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These walks are free. Everybody welcome, especially visitors to London.
However, as there is no leader, you should have a copy of the route - either the appropriate book or for SWC walks, a printout.
| Wednesday, July 8 |
Amberley and Bignor Roman Villa
An additional midweek day walk: I will do Amberley Circular via Bignor next Wednesday but I will leave Victoria at 9.32 (return fare is £18.10) so anyone wishing to use the Network Rail card discount will need to follow on the next train at 10.32. It will be a leisurely lunch with siesta, so there is the opportunity to catch up at either at the Roman Villa at Bignor or the White Horse Pub. Download instructions and Map of the walk, courtesy of the Times on line. Lunch is at the White Horse which stops serving lunch at 2pm. (6.5km/4m from the start of the walk.) Culture is an optional visit to a Roman Villa or remains thereof (£5.50 entrance). P Posted by
Roman Villa Anonymous : Thursday, July 02, 2009 1:25:00 PMhttp://www.bignorromanvilla.co.uk/index.asp The 9.32 also calls at Clap Junct 9.37 East Croyd 9.48 and Gatwick 10.08 |
| Sunday, July 5 |
Book 1 Walk 15 – Leigh to Tunbridge Wells
Length: 18.7km (11.6 miles), or 14.7km (9.1 miles) with short cut. Toughness: 5/10. 10:05 Tonbridge (via Redhill) train from London Bridge, calling at Norwood Junction (10:16) and East Croydon (10:21), and arriving Leigh at 11:05. Buy a day return to Tunbridge Wells. Return trains from Tunbridge Wells are at 10 & 39 minutes past the hour to 18:39, then hourly from 19:08. This popular Book 1 walk through the "Garden of England" should make a fine alternative for anyone not tempted by the Isle of Wight jaunt. After passing through the lovely village of Penshurst, there's a choice of pubs on Smart's Hill for lunch; however, they're both likely to be busy on a Sunday, so call the Spotted Dog (or the nearby Bottle House Inn) when you set off. If both are fully booked, you could stop earlier in Penshurst at the Leicester Arms or at Quaintways tearoom (or get food there for a picnic); doing this also gives you the option of taking the afternoon short cut alongside the Medway, bypassing Smart's Hill. At the end of the walk, there are many possible tea places in and around the Pantiles, while a five-minute walk past the station up Mount Pleasant Road will bring you to The Opera House, a splendid building which is now a JD Wetherspoon pub. You can find more details of this walk, including the full walk directions, on the Walk 15 page. Posted by
I've double checked and it looks as if there is no 10:05 Tonbridge (via Redhill) train from London Bridge calling at Leigh, there are ones either side at 09:48 & 10:38! RobW : Friday, July 03, 2009 9:22:00 PMI only checked as trying to rendezvous with the train at East Croydon so will probably aim to meet the 09:48 as it is closest to the time proposed! Posted by
Correction! Please ignore previous post now standing in corner with Dunce's hat on as I was looking at Saturday train times not Sunday!
RobW : Friday, July 03, 2009 9:30:00 PMExtra Walk 62 – Lymington to Barton-on-Sea (for New Milton)
Length: 15.7km (9.8 miles). Toughness: 2/10 09:35 Weymouth train from Waterloo, calling at Clapham Junction (09:42). Change at Brockenhurst (arr 11:17, dep 11:29) for the branch line to Lymington Town, arriving at 11:37. I suggest buying a day return to New Milton: when you get to Brockenhurst, ask if this is acceptable for the journey to Lymington; if not, you can get together and buy cheap 4-for-2 GroupSave tickets for this leg. If you have been staying overnight on the Isle of Wight and would like to do this walk, take the 10:30 ferry from Yarmouth to Lymington Pier, then take the train one stop (or walk) to the Town station. Trains back from New Milton are at 01 & (slower) 23 minutes past the hour. A rare X12 bus leaves the Barton-on-Sea Café at 18:37, connecting with the 19:01 train; if you miss this bus, it's at least a 30-minute walk inland to the station. This walk is being posted in conjunction with Saturday's Yarmouth walk on the Isle of Wight, giving you the opportunity to do two walks a long way from London over a weekend (though no doubt if you are staying on the island, you might prefer to spend a second day there). It's a simple coastal walk, through a nature reserve in the morning and then along an esplanade and cliff top path in the afternoon. For more details of the walk, including notes about where to swim, see the Extra Walk 62 page; you can download and print the walk directions from this page. |
| Saturday, July 4 |
Walk 27 - Milford to Haslemere
Length: 17.1 km (10.6 miles), Toughness: 6/10 London Waterloo: 10-15 hrs (Clapham Junction 10-22 hrs) (Haslemere train) Arrive Milford: 11-05 hrs Return: Haslemere to Waterloo: 02, 15, 32 and 39 mins past the hour Rail ticket: buy a day return to Haslemere Those not heading for the Yarmouth adventure might like to try out this walk in Surrey across heathland, nature reserves and National Trust land. Lunch at the Three Horseshoes pub in the village of Thursley is usually very good, albeit expensive: if you can hold out for another 80 minutes or so you can find less expensive fayre at the Devil's Punchbowl Hotel and Restaurant, not unsurprisingly on the edge of the Devil's Punch Bowl, the main feature on this walk (which almost makes up for the lack of water f....... on today's walk). Please refer to the new update on the website (print off 2 pages to 1) for the main route and alternative options - walking along the rim of the Punch Bowl, and a visit to Gibbet Hill for a nice view. Tea on arrival in Haslemere is best taken at Darnleys, if still open. If not, there are hotels and hostelries awaiting your custom. Next week (Week 28), 11 July, Walk 28 - Chilham to Canterbury - a mini pilgrimage for you to enjoy. Walk 8 - Marlow Circular
Length: 19.4km (12.1 miles) Toughness: 3 out of 10 9.57 train from Paddington (10.05 Ealing Broadway), changing at Maidenhead (arrive 10.34, depart 10.38) to Marlow, arrive 11.01. Trains back are at 06 minutes past. A dozy summer day is the perfect time to do this walk, which follows a lovely stretch of the River Thames for the first five miles, then goes up the pretty Hambleden valley to the village of that name, and finally cuts back across wooded hills to Marlow, with its myriad pubs and tea options. For those that wish, this walk also gives you a chance to visit the Henley Regatta today: see last paragraph below. The train for this walk really ought to be the 8.57, but I thought if I put that up, no one would turn up. But even the 9.57 ought to land you at the Flower Pot Inn in time for lunch. Alternatively, if you want to be really dozy, you can stop for morning coffee at the Temple Lock tea gardens, have lunch in the very pretty village of Hurley three miles in, and then use the pleasant village shop in Hambleden (which is also a sort of cafe) as your tea stop, before doing the not very strenuous hilly bit back to Marlow in the early evening. *** The Henley Regatta, one of the events of the English summer "season", takes place today and tomorrow on the stretch of river between Hambleden Lock and Henley. It won't affect the main walk, but if you want to experience it (it is kind of noisy, but interesting to see: lots of Pimms drinking, men in blazers and straw hats - oh, and some rowing competitions in the background), simply stay on the Thames Path when you get to Hambleden Lock, about 1km after leaving the Flower Pot Inn - see the "second option" outlined in option a) on p92 of the book. To end in Henley but avoid the Regatta, follow the route over Remenham Hill mentioned on p92, though expect to find the Regatta crowd when you get to Henley itself. What impact the Regatta has on tea options in Henley, I do not know, but expect the town and its pubs to be very busy. Isle of Wight Walk – Yarmouth Circular
Length: about 19.5km (12 miles). Toughness: 5/10 09:05 Weymouth train from Waterloo, calling at Clapham Junction (09:12). Change at Brockenhurst (arr 10:37, dep 10:59) for the branch line to Lymington Pier, arriving at 11:09. Catch the 11:15 ferry to Yarmouth, arriving 11:45. Day trippers should buy a day return to Yarmouth (IoW) (£30.30 with a Network Card), which includes the ferry journey. Note 1: The through ticket to Yarmouth is not available on all ticket machines, so buy it the night before or allow time to queue at the ticket window. Note 2: If you have an advance train ticket to Lymington, note that you can get the Network Card discount on the additional ferry ticket which you'll need (£5.15 single, £7.55 day return). If you are not staying on the island, there are ferries at 18:30, 19:15 & 20:15 which will get you back to Waterloo in about 3 hours. The 21:15 ferry would still get you back to London (but after 01:00). There are later ferries at 21:45, 23:15 & 00:35 if you just need to return to the mainland. As trailed here, we are posting this walk on the western side of the Isle of Wight for the first time. I know that many of you have made arrangements to stay overnight, but it is feasible as a day walk and if you are doing this you should have no problem finishing the walk in time to catch one of the early evening ferries. For three-quarters of the walk you will be following the waymarked Isle of Wight Coastal Path (familiar to many of you), and the final section back to Yarmouth is also fairly straightforward. Nevertheless, you should print these brief walk directions, which include some information on lunch and tea places, swimming opportunities, etc. This route map of the western section of the Coastal Path is worth taking, too. |
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New Website
The move to a website is on hold. See comments for more.
Posted by
No need to read this unless you like computing. Andrew : Sunday, May 17, 2009 9:43:00 AMI had planned to move to "GoDaddy", one of the largest webhosts. Good value at £5/month for 150 GB of space plus Perl (the scripting language used to create the webpages). However, 2 problems. First is that they don't do transfers of '.org.uk' domain names, so we'd have to use someone else for that. And second, it turns out that their version of Perl is pretty basic, and doesn't have some of the essential modules we need. Looked at "1&1". They have the Perl modules, and do ".org.uk" domain transfers, but their US packages are far better than there UK packages, e.g. 50x more disk space for less money. There are also some horror stories about them on the internet Now looking at "Hosting Matters" and Fasthosts Posted by
GoDaddy might upgrade the Perl if you asked them (and it didn't upset current users by being non compatible). AJK : Monday, May 18, 2009 10:06:00 AMDon't quite see the problem with the domain name. Surely (don't call me Shirley)its just a matter of pointing the DNS to your new IP address? | |
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New Forum
http://swclondon.proboards.com/ - AK suggests this as a replacement for this forum.
Posted by
Current hot topics are a weekend in St Malo?, Old Codgers Corner! Best places to shop and Pilgrimage trails, more than just a sense of history?
AJK : Monday, March 30, 2009 3:45:00 PMPosted by
See new messages about possible Isle of Wight holiday. Everything up for discussion on this forum.
