up to date instructions /GPX because some of the old route has been reinstated after the conclusion of forestry work in Prince's Coverts and we take a new way through Ashtead Common. There are several possible shortcuts. The main walk loops back from Epsom Common to Ashtead but you can also finish at Epsom (not much difference in distance).

There is only a few hundred yards of overlap with the Oxshott to Cobham walk done on a recent Sunday.

Travel: Waterloo 1003, arriving Oxshott 1038, should fit in with the lunch pub. 4-5 return trains an hour from Ashtead and Epsom. Buy a return to Effingham Junction where the Oxshott and Ashtead/Epsom lines meet.

Lunch: The Star, Kingston Road, Leatherhead is large and has a beer garden. It is reached after 12.4 km (7.7 miles). Tel: 01372 842416. The track through the Prince's Coverts before lunch doesn't have good places to stop so picknickers might want to carry on past the pub into Ashtead Common where you should be able to find somewhere suitable.

Tea: The Woodman, 238 Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead. Tel: 01372 274524. With an Epsom finish you could try the Cricketers 01372 729384 which is on the walk route to the station.

Shortening the walk: the walk directions make a number of suggestions including a finish at Claygate (making a walk of 11.9 km/7.4 miles) but the simplest short cut is to go straight through Ashtead Common from the Star to the station, missing out Epsom Common and cutting 4.3 km/2.7 miles).

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#2026-09-23T10:03

Evening Walk - The Waterlink Way (Pool and Ravensbourne Rivers) - Lower Sydenham to Greenwich or any point inbetween

Length: up to 9.7 km (6.0 mi) [several dropout points en route] 

Ascent/Descent: negligible 

Net Walking Time: up to ca. 2 ¼ hours

Take the 18.09 Hayes (Kent) train from Charing X (18.12 W’loo East, 18.18 London Bridge, 18.27 Ladywell, 18.30 Catford Bridge), arrives Lower Sydenham at 18.33. 

From locations further south, take the 18.13 train from Hayes to Charing X, arrives Lower Sydenham at 18.30.

Finish is at one of: Ladywell Rail, either of the Catford Stations, Lewisham Rail/DLR, Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich Rail/DLR. Return trains from these stations go to either London Bridge, then Cannon Street or Charing Cross, or to Blackfriars via Peckham Rye and Elephant.

The route connects a number of attractive parks and green spaces in South East London, while following the Pool and Ravensbourne Rivers. It follows parts of the well-waymarked Waterlink Way, the London-part of the National Cycle Network Route connecting Eastbourne to the Thames. Large stretches of those rivers have in recent years been re-naturalised or at least sympathetically embedded in landscaped linear parks such as Ladywell Fields and Brookmill Park, and as such the route makes for a pleasant outing in a densely populated part of London, even though some formerly highly industrialised areas such as Deptford as well as some densely built-up areas such as Catford and Lewisham are passed through.

Walk Options: The walk route runs past a few Railway and DLR stations (Catford/Catford Bridge, Ladywell, Lewisham, Elverson Road and Deptford Bridge), enabling an earlier finish or later start.

Refreshments en route: the Catford Bridge Tavern in Catford, The Ladywell Tavern in Ladywell, The Brookmill in St. John’s and The Birds Nest in Deptford. Plus, plenty options in Greenwich.

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

#2026-09-22T18:33 t=short.36

Sunday Walk – The Watts Gallery and Loseley Park

Book 2 Walk 12a – Guildford Circular via Compton

Length: 13.4 km (8.3 miles). Toughness: 2/10

10:02 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 10:10), arriving Guildford at 11:04.

The fastest trains back from Guildford to Clapham Jct & Waterloo are at xx:35. There are slightly slower ones at 15:04, 17:04, etc, and also at 16:05, 18:05, etc, but the latter require a change at Woking and take about 15 minutes longer.

The Guildford trains are being diverted via Staines this Sunday with a longer journey time, but I thought this walk was still worth posting because there is free admission to the Watts Gallery on a Heritage Open Day. The nearby Watts Chapel has always been free to visit (via a tiny detour described in the directions), but it will be well worth visiting the gallery showcasing the artworks of “England's Michelangelo”, George Frederick Watts.

The standard outward route to Compton is a low-level route via the River Wey and the North Downs Way, although anyone wanting a more strenuous outing could opt for the alternative start, a ridge walk along the Hog's Back. The return route is via Loseley Park with views of its impressive house, again finishing alongside the River Wey. However, the published route via Millbrook footbridge has been unavailable since a weir collapsed in 2019 (although repair work is finally taking place), so at both the beginning and end of the walk you have to make a five-minute detour along a main road.

If it's not too crowded then in return for free admission it would be commendable to patronise the Watts Gallery café for lunch. The main alternative is the popular Withies Inn a little further on, but this is also likely to be busy and you'll probably need to book a table in advance if you want to be sure of getting Sunday lunch there. If neither of these places can oblige it's not too far back to Guildford where you'll find plenty of choice for a late lunch or tea'n'cake.

