Future trips: Dornie, Scotland (6 walks) 9th to 16th May 2027 • Dartmouth, South Devon Coast (4 walks) 25th to 28th June 2027.
Christmas Party - December 1, 2026, save the date
30-year anniversary of SWC - May 22, 2027, save the date. You are invited to share your stories and memories of the club by adding your comment to the post below.
Length: 11.8
miles (possible to cut walk short by getting a bus to Brighton along the
route).
Toughness:
3/10
9.24 train from Victoria (9.31 Clapham
Junction, 9.40 East Croydon) to Lewes arriving 10.32, changing
there for the 10.36 to Newhaven Town, arriving 10.45
Buy a day
return to Newhaven Town, which is also valid for return from Brighton. Frequent trains back to London from Brighton
station.
For more
details of the walk click here.
There is a GPX
and map
Today's route is
straightforward: turn left on the
main road from Newhaven Town station over the rail line, and follow the estuary
around to the left, then up onto the headland and keep to the coast path. You don’t need hiking boots for this walk –
trainers should be OK.
This walk is
being posted by special request.
This coastal
walks boasts a Victorian Fort and harbour arm, quiet White Cliffs, an
undercliff path, Brighton's marina, busy promenades and board walks passing
Brighton's pier, shops, cafes. The whole
walk has nice sea views.
Lunch: The Peacehaven, 4 miles into the walk, is a
carvery and pizza restaurant.
Telescombe
Tavern after half a mile from Peacehaven, fairly basic menu.
Smuggler's
Rest a short distance away may be better than the above two.
Once you get to
Saltdean, 5.6 miles into the walk, you can switch, if you wish, to the seafront
promenade, which runs under the bottom of the cliffs past Rottingdean
(6.3 miles) to Brighton Marina. Both Saltdean and Rottingdean have seafront
cafes, It’s more interesting walking
through the Marina, rather than outside it.
More eating options here and buses back to Brighton.
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#2026-10-31T09:24
16 km (10 miles) 4/10
A mixture of woods and meadows, with a couple of steep hills and several interesting sights on the way - Hughenden Manor, West Wycombe caves (open for “pumpkin fest” at the moment £4.50) and a mausoleum. There are tea-rooms at Hughenden Manor and at the caves, and several good picnic spots. Amazingly this Book 2 classic has not been posted for nearly two years although there have been couple of outings for the longer Wheelers End variant.
Travel: 1006 from Marylebone, arriving 1045. Return trains at 1532, 1615, 1702, 1749.
Lunch: the National Trust cafe at Hughenden Manor is open from 10 to 3.30 and is conveniently placed for lunch. There are picnic benches nearby. The Le De Spencer's Arms (tel 01494 535317), Downley Common 9km from the start of the walk, serves food from 12 to 3pm daily, but you are strongly advised to phone through beforehand to check.
Tea: round the corner from Saunderton station is the Golden Cross (tel 01494 565974), a regular post-walk refreshment stop.
Short walk option: it's possible to cut out the middle section of the walk by following the Short Walk directions from point 2 to 7A in the instructions, reducing the walk to 9.6 km/6 miles.
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#2026-10-21T10:00
A celebratory walk is planned to mark the club’s 30-year anniversary.
This is an advanced notice to help you plan your busy diary.
Details will be posted by a walk poster near the time.
We are celebrating
a very special milestone, the 30th anniversary of our walking club.
Over the years, our club has brought together people from all
walks of life, united by a simple pleasure: walking in the countryside. From peaceful paths and woodland
trails to challenging hills and action packed holidays,
we have explored many places together and created memories that will stay with
us for years to come.
But our club has always been about much more than just walking.
It is about friendship and community, the conversations along the way, the
laughter over a pint of beer or a cup of tea, and the welcome given to new members. Many friendships have been formed and in some cases blossomed into marriages through the
club. It is this wonderful sense of togetherness that has helped it
flourish for three decades.
As we celebrate
our 30th anniversary, we thank the club’s founding father, Nicholas Albery for
his ingenious idea, our webmaster Andrew and many walk posters for their dedication and hard work through the years. We also remember
with fondness those members who have been part of our journey over the years
and are no longer with us or have moved away.
This anniversary
is a chance to look back with pride at everything we have achieved, but also to
look forward with excitement to the years ahead. May the next chapter bring
many more enjoyable walks, new adventures, and lasting friendships.
Lastly, you are invited to share your stories and memories of the club by adding comments to this post.
Look forward to
seeing you at this event.
With its expressive beauty and folksong-like melodies, Vaughan Williams’ 1922 A Pastoral Symphony was long thought to be an affectionate portrait of England’s rolling hills. But within those four slow movements lie an anguished, ultimately hopeful, response to World War I. Composed 34 years later, Symphony No 8 was premiered during the dawn of the new Elizabethan age. It’s a tauter, more rhythmic work, at times dance-like, yet still offering moments of deep introspection.