AJK : Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:38:00 PMPosted by
Click this to show the 10 most recent posts to new forum
AJK : Friday, July 03, 2009 3:27:00 PM | |
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Walk numbers - May 09 onwards
A place to post up the numbers that came on walks, and a report on how they went.
Posted by
Saturday 2 May: Alternative Walk: Whytleafe Circular: 23 on this walk, on a fine warm sunny day. It certainly lived up to its billing regarding bluebells - great seas of them in all directions - and in between there were some pleasant fields and views. It was also very nice to sit outside the pubs for lunch and tea and look forward to many more such days over the next few months.....(let's hope...)
Walker : Saturday, May 02, 2009 11:39:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 02 May, Book 1 Walk 18 - Sunningdale to Windsor. About 26 of us on the Club walk, plus several freelancers doing own thing - and a large group of West London Walkers following a similar route to ours - and fortunately a bit behind our main group. A lovely sunny day, with Valley Gardens looking as delightful as ever. The cafeteria in Savill Gardens seemed to cope well with the large number of visitors enjoying a day out in Windsor Great Park. The group separated after lunch - a few going off piste during the afternoon whilst trying to follow the Book's Directions. Some of us met up in Windsor, which was teeming with day trippers. Trains from Windsor Riverside became chocker with rugby fans boarding at Twickenham post the Army-v- Navy game at Twickers HQ. Those on my train had had a sherbet or two during the day but were very well behaved. Marcus : Sunday, May 03, 2009 3:02:00 PMA most enjoyable day out. Posted by
Sat 2 May Book 2 walk 5 Tring Circular. Ian T : Sunday, May 03, 2009 8:24:00 PM15 on this walk on a sunny day. A new (to us) bluebell wood was discovered on the stretch between Hurst Park Farm and Ringshall (off to the right of a large field). Lunch in Little Gaddesden was good. After lunch, five headed off early to do the Berkhamsted extension through the recommended bluebell wood - which had bluebells in it. We didn't descend to Albury. I think the others followed the Tring circuit, but not sure. Posted by
Sat 2 May Book 2 walk 5 Tring Circular. Ian T : Sunday, May 03, 2009 8:30:00 PM... thats Ward's Hurst Farm Posted by
In reply to the above post, I just want to say thanks to Ian T for pointing this wood out - Dockey Wood on the OS map. I went there the following day, and it is the Great Bluebell Wood of the Western World, the archetype of all bluebell woods, the most amazing one I have ever seen. Now I think of it, I think the National Trust makes a big fuss of this place and uses it a lot in its promotional photos. And to think it was 200 metres off the walk all along and I never noticed! The wood at the end of the walk, near the tea kiosk, was also pretty amazing. "had bluebells in it" doesn't quite do it justice! I also got a long lingering look at a muntjac deer there....Replies to your update points, Ian, are on the updates page.
Walker : Monday, May 04, 2009 11:46:00 AMPosted by
Sunday May 3rd, silent walk (in the morning) from Lenham to Hollingbourne - about 18 on this walk in one direction, but about 2000 in the other. Some of us were blinded and intoxicated by the bluebells on this walk, especially in a rather sweet section called Chitts wood, and most avoided the unfriendly pub.
Em : Monday, May 04, 2009 5:28:00 PMPosted by
Bank Holiday Monday 4 May: Book 1 Walk 37, Southbourne to Chichester. Six on the later train (including two newcomers). As we dashed for the 18:14 train home we met some stragglers from the earlier group; "about ten" they said. Sean : Monday, May 04, 2009 11:16:00 PMThe earlier group reported lightning service and good food at the Blue Anchor in Bosham. We had booked a table at the Old House at Home in Chidham - and probably wouldn't have got lunch if we hadn't; it was very busy. The steak and ale pie was excellent but possibly not the best choice with less than a quarter of the walk under our belt, and the weather not conducive to a post-prandial sprawl on the grass. In Bosham we found a group of children offering tea and home-made cakes in the churchyard; arriving just before 4pm on a slow day put us in a strong bargaining position and by the time they were closing we were getting a rate of seven cakes to the pound (so we could have skipped lunch after all). The combination of low tide, a cold wind and (towards the end) light rain didn't make the best conditions for this walk but no-one complained and we all seemed to have a good time. I hope we see our newcomers again! Posted by
Sunday 3 May, Book 1 Walk 38, Hanborough to Charlbury: 13 in the group + 2 independent walkers. The newly re-opened Black Head pub is definitely downmarket, with outside tables located in the car park, but the Sunday roast (the only meal on offer) was good value at £5.95 for a generously-sized meal. Afterwards, one walker took the short route while the rest did the main walk, finishing with tea at the Bell Hotel and an "open house" visit to several artists' studios in Charlbury.
Chris L : Wednesday, May 06, 2009 1:26:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 9 May, Great Missednden to Amersham - 23 people + 1 dog. Split into 3 groups after lunch. The rear 7 visited a church, had a long lay down in the sun, stopped to smell the roses (literally) and still got to Old Amersham in time for tea & cake. This walk is so much nicer in May than in its usual February slot.
Hope : Sunday, May 10, 2009 8:20:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 9 May: Book 2 Walk: 30 people turned out to give Pluckley Circular its day in the sun. The wayside flowers were lovely, the oilseed rape fields deep yellow, and the only thing missing was the apple blossom (long gone). At least half, and maybe more of the group, did the new extension, taking full advantage of the pub stops en route. A good number of us took thing so leisurely that we caught the 8pm train back.
Walker : Sunday, May 10, 2009 11:51:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 10 May, Extra Walk 20: Sevenoaks to Westerham. About 15 people enjoyed this fine walk in perfect weather. The early stages were enlivened by plenty of activity: a charity run in Knole Park, a noisy motocross weaving its way around the Greensand Way, a couple of over-inquisitive horses and a clay pigeon shoot. After Sevenoaks Weald things quietened down and we had a peaceful afternoon. About half of us detoured to The Woodman which serves good food from a wide and interesting menu, with exceptionally quick service for a Sunday lunch. Those of us in the slow group paused to admire the colours in Emmetts Garden and so we didn't make it to Chartwell in time for a visit, but it was an excellent day out.
Sean : Monday, May 11, 2009 10:51:00 AMPosted by
Wednesday 6th May - Extra walk - Rowlands Castle circular: 6 of us. [Wed 15th April, Walk 4b (book 2) - Chesham circular: ~9]
DAC : Monday, May 11, 2009 12:17:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 10 May, Extra Walk 20: Sevenoaks to Westerham. 4 of us did the full walk, extended to Chartwell with splendid views around Ide Hill where we had instant service from the pub landlord. Views which would be largely lost if were to be dissuaded from the existing route by my groundhog day. (Note avoid this walk in the month of May!) More glorious views of open countryside from Ide Hill to Chartwell. Finally tea on the Green at Westerham by 4pm. A splendid day.
AJK : Monday, May 11, 2009 12:28:00 PMPosted by
Sunday May 10. Book 1 Walk, Wakes Colne to Bures. 16 on this unassuming but lovely walk through the gentle countryside of deepest north Essex on a day of glorious sunshine. Excellent lunch at the four bells. In the afternoon there was a delightful close encounter with a roe deer stag. For symmetry we wanted to have tea at the eight bells in Bures but they did not have the service that day so we took refreshments at the Swann Inn. A perfect day out. Note- you must take the up-dated download version of this walk or you could do a lot of head scratching.
PeteB : Monday, May 11, 2009 8:00:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 16 May: Southease to Rottingdean: 27 on the inaugural outing of this walk, which combines parts of book two walks with a new route across the downs to the sea. There was a strong headwind on the latter section, but plenty of sunshine made this a very pleasant day. The lunch pub, the Juggs in Kingston - new to the walks - proved very friendly and efficient, and the climb up onto the downs had wonderful views. Rottingdean seems to be bursting with tea places, with controversy already springing up among walkers as to which is the best. Walker : Sunday, May 17, 2009 1:25:00 PMI reckon that about half the group carried on along the seafront into Brighton, braving a sharp shower at the start of this section. Our reward was some lively seas splashing up over the sea wall, lovely silvery sunlight later, and (for some of us) fish and chips in the surprisingly elegant Pavillion Restaurant on Brighton Pier. On the way back to the station, the streets were buzzing with the Brighton Festival. Posted by
Saturday 16 May, Book 1 Walk 20, Milford to Godalming. About 25 walkers ventured out on a cool and murky day. The White Horse served us quickly and cheerfully, despite having to cope with dozens of wedding guests and the preparation for a reception later in the afternoon. Winkworth Arboretum was unaccountably closed: a few elf'n'safety signs proclaiming the danger of falling twigs suggested that fears of 'high winds' had persuaded a nervous management to keep the paying punters away. In a way that was a bonus as some of us risked life and limb to wander peacefully around the almost-deserted grounds. We can vouch for its range of rare and unusual trees, as our man with the tree book failed to identify a single one. Most of us stopped for tea at the Farncombe Boat House and yes, Marcus, I claim my prize for getting not just a smile, but a hearty laugh, out of the proprietor...
Sean : Sunday, May 17, 2009 2:15:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 17th May, Extra Walk 26, Amberley to Shoreham-by-Sea. Just 3 of us today. It was extremely windy the whole way along the SDW, with gorgeous blue skies before lunch and grim, rainy ones thereafter. But the latter did little to diminish our appreciation of the fabulous views along 95% of this walk. Presumably good weather conditions for Gliders, judging by the numbers taking off from Parham Airfield and circling overhead. The instructions just after lunch are slightly confusing (or field boundaries have changed) but as the only writing implement we could conjure up between us was an eye-liner (!) which was found to be not fit for purpose, I'm afraid we failed in our attempt to note appropriate alterations! Posted for Kate C
Sean : Sunday, May 17, 2009 10:59:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 17 May 2009 Book 2 Walk 6. Henley via Stonor Circular. Nine on this lovely Chilterns walk, starting off in lovely sunshine then showers shortly after lunch then dry but cloudy for the rest of the afternoon. Some independent groups were also doing various Henley walks. The afternoon woodland sections are always a delight and fallow deer were glimpsed through the trees. Refreshments taken at a surprisingly empty Henley tea rooms. The changeable weather had obviously kept a lot of people at home.
PeteB : Monday, May 18, 2009 7:53:00 PMPosted by
Wednesday 20th May 2009 Extra walk 53: Whitchurch to Overton. 10 walkers, very happy that the weather turned out beautifully (thanks to Sean for trading in another piece of his soul, apparently, to get that deal done). Much pausing on the many bridges throughout the walk which crisscross the crystal clear River Test with its shallow stony bed. Fish and ducks all very enthusiastic in chasing down our offerings of stale bread with further close attention from cat and chickens whilst eating lunch in the pub garden. The middle section of the route moves a little away from the river and along these pleasant wooded tracks the additional interest was in trying to work out which distant hill was Watership Down itself. Some picture-postcard thatched cottages complete with friendly locals and immaculate lawns helped to round out an extremely 'nice day at the office'.