Please bring the directions from the L=2.12.a page. #2026-09-20T11:05

Sunday walk - Saunderton via Bledlow Circular Walk

T=2.2 #2026-09-20T10:52 Length 17.3 km (10.7 miles) This walk through a peaceful part of the rolling Chiltern Hills has one or two steep hills, but otherwise gradients are gentle and there are many fine views out over the valley and plain. The first part of the walk follows the valley bottom before following the Ridgeway to lunch at Bledlow. In the afternoon you pass through a series of secluded valleys before reaching Radnage and then over Bledlow Ridge and back along the valley to Saunderton. Travel: Take the 9.53 train from Marylebone, arriving Saunderton 10.52. Return trains from Saunderton run hourly at xx.57. If you finish at Princes Risborough, trains from there to London run at xx.22, xx.26 and xx.51. Lunch: the Lions (tel 01844 343345), Church End, Bledlow, 7km from the start of the walk. Picnic tables stretch out onto a green in front of the pub. Tea: round the corner from Saunderton station is the Golden Cross (tel 01494 565974), which offers tea and coffee. The Boot at Bledlow Ridge 01494 481499  is another option. Short walk option: if you've had enough by lunch time, Princes Risborough is just under 4km from the Lions. This shortens the walk to 10.5 km (about six and a half miles).  More details L=2.2

Saturday Walk - Thame Circular

Thame Circular

Travel: Take the 09:32 Birmingham-bound train from London Marylebone, arriving Haddenham and Thame Parkway 10:09. Then catch the 10:33 bus (route 121 or x20) for the short 10-minute journey to Thame from outside the station. Trains return at xx:06 and 17 past the hour with regular buses from Thame (Coop) at xx:29 and 59. Buy a return to Haddenham and Thame Parkway.

Distance:  13 miles/21.0 km 3/10, with a short version of 9.5 miles/15.25km available

Difficulty:  3 out of 10 for the main walk/1 out of 10 for the short walk

An easy scenic ramble through the Thame valley on the Ox/Bucks border, partly following the Oxfordshire Way and, later, the waymarked Thame Valley Walk. It passes through charming villages and the full walk includes many fine views.  More information on the walk and the walk instructions and GPX can be found here.

Lunch: For the full walk the recommended stop is The Clifden Arms in Worminghall (01844 338 429), serving food until 14:30 (with last orders at 14:00).

Tea: Thame has numerous watering holes - see notes. I seem to recall enjoying post walk refreshies on the nice patio of the Thatch some years back.

Enjoy the walk!

#2026-09-19T12:00

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Saturday Walk - Tattenham Corner Circular

Length: 17¾ km † (11.0 miles) . 4 out of 10. Four hours 10 minutes walking time.

Any decisions about doing a shorter walk are after lunch. 

" Tattenham Corner station was built to serve Epsom Downs Racecourse and you soon get a fine view along its finishing straight towards the Grandstand. A ridge walk along Walton Downs then takes you to what was once arable farmland in Langley Vale but is being transformed by the Woodland Trust into a First World War Centenary Wood , with poignant sculptures in new plantations and wildflower meadows. After an undulating route through this extensive site a sustained gentle climb brings you to the lunch stop in Walton on the Hill , with its attractive village pond.

The afternoon section starts with an optional loop around the partly-wooded Banstead Heath (part of Banstead Commons ). " 

This walk has various loops, so gpx users should take care!

Trains: Get the 1010 Tattenham Corner train from London Bridge (probably platform 11) (East Croydon 1029) arriving 1108. The station is in Zone 6. Return trains xx15, xx45.

Lunch: The Blue Ball Walton on the hill after 7.5km, with the Village Café as an alternative and benches next to Mere Pond for sandwiches.

Tea: The Tattenham Corner pub.

#2026-09-19T10:10

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Saturday Walk - The Low Weald and Bough Beech Reservoir

Walk 300 – Penshurst Circular, via Bough Beech (Main Walk)

Length: 15½ km (9.6 miles). Shorter afternoon options are available. Toughness: 3/10

10:04 Dover Priory service from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 10.07, London Bridge 10.13), changing at Tonbridge (arr 10:47, dep 11:01) for the Redhill train and arriving Penshurst at 11:09.

If you prefer to travel on the (less expensive) via Redhill ticket, the Thameslink Three Bridges service leaves London Bridge at 10.21 (Norwood Junction 10.32, East Croydon 10.36), changing Redhill (arr 10.52, dep 11.00) for the Tonbridge service to arrive at Penshurst 13 minutes after the others at 11.22.

If you have any "Any Permitted" route ticket you can travel back from Penshurst on the hourly trains in either direction via Redhill at xx:09 and via Tonbridge at xx:22. If you've traveled out on a cheaper "via Redhill" ticket you'll need to return the same way.