Mozartian elegance and grace surround Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 3, a work that nevertheless includes moments of profound beauty, especially in the yearning second movement.
In Aardman’s 50th anniversary year, go behind the scenes of your favourite stop-motion animations and explore how Aardman’s iconic characters and worlds are brought to life.
A joyful, educational, and highly tactile experience and a
"must-see" expo that combines nostalgia with iconic sets, original
models, and interactive, hands-on activities.
Tickets £11 or £5.5 (Art Fund). To book your ticket, please click here. Book the 2:30pm slot.
A Sunday walk has been posted to link this event with a late Sunday morning stroll and lunch at the Approach Tavern - 6 mins walk from the Young V&A.
A WhatsApp group will be set up for this event. Please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOTcom if you wish to be on it.
Length: 11.9 km (7.4 miles). Toughness 1/10
Make your way to Stratford station in east London (Elizabeth, Jubilee and Central lines, mainline from Liverpool Street, etc) and use the directions to meet by Signorelli Café in Endeavour Square at 11:15. Stratford is in TfL Zones 2/3.
This new walk by Mike A is being posted as a 'pre-amble' to the Aardman exhibition at Young V&A. After a meandering route through Olympic Park and Victoria Park you'll get to the suggested lunch pub at about 1pm, the Approach Tavern in Bethnal Green. For those without tickets to the exhibition there's an extra hour's walking “through the rich architectural mix and cultural heritage of inner East London” to Liverpool Street.
Please bring the directions from the L=short.74 page. They contain lots of interesting stuff as well as the important bit at the start for the meeting place. #2026-11-01T11:15
CW2: Walk 1: Wendover Circular via Coombe Hill
Train: Take the 9:57AM train from London Marylebone to Wendover. Return trains at 24 and 54 until 18:54, then hourly at 54 past.
Length: 13 miles or 21 km. Shorter versions also possible. The cross-coppice shortcut reduces the walk to 8.5 miles and if you take the train 1 hour later you would have a reasonable chance of meeting the main walkers at the lunch pub. Please note that there are no trains stopping at Monks Risborough this Sunday -- so this short option would not be available.
Difficulty: 8 out of 10 for the main walk; probably 4 out of 10 for the shorter versions.
This is a great walk in the autumnal Chiltern Hills passing an iron-age fort, several viewpoints and a very cosy pub for lunch. The main walk is fairly energetic with some ups and downs. It passes through various woods which should be starting to show some of their autumnal color. The Coombe Hill ending is recommended and is well worth the added effort. More information and the instructions/gpx can be found here.
Lunch: The Red Lion (tel 01844 344476), Whiteleaf, 10km (6.2 miles) from the start of the standard walk, which serves food from midday to 2pm daily. Booking is advised.
Post-walk Refreshies: Wendover has many options for after-walk refreshments from chocolate indulgences (Rumsey's) to cheese and wine shop (No 2 Pound Street) and good traditional pub (Shoulder of Mutton).
Enjoy the walk!
#2026-10-25T10:00
Sunset in Haslemere will be at 17.51, so there will be light for walking until about 18.30.
The route starts at a bus stop in Kingsley Green served by an hourly service (Mon-Sat), 3 km outside of Haslemere, but additional start or finish points can usefully be accessed either by other bus lines or on foot, along spoke routes from Haslemere Station, using some of the existing SWC walks. For details see below. The HOOP route is map-led, while fully written directions exist for the spoke routes in the walk directions pdf linked above.
Lunch and Tea: The Prince of Wales, Hammer Vale, 4.6 km into the route; The Fox & Pelican, Grayshott, 10.3 km into the route; Café Twenty5, Hindhead, 12.6 km into the route; The Devil’s Punch Bowl, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The National Trust Café, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The Wheatsheaf Inn, Grayswood, 16.7 km into the route (currently closed); The Cabin House Coffee and Harper’s Steakhouse & Bar by Haslemere Station.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.
#2026-10-24T09:30
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Length: 24km (15m), Shortcuts available: See walk description and GPX
Toughness: 5 / 10
Transport: Take the 9:24 train from London Liverpool Street arriving in Broxbourne at 9:49. There are 4 return trains per hour.
This is a magnificent woodland walk hopefully displaying spectacular autumn colours.
“The River Quaggy, well-kept parks, a large church (with Gothic Revivalist interior), a large heathland with views, genteel streets, grand houses (Victorian, Georgian, Modernist)”
Shortcuts: Straight to Blackheath Station after crossing the railway line (as per SWC 421), or improvised from the two pubs en route.
Eat/Drink: Two pubs en route (or just off it), Hare and Billet and The Princess of Wales. Plus plenty of options in Blackheath village.
For walk directions, map and gpx/kml files click here .
#2026-10-21T18:04
T=swc.421.a