NeilB : Friday, May 22, 2009 11:36:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 23 May: Book 2 Walk: Robertsbridge Circular: 113 or 14 on this walk: we split into two groups at once, with half doing the main walk, and the other half the short walk. Of the short walkers, four of us got the vintage train on the Kent and East Sussex Steam Railway, riding in the wonderful director's car from Bodiam to Tenterden, where the buffet provided a good lunch. We then returned to Bodiam at 3.30pm, had tea, and visited the castle before walking back in the evening to Robertsbridge by the main route. Weather: sunny at first, then cloudy, with some sunny flashes towards evening.
Walker : Monday, May 25, 2009 2:27:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 23 May: Book 2 Walk: Seaford to Eastbourne: I heard a report that there were "about 40" on this walk: perhaps someone who was actually on it would like to give a report.
Walker : Monday, May 25, 2009 2:27:00 PMPosted by
Bank Holiday Monday 25 May: Book 1 Walk 17, Bow Brickhill to Woburn Sands. Nine on this walk, although one dropped out early on. Cool and overcast at the start, but the sun came out at lunchtime and the afternoon was very warm. A sign advertising an Ale and Sausage Festival at the Magpies Hotel drew us in for lunch; the promised variety was somewhat lacking at the end of their three-day party but we dined well enough. Mostly distant views of the exotic fauna in the Safari Park, but one elephant came over to pass the time of day with us. We finished the walk around 5pm just as one of the rare trains was pulling in, so we decided to skip tea. There were no problems with the (unrevised) directions - plenty of details need updating but they still work.
Sean : Monday, May 25, 2009 10:46:00 PMPosted by
Re Sat 23 May Seaford to Eastbourne. Ian T : Tuesday, May 26, 2009 8:18:00 AMIf you were to include the large group of about 12 (that I took to be walking seperately), then 40 would be about right. I counted 27without them. There were so many of us blocking the pavement that we moved off without a proper names ceremony. The day was overcast rather than sunny but not unpleasant. The winners got to Eastbourne Sta. by 15.30. I got there for the 17.58. I wasn’t last but if you had bet money on me, you would have lost it. I hear others didn’t reach Victoria till near midnight. Painting Eastbourne red, no doubt. Posted by
Saturday 23 May - Book 2, Walk 20 - Robertsbridge Circular. Reference Walker's posting above, the 5 of us on the main walk had a lovely day. Lunch at the White Horse, Etchingham, was excellent: good food, good value and friendly service: recommended for future SWC walkers. Previous problems with this hostelry are probably due to large groups arriving unannounced - so do please 'phone ahead. Marcus : Tuesday, May 26, 2009 9:23:00 AMThe group went off piste after lunch. We forgot to abide by the golden rule - if the chap in the front doesn't have the walk directions, don't follow him. We foolishly did - and as a consequence added a mile or two to this already long walk. No problem, though, as we eventually arrived at Bodiam Castle - a bit after Walker and Co. A sit down on the banks overlooking this lovely castle, a cup of tea and ice cream, then onwards back to Robertsbridge, keeping to the walk's directions this time. The 18-10 hrs train took us swiftly back to London. Posted by
Seaford to Eastbourne: I'm going to be really boring now... Hope : Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:16:00 AMI counted 35 in our group & encountered a latecomer (the webmaster)at the pub, making 36. Did not count the separate group of about 12. The hills are definitely steeper than last year, but the sea is as georgous as ever Posted by
Re Seaford to Eastbourne Ian T : Tuesday, May 26, 2009 12:40:00 PMBlimey! I think I'd better go back to counting school. Posted by
Bank Holiday Monday Walk (South), Book 1, Walk 31 - Glynde to Seaford: the weather forecast for south-east England was not encouraging for this walk, and I set out in light rain from Lewes, up and over Caburn Hill and down to Glynde where I met about 15 SWC walkers at Glynde station for the main event. By now the rain had stopped and by the time we climbed up onto the South Downs the sun broke through the clouds and the conditions on top were quite lovely - warming sun and a gentle cross breeze. Jane from Kew set a cracking pace on top and the group was soon strung out, with Jane storming ahead and Ian T adopting his customary role as rear gunner, protecting the rear of our column. We made Alfriston in record time, to pause and relax in the garden of the George Inn for a good luncheon. After lunch, the group split up, with some exploring the smugglers haunts in Alfriston and its museums, others continuing the walk by the side of the Cuckmere River, still in lovely sunshine. By the time the leading group made Exceat, the storm clouds were gathering: more than one of us must have upset the Gods en route as thunder claps were soon heard around us. Some stopped for tea and or a visit to Exceat's excellent visitor centre - and after an ice cream I plodded on to Cuckmere Haven, then up and along the cliff tops, by now walking in a steady drizzle, which was refreshing, but with clouds darkening all the time, which was threatening as thunder claps continued all around. Arriving in Seaford, finding Trawlers closed, there was no excuse to hang around, so I caught the train home. I assume those I left behind at Exceat continued the walk to Seaford: those sightseeing in Alfriston might have caught a bus somewhere along the way - let us know if this was the case. I enjoyed this lovely long walk - and I hope my walking colleagues did likewise.
Marcus : Wednesday, May 27, 2009 9:06:00 AMPosted by
Re Glynde to Seaford Ian T : Wednesday, May 27, 2009 9:41:00 PMI was in a group of 4 at the back. The afternoon got hotter, cloudier,and more humid with ominous noises rumbling in from the sea. There was some light rain. If there was anything heavier, it missed us. We got to Exceat in time to wave some of the faster people off at the bus stop. Then into the farmhouse for tea and cakes. Some of us were up for the final jomp but another bout of thunder had us scurrying to the bus stop and, hence, Seaford. Posted by
Sun 24 May Book 1 walk 32. Arundel to Amberley. 20 pitched up for this walk on a hot sunny day Ian T : Thursday, May 28, 2009 6:52:00 PMI brought my own food but the George & Dragon seemed to please those who didn't - lots of oohs and aahs, anyway. Some of the sandwiches took a long time. The steps after lunch seemed higher than ever. Some, including myself, skipped the end of the walk through the Wildbrooks. According to a notice, the alternative tearoom is still open in Amberley village but I headed straight for the pub near the station. Posted by
Sat May 30th Stonehenge Walk. 21 started. Lost 1 to the bus, Gained 1 celt at Old Sarum. Three met Arthur Pendragon at Stonehenge, being hounded out of the county probably because he is standing for European Parliament. I'll let others comment on quality of walk. For me, an extraordinary day out. A few beers by the mill stream in Salisbury. Long walk.
AJK : Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:07:00 AMPosted by
May 30 2009 Salisbury to Amesbury: sylvia : Sunday, May 31, 2009 3:18:00 PMA weekend in a day is how I'd describe the walk - passing the important sites of Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum and the Stones themselves. Plus interesting scenery along and across the River Avon and the atmospheric bronze age landscape of Normanton Down and the route by which the blue stones were carried from South Wales. The walk probably pushes the boundaries of what can be done in a day so be prepared for a longer than average day out when embarking on this walk which felt strenuous despite the lack of hills, due to the distance and the hot day. All in all an epic walk in the south west of England, far beyond our usual territory. Sylvia Posted by
Saturday 30 May, New Walk: Salisbury to Amesbury. The solitary celt (who disgracefully skipped the beginning and end of this long walk) fully agrees with the above comments. It's an excellent new walk packed with features. The further you travel from London, the better the prospects for spotting unusual wildlife: we encountered a black swan on the River Avon and a hare keeping an eye on the tourists at Stonehenge as well as the usual suspects like roe deer. Stonehenge is of course the highlight of this walk, and a group of us were pleasantly surprised to find that a National Trust card allowed free entry to this English Heritage monument. The Wheatsheaf supplied a good value lunch in a large beer garden, but one has to add that the café at Stonehenge will not be in the running for any Best Tearoom awards. It was a very long walk – everyone else must have done 25+km with all the site visits and diversions along the way – but thanks to AJK for travelling so far afield to devise it.
Sean : Sunday, May 31, 2009 3:40:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 31 May Silent Walk Hever to Leigh Penny : Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:31:00 PM15 people on this one on a very hot day. One person inadvertantly found themselves on an all day silent walk, having missed the train at Victoria due to a half hour ticket queue. We did meet her for a few fleeting moments at Quaintways tea room, having just polished off a large round of teas with local ice cream. The owner was particularly attentive to our needs. That place really should win an award:) There is even a notice on the door welcoming cyclists. A welcome cooling breeze post Penshurst helped speed us on our way to Leigh for refreshments at the Fleur de wotsit pub. Then on to the station where we eventually found ourselves on a train in the right direction - after several long discussions with a very patient guy on the other end of an intercom. It's good to know these things actually work! Great day out. Posted by
Sun 31 May SWC walk 49 Cholsey to Goring. The 9.45 to Oxford failed to start and was eventually cancelled. Lovely as Ealing Broadway station is, its ritzy glamour fades after an hour and a quarter on one of its platforms. The delay had an effect on numbers with some just giving up and others opting to do a shorter riverside walk, on arrival. In the end, 10 set out on the appointed 14 mile walk an hour late. And very nice it was too on this hot, sunny day. Lunch in Blewberry with its thatched walls (don’t ask!), picturesque cottages and gardens, and friendly pub. The Ridgeway section was particularly interesting with a wide variety of wild flowers. We saw a hare too. The slow people had a late break at the Beetle and Wedge and caught the 19.33. I guess the fast people got the 18.33
Ian T : Monday, June 01, 2009 7:45:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 30 May: Book 2 walk: Deal to Dover: 17 on this walk, including several newcomers, who I hope enjoyed themselves. I have to say that I think the walk works wonderfully in this direction: perhaps we should do it backwards always? First there was Deal (a couple of hardy souls explored a bit before starting to walk), then the flat section along the beach to get one's legs going. Wonderful flowers towards the south end of the beach, as advertised, and the Zetland Arms offered an atmospheric lunch, outside on the shingle, by the sea (a stiff and slightly chilly breeze, but mainly this just kept the edge off the sun's heat). Walker : Monday, June 01, 2009 10:53:00 AMAfter this, the lovely, gentle climb up the cliffs to the wonderful Blue Birds Tea Room in a coastguard hut on the cliff top, and then down to St Margaret's Bay for a paddle. Finally, the wonderful highlight of the high cliffs above Dover, with their views of the port. All in all a grand day out. Posted by
Download walk 49 Cholsey to Goring 31 May 2009. Just to add to Ian T's review above I have posted an alternative ridge and woodland route to the valley section towards the end of this excellent walk in the feedback section for this walk
PeteB : Monday, June 01, 2009 9:11:00 PMPosted by
Sorry to lodge a note of dissent but two thoughts have consistently entered my mind whenever I’ve done Dover to Deal. Ian T : Monday, June 01, 2009 9:12:00 PMOne being "At least I don't have to look at Dover" and the other being "at least I'm walking away from Dover"! So I'd vote for doing it the right way round at least some of the times. Posted by
Sat 30 May Book 1 walk 22 Haslemere Round Ian T : Thursday, June 04, 2009 7:20:00 AM22 on this walk on a hot sunny day. Plenty of woods for those that like the shade. Lunch at the Red Lion which was friendly and efficient with a big beer garden. Tea at Darnleys. Posted by
Fri 5th, Midweek Walk, Kingswood to Epsom. 3 did this very nice walk. The rain held off. The lunch pub (The Sportsman) was excellent. Thanks to David for his perfect timimg that got us to Epsom just in time for the Derby (the walk crosses the course on a public footpath).
