Walk 14 : Effingham Junction to Westhumble

The dates in square brackets refer to editions of the book to which the changes apply. [Aug04] is the original edition, published by Penguin and with a green cover. [Jul06] is the Ebury Press edition, with a thorn tree on the cover.

[Aug04][Jul06] p149, info panel: In my experience, it has always been just one train an hour from Boxhill to London, with two on Sunday.

[Aug04][Jul06] p150 first column, second paragraph: the National Trust-sponsored bus to Polesden Lacey does not operate in winter – ie November to March, when the house is closed, but the garden is still open

[Aug04][Jul06] p150, first column, last para. The directions in italics are a bit confusing here. Essentially follow the edge of the common, and in the far corner, turn left up the far edge of it, walking away from the bungalows.

[Aug04] p152, col 2, fourth para, para starting: “In 100 metres you pass a bungalow on your left...”: instead of turning right onto the main road, the A246, as indicated in the book, you can turn right up a path just before it, before running parallel to the road, with a wooden fence to the right and a line of trees to the left: this should be signposted as a bridleway, but the sign may be missing.

[Aug04][Jul06] p153 bottom of the first column. The path here has changed, and for the better. Instead of turning left at the corner of the hedge with the drinking fountain next to it, it goes straight on across the golf tee ahead, and, following a yellow arrow on a post, into the woods on a new path. Keep straight on through the woods, crossing several crosspaths, until you come out onto another fairway. Head straight across it for a footpath post 60 metres away on its far side, and turn right through the hedge here. You can now resume the directions at the top of page 154. “You are now on an enclosed pathway....”

[Aug04][Jul06] page 154, para two: the “Please keep out: newly planted area” sign has now disappeared

[Aug04][Jul06] p154 and 160: Work on the new car park and entrance to Polesden Lacey is now (November 2008) nearly complete. It is currently not possible to access the tea room without paying for entrance to the gardens, but it soon will be, and the ambiguity about this (which is reflected in the book instructions) will be gone.

The new arrangement will be as follows: after point [5] turn right on the tarmac lane, and in 60 metres go right through the gate into the car park. Keep to the right hand edge of the car park. In 200 metres you come to the new wood sided entrance building to Polesden Lacey on the right, and you can go in here to the tea room. After lunch or tea, retrace your steps to point five and resume directions at the point marked [*] in the book


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