This walk takes in the area around Bough Beech Reservoir, a large body of water tucked away in the Wealden countryside which is surprisingly well-hidden until you get close. The suggested lunch stop is in the hamlet of Bough Beech, which you should reach about 2hrs 15 mins into the walk. You'll need to book a table at the Wheatsheaf (01732-700100) if you want an indoor table for lunch. For a picnic, look out for a spot along the morning route, otherwise walkers have previously sat in a pleasant field behind the pub garden. From Bough Beech the main route follows the longest of the three possible afternoon routes via Chiddingstone. Shorter afternoon routes are available (see the clickable map on this walk's web page). All routes return to Penshurst station where the Little Brown Jug provides a pleasant place to wait for a homeward-bound train.

Be sure to download the latest version of the directions from the L=swc.300 page. If you're printing the directions and know which afternoon route you'll be taking, you can save paper by clicking that option.

#2026-09-19T10:04

Evening Walk - The End of the Line: Stanmore Circular

Length: 8.7 km (5.4 mi) [Shorter and longer walks possible, see below 

Ascent/Descent: 154m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 2 ¼ hours

 

Meet outside Stanmore Station (up the steps) at 18.30. Journey time from Baker Street is 28 minutes. Save some minutes by taking the Met Line to Wembley Park and change there. If you travel on the Jubilee Line from any station south of Baker Street, change at Finchley Road.

Stanmore is the northerly terminus of the Jubilee Line and in Zone 5. 

 

This undulating route in a leafy part of North London almost completely eschews roads and housing to lead through three separate large Nature Reserves or Commons with a couple of smaller green areas in between, providing for a large variety in ecologies, including secondary and ancient woodlands, streams and ponds, coarse grassland, unimproved neutral grassland, acid grassland, heathland, scrubland, open glades and wetlands. Many areas are rich in wildflowers, butterflies and moths.

You rise up through the fine Modernist Warren Estate and through the wooded Stanmore Country Park to Wood Farm Local Nature Reserve with the London Viewpoint and its panoramic views across London from Alexandra Palace to Heathrow via The City, Wembley and Harrow and out to the North Downs.

Descend through grassland and reascend through Cloisters Wood to reach the ridge of Stanmore Hill at Little Common. You pass Stanmore Common’s Brewer’s Ponds and in the decidedly wilder Common proper have a choice of routes through it.

Lastly, the descent through Bentley Priory NR, location of RAF Fighter Command during WWII, enchants with quiet grasslands and varied woods, as well as more vistas to parts of London. Also passed are a large artificial pond with a very old oak tree and a private deer park (the latter on a shortcut).

Walk Options:

Bus Line 142 travels along The Common (the A4140) and its Stanmore Priory Drive stop is passed 4.3 km into the walk. This connects to Stanmore and Edgware Tube Stations or to Watford Junction.

Extensions are described in Stanmore Country Park (add 350m), Stanmore Common (add 1.0 km) and in Bentley Priory NR (add 400m). The longest version of the route has 10.5 km. 

Shortcuts are possible by cutting out the loop through Stanmore Common and by taking a more direct route through Bentley Priory Park, along the Deer Park on tarmac rather than through the grasslands and woods and past the ponds on partly mud-prone paths, or by taking a clockwise route around the pond. 

An Alternative Ending leads along the main road through Stanmore (the A410), past more tea options. 

Bus Lines travelling along the A410 through Stanmore to the Station cut up to 1.1 km on this option.

Refreshments:

Main Walk: Bistro 101, Everest Abercorn and Agra Indian Restaurants. 

Town Option: Spice Rack Lounge; Sahara Lounge; Barracuda restaurant; Pizza Express. 

There are no pubs in Stanmore.

 

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

#2026-09-17T18:30 t=short.56

Wednesday Walk - Balcombe to East Grinstead.

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#2026-09-16T10:05

LENGTH : 17.2km (10.7 miles)

DIFFICULTY : 6 out of ten

TRAVEL : Take the 0950 Thameslink train for BRIGHTON calling at St.Pancras 0950, Farringdon 0954, City Thameslink 0956, London Bridge 1005 and East Croydon 1019 arriving at BALCOMBE 1046

Buy a Balcombe return and try to blag your way past the barriers at East Grinstead. If unsuccessful, an extension to East Croydon can be purchased at the nearby ticket office.

Return trains from East Grinstead depart half hourly at .06 and .36, taking 56 mins to reach Victoria. Change at East Croydon  for London Bridge.

LUNCH : The Cat Inn provides above average food offerings, though it’s kitchen closes at 2pm. Bar open all afternoon.

https://www.catinn.co.uk/

If feeling unwilling/unable to face the remainder of the walk buses are available from the village. 

TEA.

https://www.olddunningsmill.co.uk/  a Harvey’s pub is in the CAMRA 2026 good beer guide. 

Sainsbury’s by the station caters for afternoon refreshments. 

My last attempt at this walk, in November 2024, was disastrous. Heavy rain turned the ground into mud and we had to rebuild a washed away bridge. 

After a good lunch would-be bus takers were let down by a fallen tree cancelling all services while onward walkers had to rely on torches to finish.

But the days are longer now and the ground firmer, so the prospects for a lovely walk are much brighter.