Andrew : Friday, June 05, 2009 11:46:00 PMPosted by
Sat 6 June Appleford Circular Ian T : Saturday, June 06, 2009 10:27:00 PMJust 3 on this walk – unless you count the 2 scarecrows we met en route. It rained for most of the day but not heavily. The ground stayed fairly firm but the wet vegetation soon soaked our feet. Dorchester on Thames pretty. Lunch at the Fleur de lys, cheap . Abbey interesting but there was a wedding going on. Some sections overgrown on the return stretch, One or two navigational errors (one of which was due to directions – see feedback) meant we just missed the 18.18 and had to return via Oxford. Tickets seemed fine even through the barriers at Oxford. Posted by
To add to Ian T's comment above. Dorchester on Thames and Wittenham Clumps are both gems, not to be missed. Dorchester Abbey is another treasure with a sweet little museum and teashop next to it, and the bride didn't mind us trampling past her guests to admire the church (since the vicar had very kindly invited us in). There are also several lovely picnic spots along the walk. A very peaceful walk, accompanied by darting swifts and swallows along the majestic river. Em : Saturday, June 06, 2009 11:21:00 PMOK there is a power station visible near parts of the walk, but most of the time it is obscuted. Posted by
Saturday 6 June: Book 1 Walk: Otford to Eynsford: 15 or so on this. Despite early morning rain in London, we had none, though it was cloudy and cool. The June flowers were as lovely as ever on this walk, and there was the added bonus of the Village Fete in Shoreham, which some visited.
Walker : Monday, June 08, 2009 12:21:00 AMPosted by
Sunday 7th June, Extra Walk: Rowlands Castle Circular: 5 on this walk. The CJ crowd noticeably absent; perhaps scared off by the dire forecast. (Actual: Sunny intervals with some very light showers on and off for an hour after lunch.) Beer + food at The Victoria Inn, West Marden v. good.
DAC : Monday, June 08, 2009 10:32:00 AMPosted by
Sunday 07 June, Book 1, Walk 11 - Tring to Wendover: introductions at Tring railway station took so long we forgot to do a headcount - but there was all of one of me. The thunder storms earlier in the morning must have kept fair weather walkers away, but the air was lovely and fresh and the sun shone as I set out on this lovely walk, starting beside the Grand Union Canal. Just me, a few fishermen and twitchers, and the occasional dog walker all morning - wonderful. In recent years I have always done this walk 'tother way round, so it was strange doing it per the TO Book. Lunch at the Oak, Aston Clinton, was up to its usual high standard, and very friendly. The heavens opened as I crossed the airfield just after lunch and drizzle accompanied me all the way to Wendover Woods. The kids and yoof were enjoying the "Go Ape" outward bound course and overhead "gorilla run" near Wendover Visitor Centre in the woods, but I resisted the temptation to join in. The sun came out again as I descended to Wendover, for afternoon tea near the railway station. A cracking good day. If there were other walkers who missed the train and or were one hour behind me, please add your comment.
Marcus : Tuesday, June 09, 2009 9:15:00 AMPosted by
Wednesday 10 June, Book 1 Walk 42 - Holmwood to Gomshall: 7 walkers, including a late starter who caught up at lunchtime. Light rain soon cleared to leave a dry day. Abinger Hammer Tea Rooms were just closing as we arrived at 5pm but allowed us to have a takeaway tea in their garden. This walk was the last one Nicholas Albury did, so it seemed appropriate to be doing it close to the anniversary of his death, and exactly 8 years since his fellow walkers repeated the walk the week after he died.
Chris L : Thursday, June 11, 2009 8:37:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 13 June, Extra Walk 63: Oxted Circular. 15 walkers, plus one latecomer who caught up at lunchtime. An annoying start, as the meadow between Oxted and Limpsfield no longer seems to be freely open to the public and some adjustments will have to be made to the route. In Westerham a few lunched at the George & Dragon but the majority opted for the Grasshopper's large garden, where the food was good but took a while to appear. The group split up in the afternoon, about half opting for the longer version of the walk. The author is tempted to make some adjustments here too, as we had to survive for over three hours on a warm muggy day with no available refreshment stop until we finally reached the Oxted Inn. Fortunately this oasis was able to provide some weary travellers with copious draughts of liquids at amazingly cheap prices, so we had a convivial end to the walk.
Sean : Saturday, June 13, 2009 11:19:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 14 June: Book 2, Walk 11 (in reverse)- Liss to Petersfield. 13 of us enjoyed good luck with the weather - a lovely sunny day and close to perfect summer's walking conditions. The group soon split into two, with the front four trying to follow the directions backwards, and the back nine following the OS map. Both made it safely to the Hawkley Arms for a late lunch, and poor by their previous high standards: trouble with chefs, we were told. Onwards, then, with further head scratching, to descend the Shoulder of Mutton Hill, with its wonderful panoramic views ahead and below. The "backward" walkers headed straight for Petersfield station, to catch a train whose air conditioning was on full - freezing but nice ! I believe the map readers headed for the famous Harrow Inn, at Steep, for afternoon refreshments.
Marcus : Monday, June 15, 2009 7:29:00 AMPosted by
Sunday 14 June 2009.Free download walk 3. Cowden to Eridge. Five on this Kent/W.Sussex borders which, particularly before lunch, has a nice away from it all feel about it reminiscent of the Book 1 walk Ockley to Warnham. At the layby on the A264 there was indeed a snack wagon and we took a short break to gorge on delicious cherries. Then off to lunch and a drink at the Dorset Arms. Towards the end of the walk we went off piste a bit and ended up walking on the road more than we should have done but this was compensated by an excellent pub just 50 yards from the station. A lovely warm day throughout. Finally a special mention for John whose "cattle management" skills helped us through some er........ friendly encounters with lively young bullocks across a couple of fields.
PeteB : Monday, June 15, 2009 9:54:00 PMPosted by
Wed 17 June - 5 for the Haselmere to Midhurst walk in Glorious Sussex countryside, perfect weather, Gastro lunch at The Noah's Ark in Lugashall, followed by Polo and Tea in Midhurst and back on the local bus. A jolly time was had by all.
pauline : Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:53:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 13 June, Book 2, Berwick to Eastbourne - 15 or 16 people enjoyed this fantastic walk on a sunny day. Loved the new route between Wilmington and Jevington.
Hope : Thursday, June 18, 2009 10:02:00 AMPosted by
Sat 20 June: Rye to Hastings Ian T : Sunday, June 21, 2009 8:01:00 AM16 on this walk. An overcast day with sunny intervals. Lightning service at The Queens Head. Then on to a second pub stop at the Royal Oak in Pett. One or two braved the sea at Fairlight, but, for most, a dipped toe was sufficient. Some were even content to sit on a rock. Hastings reached at 7 – 7:30 after a multitude of steps. Refreshment was taken in different ways by the (by then, fragmented)group. I had a date with a pint of Bishops Finger. Then I went to the assistance of a group who couldn’t finish a bottle of wine. And ate some of their chips. I never found the others, they must have seen me coming. Posted by
Sat 20th June Balcombe Round - 10 people, a quiet day. Ardingly pub (first one you get to) served delicious chowder soup - good chef.
Em : Sunday, June 21, 2009 7:55:00 PMPosted by
Sun 21st June: Figure of 8 on short walks from Saunderton via Bledlow circular 1st loop, Saunderton via West Wycombe 2nd loop RobW : Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:31:00 PM4 SWC walkers emerged from the swarm at Saunderton Station. Followed up the road by said swarm the SWC group was left in solitude on turning onto the path northwards, a small maybe unwarranted sigh of relief seemed the collective thought! The weather was fine and sun was out though quite cloudy and humid. At one point it looked like imminent rain when a few darker clouds came overhead, but passed by. In the field past Manor Farm some deer and two donkeys. The fence having been "doubled up" since last time, presumably to prevent "feeding" by passers by. Moving on to merge with the Ridgeway Path it was only then, puzzled by the no show of Bradenham Manor, someone discovered they had been following the directions for the other loop! Via a grassed path bordered by giant daisies, black spotted pig(let)s on Bledlow Ridge the group returned to Saunderton and the Golden Cross PH to rendezvous with two walkers for loop 2. Fortified by the food and climbing around the large pub dog lazing in the the garden doorway, the half dozen proceeded past Bradenham Manor and a village cricket match, to West Wycombe house and grounds. A few were keen to catch the 17:48 train and a brisk walk to close the loop back to Saunderton did so, comfortably in the end! Posted by
Sunday 21st June: Southease to Rottingdean 9 miles; with option to walk to Brighton: 14 miles. DGA : Friday, June 26, 2009 12:55:00 PM10 of us on a beautiful day with great views after lunch at The Juggs, Kington in a lovely garden followed by a steep climb up to the South Downs. Sea views beckoned. After cream tea in Rottingdean (lovely and quaint) some of us bussed it to Brighton whilst a few followed the seashore to see the end of the London to Brighton bike ride/race. (whatever!) Thoroughly recommend this if it crops up again. Surprised no swimmers turned up! Posted by
Saturday 27 June, Book 1 Walk 26 - Shelford to Cambridge: a disappointing turn out: just 4 of us, plus 2 freelancers following the blue edition of the TO Book. If I missed any of you who set out on the Circular walk, please add your Comment (so many alighted from the train at Cambridge it was difficult to spot who was zooming whom). A humid, muggy day, with a bit of sunshine and spots of rain in the afternoon. The Little Rose pub had changed hands a couple of times since I did the walk update in April - no food, and beer served out of a soapy glass ! Very friendly villagers who persevere with their local, but best avoid. The convenience store in Haslingfield sold us some goodies to keep us going to Grantchester - and tea under the apple trees at the Orchard. The better part of the walk - beside the River Cam - was spoilt by the detritus and litter left behind on the river banks: Brits really are a nation of slobs. On reaching the outskirts of Cambridge I left my colleagues to do the tour of the colleges whilst I headed for the railway station via the Botanic Gardens - well worth a visit.
Marcus : Sunday, June 28, 2009 3:46:00 PMPosted by
Sat 27th Alternative Walk - Goring Circular via Moulsford. Only 4 at the station plus 1 who joined later. First half of walk I thought tedious gaining height on the so called Ridgeway path, a patently disappointing national trail. Nice little country pub with basic food had a custom car meet. Exceptional church with minuscule flower fete and book sale. After a further trudge on tarmac and dirt track the walk took a turn for the better (but not before two left presumably had too much of the same), with excellent views and walk down a valley between barley fields in dripping heat. Eventually reached the cool river a little light rain and a march into Streetly and Goring. Some interesting discussion and pleasant company but please loose the drudgy byways on this walk.
AJK : Sunday, June 28, 2009 10:22:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 27 June, Book 2 Walk 25: Lewes via West Firle Circular. 22 walkers enjoyed a perfect summer's day on the South Downs, with the afternoon's thunderclouds keeping a respectful distance. Eight of us broke off at lunchtime for a trip to Charleston Farmhouse, but there was a long delay for the next house tour and we had to content ourselves with a stroll round the garden. We briefly held up a wedding at Berwick Church in order to get a look at the murals, after which some of us stayed on for a few hours at the nearby Cricketers Inn – a fine pub which deserves to be on one of our regular walks. The ticket inspector on the Berwick train was not impressed by our motley collection of tickets, but he was in a generous mood and we made it back to London OK.
Sean : Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:54:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 28 July, Extra Walk 14: Pulborough Circular. On another hot day 11 walkers were grateful that the walk scheduler had chosen a nice flat walk, although two disappeared after lunch on one of the variations and might have ventured onto the Downs. Local farmers are delighted when this walk is posted because it guarantees rain even after a prolonged drought, and a steady drizzle duly arrived out of nowhere at 2pm. It passed over by tea time, however, and we had a fine end to the day. Lunch at the Black Horse was as good as ever and we just made it to the RSPB Reserve in time for tea.
Sean : Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:56:00 PMPosted by
Folkestone round - Saturday 27th June. Ten people. Em : Thursday, July 02, 2009 9:41:00 AMOne disappeared to the nudist beach, the others made it to the wacky clifftop cafe and back, to finish off with a (rather cold) swim on the quiet and clean Folkestone beach and a gallop through the botanical gardens up the cliff to the station, only to miss the train by a minute. Posted by
I certainly didn't disappear to the nudist beach - went up the cliff the recommended way rather than via the Clifftop Cafe shortcut!
MG : Friday, July 03, 2009 10:09:00 PM | |
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Walk numbers - March + April 09
A place to post up the numbers who came on the walks and a report on how they went.
For other comments, please use the FORUM section below.
Posted by
Sat 28 Feb Book 1 walk 17 Bow Brickhill to Woburn Sands. 22 on tis walk. The Back Wood stretch was drier than anticipated. The group split up in Woburn some going in the Black Horse, some in the tearoom opposite and some in the Bell where Food was good especially with a 2 for £9.95 deal. Ian T : Sunday, March 01, 2009 10:49:00 PMThen through Woburn Park, under the watchful eyes of the rangers. First through the deer, then through the safari bit. We saw elephant, rhino, zebra, rhea, something that was either a wolf or a lion (it ran off quick), giraffe and wallabies. And a (naturalised) muntjac. For most tea was taken in the Station Hotel. Posted by
Sunday 1st March, East Grinstead circluar had 4 on this walk. Footbridge still closed so continued on down the lane until reached Border Path (bridleway) as route back on course. Notices say closed for 6 months from Nov 2008 or until repaired; which ever is earlier. So will see if fixed in 6 months!! Also note the vineyard in the morning is now an orchard free range hen farm with vines still planted.
Catherine B : Monday, March 02, 2009 11:22:00 AMPosted by
Sat 28 Feb, Book 2, walk 14b, Westhumble circular: 14 people on this pretty walk. It was just about warm enough for most of us to eat outside at the National Trust tearoom at Polesden Lacey. Hope : Wednesday, March 04, 2009 7:02:00 PMSpeaking of the National Trust... http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/24/monbiot-civil-liberties Posted by
Wednesday 3rd March - Extra walk 10a - Little Kimble to Princes Risborough. 6 of us on a most enjoyable day out.
DAC : Thursday, March 05, 2009 11:09:00 AMPosted by
Sat 7th March - Newbury Racecourse to Wollhampton - nine people. Having been set an essay at school entitled “Why I am not at Greenham Common” it was interesting to finally see the place – a huge stretch of grassland empty but for three glowering bunkers (still radioactive apparently). Circling buzzards and hawks (and an owl in the pub) have taken the place of the massive bombers that once took off from this 4 mile airstrip. Some of us got lost at the walk’s watery end but enjoyed the late evening 2 mile walk down the canal.
Em : Sunday, March 08, 2009 10:06:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 7 March: Book 1 Walk: Beaconsfield Round: Some confusion at the station, with people appearing on both sides, but I think 23 to 25 started on this walk. The usual getting lost in the woods at the start (I have never done this walk and not got lost in the woods), but we got to lunch somehow. A few of us stopped at Milton's Cottage. After some sun in the morning, a grey afternoon and the fact that there is no more tea at Jordans dampened spirits in the afternoon. Starbucks in Sainsbury's is not quite the same....and what happened to all the daffs that used to adorn the graveyard around the Quaker Meeting House?
Walker : Sunday, March 08, 2009 10:35:00 AMPosted by
Don't get dampened by the closure of the tea room - back in Beaconsfield and 2 minutes down from Sainsbury's on the main road is La Cape with wonderful wholemeal scones and other goodies, or - in my opinion - not to be missed German bakery Jungs, just over railway bridge, past Waitrose, serving tea & coffee inside and out on the terrace - also great to stock up before you set out for a picknic, all sorts of bread, rolls, sandwiches, cake, pastries... ursulawesselingh : Sunday, March 08, 2009 12:26:00 PMI left some more info to avoid getting lost at the start of the walk in the update section. Posted by
Sun 8 Mar, Goring circular: Seven on this walk, plus two sighted fleetingly at the pub who had taken the train an hour earlier. David Colver : Monday, March 09, 2009 8:24:00 AMWarm with blue skies in the morning, but pouring rain and a sharp drop in temperature at lunch time led to at least three of our number abandoning the walk by taking a taxi back to the station. (First time of cheating for me.) There was a range of opinions over this day, with some finding the large amount of walking at the start on roads, or paths that weren't far off roads, unappealing, and the very small pub offering only cold rolls, and no space to sit to eat them, an impractical inclusion in a TO walk. Posted by
Sat 7 March Book2 Walk 11 Petersfield to Liss. About 14 on this walk. A sunny day. Good views Ian T : Monday, March 09, 2009 9:25:00 AMGood food in the walker-friendly Hawkley Arms. They sell a beer called “Cheer-up” that does just that. After lunch, some continued on the whole walk, two tried doubling back to Petersfield in a circular fashion, others, including myself, took a short cut by following a quiet road for a while. At Liss, the pub near the station has closed so we went up the hill to the Whistlestop, which is quite friendly. Posted by
Sun 8 Mar Book 2 walk 17 Wadhurst Circular Ian T : Monday, March 09, 2009 9:27:00 AM13 on this walk, A sunny morning, a sudden belt of rain and wind in the afternoon, then back to sun again. Muddy underfoot. Good views. The Rose and Crown in Mayfield does good food but it was busy and the service went awry for some. Two waited an hour for their meal. In the afternoon, those that continued to Wadhurst had a broken down bridge to deal with. This involved hopping across a wide shallow stream then a bit of gymnastics up the other bank. The route would have been impassable if the stream had been in full spate. One person got a wet foot but it wasn't me, so that was OK. The group split during the afternoon with some racing on ahead. By the time we got to Wadhurst, the sun was starting to set so we skipped tea and headed along the road to the station just in time for the 18.29 Posted by
Sun 8 Mar. Book 2 Wadhurst Circular finishing at Stonegate. This involves the "Longer walk" directions from Walk 19 Stonegate Circular. 2 of us did this and wished we had had a map. There is no diagram in the book and routefinding was tricky in 2 places where there were path diversions. Also near the end an Alsatian came very aggressively towards us and caused much alarm for the brief moment before it became clear it had a muzzle. We were certainly on the correct route at that point.
Graham C. : Tuesday, March 10, 2009 5:19:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 14 March: Book 2 walk: Hassocks to Upper Beeding: 17 on this walk, soon splitting into a faster and slower group. The clouds cleared in the afternoon, eventually producing a lovely golden end to the day. Lots of signs of spring - flowers, larks singing. Walker : Sunday, March 15, 2009 12:22:00 AMFive of us in the trailling group enjoyed a fine tea on the riverside terrace of the Bridge Inn in Upper Beeding and then stopped in Shoreham for a look at the beach and fish and chips Posted by
Sat Mar 14, Book 2, Walk 12b or in the event 13b. 9 lost souls, well they all begin with G, Guildford, Godalming, Gomshall what's the difference? You can blame the poor running headers in Book 2, which do not give the walk number. A slip of the page and we were doing 13b moving ever further from Watts Gallery and the Withies Inn. We avoided the formality of the Percy Arms, Chilworth and went on to the informality, if not complete chaos, of the Villagers in Blackheath. Puddings arrived before mains, mains came with chips not mash, it was a relief to leave and follow Book 1 Walk 14 back to the sanity of Debenhams for tea. An interesting day and the new permissive paths around Chilwoth Manor let you see a herd of vacuna and the gun-powder works.
JohnL : Sunday, March 15, 2009 6:06:00 AMPosted by
Sunday 15 March, Book 2 Walk 3 – Saunderton via West Wycombe Circular. Eleven "official" Saturday walkers set out from Saunderton Station, plus a separate independent group of seven, another group of four who seemed to be walking the same route independently and a couple who set of in advance of everyone and who were not seen again until shortly before the end. Most of the official group gace Hughenden Manor a miss and chose to eat instead at Le De Spencers Arms. Despite not 'phoning ahead we had no problem getting a seat or getting served (this might have something to do with teh fact that we arrived not long after 12.00, having set a cracking pace, and chose to sit in the Garden). The only food being on offer, apart from crisps and peanuts, was Sunday lunch, with a vegetarian alternative of ... Sunday lunch minus the meat, but with the option of vegetarian gravy. Bill S : Sunday, March 15, 2009 5:11:00 PMA beautiful spring-like day with the first leaves starting to appear on the hawthorns and dog roses in sheltered spots, new born lambs and a veritable host of Red Kites. Posted by
Sunday 15 March 2009 - Extra Walk 63: Oxted Circular. 25 walkers enjoyed this new walk on a glorious sunny, warm day. The group split up on arriving in Westerham to take lunch at three different hostelries. Those that chose the Grasshopper-on-the-Green drew the short straw, as service of food took an hour: fortunately, sitting out in the beer garden and enjoying the sunshine lestened any frustration over the wait. Some visited Quebec House (well worth it) and all bar yours truly then set out on the main walk at a brisk pace, to enjoy the homeward leg in the afternoon sun. The long walk, which passed Chartwell, was also most enjoyable, with the grounds of Sir Winston's House looking lovely. So nice to see daffs. out at last to accompany the earlier Spring flowers still in bloom. The main group caught the 17-17 hrs train, and I arrived back in Oxted as dusk was setting, but in time to catch the 18-17 hrs. Marcus : Monday, March 16, 2009 2:15:00 PMThe best of SWC days. Posted by
Sat Mar 14, Book 2, Walk 12b Guildford Circular: Just to add to the comment above: It was a wonderful and enjoyable walk nonetheless. Many thanks to our captain John who led us from lost to victory!
Lucilla : Monday, March 16, 2009 3:16:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 14th March. Book 1, Walk 11 - Tring to Wendover Carrie : Monday, March 16, 2009 8:45:00 PMTwo of us slug-a-beds met, by chance, on the platform at Tring after catching the 10.04. It was a glorious walk. Watery and full of Spring and narrow boats along the canals, ducks and swans on the reservoirs and birds with big song overhead as our feet dodged flowers and low flying bees. Bliss. Remarkable tapestries in the church: The Buckland Parish Sewn Map. One hundred parishioners et al embroidered individual houses, farms, fields, flora, fauna etc. A stunning sight. The expanse of MOD airfield, with stark notices that I recollect as admonishing but may not have been, was a curious interlude which led to pleasure in the following woodland as the almost noiseless treetop-touching gliders skimmed so silently close that the pilots were visible to my charmed, naked eye. The gloam deepened to dusk and darkness as we sped out of Wendover Woods to hit the road. (There is sense in making the suggested earlier trains!) Directions - We did get confused and a little lost after the reservoir before Tringford Farm (a farm we never succeeded in locating), where references to stiles and electric fences were no longer accurate. We sought directions to get back on track to pass the cemetery but we woefully forgot to take notes; apologies. There was another hiccup trying to understand directions around the reference to Firecrest path in the woods but if the directions were no longer accurate or if they were confusing is unclear to me as there was also a tinge of alarm entering as the sun's rays sank whilst we were high in a enclave of big impressive trees, compass-challenged, wondering if there was a chance to explore and enjoy the scenery and views or if it was appropriate to exit fast (as if pursued by a bear). In all, a fabulous and varied long walk. Thank you Annie for sharing the day and the Spring glory. Posted by
Saturday 21st March: Walk #1-12: Farnham to Godalming: 22 walkers. Rather more enjoyable than recent press would have us believe. Despite (or due to?) delays taking orders at The Donkey, food arrived promptly. The excellent weather was apparently the reason we were treated to a sighting of the lesser spotted windhover. Many partook of tea at Café La Crème.
Mark R : Sunday, March 22, 2009 1:22:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 21 March, New Walk: Welwyn Circular. On the first day of spring 24 walkers ventured into unfamiliar territory north of the M25 and were rewarded with an excellent new walk. It had just about the right mix of everything you could want: woods, parkland, rivers, fields (with boxing hares), interesting old buidings, unusual churches, a historic home to visit and an easy train journey. Only the sea views were missing. The intended pubs were both closed but we got lucky with a nice town pub in Wheathampstead, the Bull. Route finding was a bit awkward near the end but otherwise it could hardly have been better.
Sean : Sunday, March 22, 2009 9:58:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 21 March: Rye Circular: What with people arriving by different trains, and some by car (boo!) I rather lost count, but certainly more than 20 on this walk. A glorious sunny day, though a little chilly near the coast. A fabulous al fresco lunch in the Queens Head in Icklesham as per usual (no sign of the credit crunch here). Afterwards some walkers took the bus from Pett Level, but a sizeable group of us went on in the sunset to Winchelsea to have tea in the pub and get the bus from there to Rye, where the competing priorities of bed, chips and a glass of wine split the party. Whether any hardy soul managed to walk to Hastings, I do not know.
Walker : Sunday, March 22, 2009 8:38:00 PMPosted by
Sun 22 March Seaford to Eastbourne. Ian T : Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:10:00 AM10 on this walk plus one wrong-wayer doing Eastbourne - Seaford. I didn’t see much of the rest of the group, once the starting pistol went. Just the occasional puff of dust as they cleared the next hill. As expected, the Golden Galleon was full of mothers. There was even a long queue for drinks. So that was bypassed, as, I believe, was Exceat farmhouse (also full) (though I managed to squeeze in, scoff tea and crumpets, and be on my way again in under 30 minutes). The mothers had all left by the time I got to Birling Gap. A few gulps of precious brown liquid and I was on my way again, getting to Eastbourne in time for chips, mushy peas and the 17.55 home. A sunny day and a fine walk. Posted by
Saturday 28 March: Alternative Walk: East Grinstead Circular: Just two of us on this walk, (somewhat to my surprise), but we had a most pleasant and companionable day. Not least of the pleasures was not having to compete with a dozen others to order in the lunch pub, though it was rather worrying for its long term survival that we seemed to be its only lunch customers. Walker : Saturday, March 28, 2009 10:30:00 PMThe weather was nothing like as bad as the dire BBC forecast: A slightly chilly northerly breeze, (but we were rarely exposed to it); a very few flurries of rain or hail, none of which lasted five minutes; and in the afternoon huge patches of warm sunshine. The one more prolonged patch of rain had the good manners to arrive when we were having tea, and finished the moment we emerged. All in all, a fine spring walk.... Posted by
Saturday 28 March East Grinstead Circular: one further comment. We stuck to the walk route, and found the two footbridges which presumably caused the council to close a section of the morning path in some disrepair, but by no means impassable. Doubtless the authorities are right to take this precaution, but several bridges later in the walk are frankly in a more parlous state.
Walker : Saturday, March 28, 2009 10:33:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 29 March Balcombe to East Grinstead. Carrie : Sunday, March 29, 2009 10:03:00 PMEleven began, one joined at Wakehurst Place. (Four others encountered at the pub and then seen only again at the station.) Seven of us detoured, choosing to explore the route to East Grinstead via Standon, five drank tea there and two briefly tasted the delights of that rather spectacular arts and crafts family home. A fine and varied walk over which the sun shone often. Oh, and the lengthening days, it was lovely to know there was plenty of light to dally in. Note bene: I can highly recommend the tea with home made biscuit in the lunchtime pub (The Cat). And the views from the sandwich spot in the church yard were a joy. And tonight there is a crescent moon to icing cake the day Posted by
Saturday 28 March, Extra Walk 7 - Knockholt Circular: Nine walkers, who encountered occasional sunny spells interspersed with premature April showers. Service at the Queen's Head tended to be slow, with two walkers waiting almost an hour for their meal. Three stopped off at Down House to see the excellent new Darwin exhibition, and six enjoyed a splendid tea at Arthur's (in Coolings Garden Centre).
Chris L : Monday, March 30, 2009 4:45:00 PMPosted by
Sunday 29th March, Eynsford circular walk. 14 started off - splitting into two groups at Shoreham. The first group went for lunch at the George and the second group went to the Crown (which was friendly and quite reasonably priced - how was the George?). The highlight of this interesting walk which had many features had to be literally coming face to face with a large bald eagle which had chosen to detour in our direction whilst taking part in a display at Eagle Heights Falconry Centre, posing for us for several minutes perched on a footpath sign before being hailed back to entertain the paying customers.
sylvia : Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:37:00 AMPosted by
Wednesday 1st April - Extra walk 10a - Hurst Green to Chiddingstone Causeway. 10 semi-experienced walkers found their way to Chiddingstone Causeway. (There is one important update (before the Fox & Hounds lunch stop) to be posted.) Lovely day out plus that £10 paid back at last. [Wed 18th March Walk 33 (book 1) - Mortimer to Aldermaston: 8]
DAC : Friday, April 03, 2009 5:51:00 PMPosted by
Wednesday 1st April walk from Hurst Green. Two of us took the soft option of a bus from Ide Hill to Edenbridge and had the pleasure of a most helpful bus driver (a lady from Zimbabwe) who took us from one Edenbridge station to the other to check out the best train options for us.
Graham C. : Friday, April 03, 2009 7:20:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 4 April: Book 1 walk (Extra 57 - Guildford Circular via Chantries Hill, plus part of Walk 14 - Gomshall to Guildford). Marcus : Sunday, April 05, 2009 2:11:00 PMEleven of us started off on the Extra Walk in lovely Spring sunshine. Indeed, the weather all day was much better than the forecast - and the sun shone all day. 7 branched off on the North Downs Link path to take lunch at the Percy Arms in Chilworth,which I believe all enjoyed. 4 of us continued on the N.Downs Way down to Shere and lunch at the White Horse (prompt, friendly service and good food). The 4 then set out on the Book 1 walk at a brisk pace, and caught up with 5 from the Extra walk group 2 miles before walk-end, the Extra walkers having enjoyed some sightseeing in the early afternoon sunshine. Some took tea / beer in a pub in Guildford and watched a re-run of the Grand National on TV: I'm not sure where the others stopped off. No problem with the trains, despite journeys being longer than usual. A lovely day out - and nice walks. Posted by
Saturday 4 April: Alternative walk: Staplehurst to Headcorn. 36 on this walk - yes THIRTY SIX. I am the wrong person to write about this, as I lost the main group mid morning and only ran into one part of it in a field late afternoon, but those I spoke to seemed enthusastic about this new walk. Walker : Sunday, April 05, 2009 10:47:00 PMThe folk event in Frittenden which caused Chris L to devise this walk was also a great hit - many people who obviously did not regard themselves as hard core folk fans came away very impressed by the quality of the music making and singing, and this can't all have been down to the quantity of booze they seemed to have enjoyed while listening to it (out of politeness to the pub owners, they told me). Two of us and one later walker also made it to Sissinghurst, and we have created an extra loop to this walk to make it an option future walkers can enjoy. Oh, and the sun took a while longer to reach us than the rest of you - it was after 1pm before the skies really cleared, but it was a lovely afternoon. PPS: lovely wood anemones in the woods, and some early bluebells, but only a very few. Posted by
Addition to the above: oh and enormous praise for The George Inn in Headcorn. Flock to patronise this pub, oh ye walkers. Stunningly friendly staff. They offer not just tea but homemade cakes. And eight of us also had an excellent dinner here. Walker : Sunday, April 05, 2009 10:49:00 PMI wonder why this place was so full and the pub up the road two thirds empty??? Posted by
Sun April 5 Marlow Circular. Ian T : Sunday, April 05, 2009 11:50:00 PM12 (and several others spotted doing the walk independently) Nice day, nice walk. The fast people sped off to the pub in Hambleden and were never seen again. The slow people went to the Flower Pot, which was not as crowded as predicted and was quite quick service-wise. On return to Marlow, the slow people had tea and cakes in Costa’s garden and caught the 18.01 Posted by
Sun April 5 Silent Walk, Boxhill to Leatherhead (Book 1 #49). Over 20 on this walk. Great day out.
DAC : Monday, April 06, 2009 4:37:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 4 April.Extra Walk 31 Huntingdon Circular. 18 on this most enjoyable and well devised walk in fine conditions with Spring springing at its best. ThreeJolly Butchers provided good lunch and NT cafe at Houghton Mill a good stop for tea (with scones made from the Mill's own produce).
Graham C. : Monday, April 06, 2009 7:32:00 PMPosted by
Good Friday. Chilham to Canterbury. 11 announced themselves at the Ry Station (four others set off independently) and enjoyed a good walk in good weather. Some losing of the way at various points - I will comment separately unless the anticipated revision is posted soon. Lunch good and served promptly at Chapter Arms.
Graham C. : Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:26:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 11th April. Leigh to Tunbridge Wells. Carrie : Saturday, April 11, 2009 9:16:00 PMEight of us walked together and two others appeared, as if by magic, at the lunchtime pub and teatime stop; we were a group and a pair, washing into one another for these brief encounters. Anyway, the walk... Fabulous views, again and again. Rolling hills, wood anemone bedecked woods, a couple of sheep nurseries, large, hilly fields with lambs numbered to match their mothers, pink eared and resting or wandering not quite certain, two alone gambolling with confidence. The Medway was an intermittent thread, opportunities for bathers on warmer days. Blackthorn blossom dusted hedgerows. Budding trees. Spring starting to leap into its full glory. We had sunshine in the morning and just a few brief spells of light rain in the afternoon. The Spotted Dog balances on Smart's Hill, a prime lunchtime stop where we could breathe and eye devour the countryside we were exploring. I think the lunch was good, no one complained though two of us muttered disappointment at the pot of tea, beautifully presented and tasting foul. Amends were made at teatime with proper tea and toasted hot cross buns in Tunbridge Wells. Ah! By then I was utterly confused, believing today to be Good Friday. I had a lovely day. Thanks to all. Posted by
Saturday 11 April: Alternative Walk: Frant to Tunbridge Wells. Can I first say, in response to the post immediately above, what a pleasure it is to discover that there is another walker who actually notices that it is spring? Now, to business.... Walker : Sunday, April 12, 2009 12:20:00 PM18 started this walk, I am told (I started in Frant village, for reasons that don't concern us here) including a large contingent of newcomers, who hopefully did not get lost and will come again......as ever the weather was nothing like as bad as forecast: the odd tiny showers, but also some brief brighter intervals. No bluebells, alas, and it was rather heartbreaking to walk through the several large bluebell woods on this walk as a result, but a compensation was carpets of wood anemones. We also enjoyed a whole host of wonderful blossoming trees at Harrison Rocks, which turned out to be Juneberries. The enterprising tea room in Groombridge shut rigidly at 4pm (no credit crunch there, then), and we decided we could see enough of Groombridge Place and gardens from the outside without paying the entry fee. A very pretty walk into TW, though only two of us stopped at High Rocks to watch the last steam train go by. Lastly, my thanks to the walker who pointed out the existence of the wonderful Opera House pub in TW, which is about five minutes walk up the hill on the main road on the far side of the station. This Weatherspoons pub is quite stunning - it really is an old opera house, complete with stage, balcony, boxes, chandeliers. Quite amazing. Posted by
Sunday 12 April 2009 Book 1 Walk 51 Henley to Pangbourne. 8 on this walk on a day when the weather remained overcast. Good food and service at the Red Lion. Early bluebells spotted and should be in their full glory in a couple of weeks.
PeteB : Sunday, April 12, 2009 7:57:00 PMPosted by
Mon 13th April Extra Walk 9: Pulborough to Amberley. 13 on this walk though two apparently did a circuit of Pulborough and three dropped back for a more leisurely pace after lunch. Rising Sun took their time serving food but the garden was sunny and rustic. Crossed paths with vigorous walkers. People got confused immediately after lunch crossing the fields so map came in handy. (The optional White Horse at Marehill 's menu was more expensive, next to a busy road and appeared to have a garden at back.)RSPB marshland was glorious in the bright sunshine. Several people caught the sun. Wiggonholt Church worth a visit not least for its solitude. RSPB visitor centre could be a light lunch or tea stop. (Jacket potatoes, toasted sandwiches). We made Houghton Bridge Tea Rooms at 5pm just before closing and some went to the pub, catching the 6:19 train home. A good day out, oh yes and a snooze on the Downs.
AJK : Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:31:00 AMPosted by
Monday 13th April Deal to Dover. Seven set out dividing into two groups of those faster and slower. Thick mist encircled us most of the time on the cliff tops, where we were accompanied by a non-stop symphony of fog horns from the ferries below (and invisible to us). This all cleared as we neared Dover, and by the time we'd descended it was warm and sunny. Lunch in the Blue Bird tea rooms and tea at the NT White Cliffs Visitor Centre.
sylvia : Wednesday, April 15, 2009 12:08:00 AMPosted by
Mon 13th April Extra Walk 8 Bilingshurst to Amberley. 12 on this walk, two dropping out after lunch to visit Parham House and (at least) 2 doing the extension to Arundel. Rising Sun produced food quickly - but then we were the first group in.
Graham C. : Wednesday, April 15, 2009 7:18:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 18 April: Guildford to Boxhill. There were 10 of us on this 9.45 train version of the Alternative Walk: I am not sure how many were in the main party, who started to Gomshall. Walker : Sunday, April 19, 2009 12:23:00 AMChantries Hill proved to have amazing acreages of bluebells, which were at least half out, if not more. Later stages of the walk also produced some fairly good bluebell displays. After early cloud cleared, we had bright sunshine, and plenty of stops to soak it up, and all in all this was a fine day out, only marred by a train cancellation at Boxhill that prevented us ending at the nearby pub (we went into Dorking instead). Posted by
Same day as above - Gomshall to Dorking - about eight people.
Em : Sunday, April 19, 2009 1:05:00 PMPosted by
Saturday 18 April, Book 1 Walk 16, Balcombe (round walk): 20 started out on this walk, including some newcomers, though a few soon drifted off. Some lunched at the Red Lion in Handcross, some at the Chequers Inn in Slaugham, and most congregated at the finish for an excellent tea at the Balcombe Tea Rooms. A very pleasant day.
Chris L : Sunday, April 19, 2009 7:34:00 PMPosted by
Sun 19 April Wendover Circular. Ian T : Monday, April 20, 2009 8:38:00 AMEarly rendezvous. A little chaotic at Wendover with several groups meeting up. It's quite possible not all the TO walkers found each other. 4 for the main walk. Another group of 5 were doing the Monks Risborough variant. During the day, we also saw others doing the walk independently. The early 4 soon divided into two groups - fast and slow. Lunch at the Red Lion. Don't know numbers for the later start. A sunny day. Posted by
Saturday 18 April: walk 2-10, Alton Circular: 7 people started but we lost 2 early on (sorry, don't know how that happened), and 2 more finished the walk at lunch time and caught the bus back (names available on request for the purposes of shaming them). Due to the absence of "the headmaster", the threatened Jane Austen lecture did not materialise. Recent rains created long muddy sections though nothing impassable. Cloudy all morning but the sun was out in the afternoon.
Mark R : Monday, April 20, 2009 9:40:00 AMPosted by
Sun 19 April, Sevenoaks Circular. About 20 for this popular walk including several new faces. The apple orchard before lunch was stunning. It's a good year for blossom and we saw it at its best. Two tried the Padwell Arms and report that the original owners are back soon promising to improve the food. Most went for the NT resturant at Ightham which had an excellent syllabub and a few stayed to look round the house and garden. Warm and sunny.
JohnL : Saturday, April 25, 2009 10:44:00 PMPosted by
Sat 25 Apr. Hurst Green to Chiddingstone Causeway. At least 15 on this walk . A dismal sky soon lifted giving us a mainly sunny day. The bluebell season is officially open - plenty of the little blighters on this walk. Lunch at the Fox and Hounds - good for most but later arrivals were told to order their food in half an hour.
Ian T : Sunday, April 26, 2009 9:05:00 AMPosted by
Sunday 26 April: Boxhill Circular, About 15 on this new walk which allows a late start and arrives early enough at the King William IV to be served effciently. The pub is the alternative the the Running Horses in Mickelham and athough it has changed hands the food is a good as ever. Plenty of up and down in the afternoon but very warm for April with clear views to the south downs from Boxhill. The Stepping Stones allows for another beer or two while you wait for the train.
JohnL : Sunday, April 26, 2009 7:45:00 PMPosted by
Sat 25 April, Shiplake to Henley - 28 people. Lovely sunny day, had a nice time.
Hope : Monday, April 27, 2009 8:13:00 AMPosted by
Sunday 26 April: walk 1-27, Milford to Haslemere: about 10 people. Three of us quickly pulled away from the pack. Food at the Three Horse Shoes was pricey (cheapest main £13) so we pushed on to arrive at Devil's Punchbowl Pub at 14:45 where we partook of the carvery (large portions, £9, until 15:15) then moved on to arrive in Haslemere about 16:45 (Costa open until 17:00). Great weather all day.
Mark R : Monday, April 27, 2009 9:48:00 AMPosted by
Saturday 25th April Yalding to Sevenoaks. 20 on this walk. 3 or so appeared very happy with food at Kent Rifleman though others eat later. Wonderful bluebells and apple blossom. Some visited Ightham Mote. 2 made it to Knole in time for admission to the House. Great walk.
Graham C. : Monday, April 27, 2009 12:16:00 PMPosted by
Just to add to the comment above: eight of us in the slow group ate at the Kentish Rifleman, and I must say we all found the portions very generous, contrary to previous reports.
Walker : Monday, April 27, 2009 5:16:00 PM | |
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Air your views about walks or walking club issues by clicking on the comment button.
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PeteB : Thursday, June 19, 2008 10:45:00 PMPosted by
The map now has a "terrain" option, which shows shaded contours.
Andrew : Friday, June 27, 2008 11:17:00 AMPosted by
Recently we seem to be missing out on new members from foreign climes, the person who comes to London on a long assignment, from all over the world. Should we be advertising in Time Out and/or other publications that they might discover. That used to offer a continual stream of interesting new people. Which publications are current? Do social media sites provide the same advertising opportunites? How should we implement this?
AJK : Monday, July 28, 2008 7:40:00 AMPosted by
I agree, AJK. All we need is a general entry in Time Out (and perhaps other listings magazines) directing people to the web site. There's no need to work out the exact details weeks in advance to fit in with their publication deadlines. In their Events section, how about: "FREE Country Walks. Choice of walks every weekend, from the Time Out books plus some new ones. No booking required - just turn up. See www.walkingclub.org.uk for details."
Sean : Monday, July 28, 2008 10:01:00 AMPosted by
Yes, keep the ideas coming. AJK : Monday, July 28, 2008 10:16:00 AMAs an aside, this forum comment section works better now that sign-in is compulsory. It is isn't it? Posted by
A (slightly pointless) map of (most) UK Rail Stations. Its rather pretty if you zoom out. Its also the basis of the 'walks' map.
Andrew : Monday, July 28, 2008 2:00:00 PMPosted by
AJK - yes, sign in is compulsory.
Andrew : Monday, July 28, 2008 2:04:00 PMPosted by
Time Out did run a general entry for a while, but then they lost interest. Anyone who has some contact at Time Out and can persuade them to run it again, that would be great. But everyone knew I spoke to either heard about the walks by buying the book, or searching on the web. I would have thought looking for ways to viral market on the web was a better idea
Peter C : Monday, July 28, 2008 3:48:00 PMPosted by
Yup, the first thing I would say is to let your friends and friends of friends know that you are in the SWC and then we tell them what the SWC get up to. This is a two stage approach. Those who can make head'n tails out of the social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace should be encouraged to show their membership of the SWC sub-group (and make sure that their membership of the group is visible - may require ticking a little box to agree to this). Then the Officers and Administrators of the groups on the web post newsy stuff on the walls and then occasionally perhaps be proactive and use the email message facility to invite people to events. Still as an adjunct to the existing walkingclub.org website. Anybody want to clarify this? AJK : Tuesday, July 29, 2008 11:06:00 AMThe purpose as I see it is to catch the friend of a friend who might just be interested. People in your exisiting net and those who know your friends are the most likely candidiates for pursuasion since they share many friends and interests in common already But this does not catch the visiting international worker who has always been in my view an interesting feature of the Time Out group. Caught by such media as Time Out. The question is how do we reproduce the old Time Out Magazine effect? Posted by
The SWC walks now have a feedback/comment facility
Andrew : Thursday, July 31, 2008 4:45:00 PMPosted by
Could we perhaps explain why Anonymous comments are no longer allowed? Walk comments have pretty much dried up altogether, and here on the Forum there's not much of the old diversity. We could at least explain the reasons behind this. I'd be interested to know them myself.
AJS : Tuesday, August 05, 2008 4:54:00 PMPosted by
I'm pleased that people have to use their real names now (or at least someone's name, as opposed to the cop-out that was "Anonymous"). Anonymity allowed people to be unaccountable for their comments, and you never knew who you were talking to. So this new registration thing is a definite step forward.
Caroline : Tuesday, August 05, 2008 6:35:00 PMPosted by
It took me a bit of trial and error to get the damn thing to work. Perhaps others have just given up. Would some directions be in order
Ian T : Tuesday, August 05, 2008 6:36:00 PMPosted by
Well, no-one seemed very excited about a listing in Time Out, but then again no-one said here that it was a bad idea, so I've submitted the following listing: Sean : Wednesday, August 06, 2008 11:32:00 AMFREE Country Walks. Choice of walks every weekend, from the Time Out books plus some new ones. These walks are self-organising: there's no guide and you don't need to book. Just bring along the directions and turn up. See www.walkingclub.org.uk for details. Time Out might not like an anonymous submission (I did it from "Saturday Walkers Club", with the club's email address as contact), but if they accept it, it should appear from August 20th. Posted by
Good, positive action. 'see www.walkingclub.org , this week for schedule' as a next time suggestion
AJK : Wednesday, August 06, 2008 12:46:00 PMPosted by
I like the idea of the afternoon/evening walks while we have long summer days. It gives me a chance to do other things in the morning and, on a hot day, it's nice walking in the afternoon/evening when it's a bit cooler.
Margaret_C : Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:58:00 AMPosted by
I also think it good that anonymous posts are no longer allowed. Do we really want comments from people who are too lazy even to create an ID for themselves? After all, no one says you have to use your real name. You can be Bob the Builder or whatever you like.
Peter C : Thursday, August 07, 2008 12:46:00 PMPosted by
advertising sounds like a good idea. I'm sure they will post it but it might need contact with the listings section editor to get them to notice the email.
elijah : Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:19:00 PMPosted by
40 years today 12/08/08 since Time Out London was started by a certain Tony Elliot. He still owns the company and takes interest in daily activities and listings. Read the wikipedia article to see what kind of character he is and you can see why Nicholas and he were friends, Eccentric but not hippy. You can see perhaps why TO has survived in spite of the onset of free listings and the internet and why it is still expanding round the world. Due to a particular set of some might say high journalistic and editorial ideals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Out
AJK : Tuesday, August 12, 2008 8:51:00 AMPosted by
http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/os_map.shtml Andrew : Tuesday, August 12, 2008 4:21:00 PMA page with OS 1:25,000 scale maps. Could be useful for new walk developers - It is possible to put markers (points) on it. Andrew Posted by
http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/os_map_test.shtml Andrew : Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:22:00 AMWorks in IE only. A 1:25,000 scale OS map with the "Hassocks to Lewes" route marked on it. The route came from a GPS Andrew Posted by
Not IE 6
AJK : Wednesday, August 13, 2008 12:12:00 PMPosted by
what's all this about having to register with Google first ?! anonhere : Wednesday, August 13, 2008 9:09:00 PMpain in the b** ! I'm in favour of afternoon walks thanks so far to Sean and Penny, keep 'em coming ! anon Posted by
I’m not one for shorter later walks myself and I shall miss the luxury of being able to choose between two full-length Sunday walks. However if there is a demand, I guess it should be catered for. Ian T : Thursday, August 14, 2008 11:00:00 AMI do have one suggestion though. You probably already have a clever method for choosing the Sunday walks that will work well (bespoke programme that weighs up the available options, B-list celebrity with a tombola drum -both fine by me)in which case, just ignore me. However, if the plan is to draw the walks from the Saturday schedule, can I suggest that the Sunday walk precedes, rather than follows, its Saturday outing. That way, people who like walking on both Saturday and Sunday wouldn't find themselves stuck with the repeat of a walk they'd just done. The repeat would come up on the Saturday when there'd be other choices. Posted by
Ian: We haven't been getting much feedback on the Sunday walk numbers - eg. did anyone do Glynde-Seaford last Sunday? - so the suspicion is that they haven't been well attended. Having had several requests for shorter (afternoon) walks, I think we ought to give this experiment at least 4-6 weeks to see how it goes. But please - let's have more comments about this. Sean : Thursday, August 14, 2008 11:40:00 AMI agree that your "6 days before" rule makes more sense than the original "8 days after", but as it happens I prefer to choose Sunday walks which haven't recently been posted on a Saturday (or are due to appear soon). Then you avoid the "just done that walk" scenario as much as possible. But I've seen too many eyes glaze over at parties so I shan't elaborate on my ridiculously complicated method for choosing the walks... Posted by
Sounds good. Yours must be the "clever method" I alluded to so fleetingly.
Ian T : Thursday, August 14, 2008 12:26:00 PMPosted by
How about having the shorter & later version every other week?
Lucilla : Sunday, August 17, 2008 2:39:00 PMPosted by
See my entry on the New Forum AJK : Monday, August 18, 2008 11:41:00 AMhttp://groups.google.co.uk/group/Saturday-Walkers-Club?hl=en asking for assistance with designing new walks in Essex. Posted by
Met Office Forecast for Autumn 2008 Andrew : Friday, August 29, 2008 7:52:00 AMTemperature: ... temperatures are more likely to be either near average, or above average. Rainfall : ... will probably have below-average amounts of rain Review of this summer Posted by
One place for a new 'swc walk', would be the New Forest.
Andrew : Tuesday, September 23, 2008 7:38:00 PMPosted by
Hi! I am planning to climb El Teide in Tenerife early in November and then trek in La Gomera for a few days. Would anyone have by any chance a copy of Alternative Gomera that I could borrow to take a look at? Not only it is out of print but I have been unable to find second hand copies available for sale. Isabel.
Isabel Sanchez : Sunday, September 28, 2008 3:38:00 PMPosted by
Had an email about advertising. Do we accept any, and if so, what would we do with the money?
Andrew : Wednesday, October 01, 2008 1:29:00 PMPosted by
Perhaps we could use the money at our Christmas party for booking venues etc. Just a thought...
Lucilla : Wednesday, October 01, 2008 2:20:00 PMPosted by
The 'buy the book' links are back, but now point to Amazon. We get 5% commission.
Andrew : Monday, October 06, 2008 2:35:00 PMPosted by
SWC Walks. Andrew : Monday, October 06, 2008 2:48:00 PMSWC walks now has a new page - club walks - its the same as the original one, but excludes walks that are: too long, too short, too far away or too public transport unfriendly. This means that new SWC walks which are long (more than 1 day), short, far away (outside the Network Card area), or travel by car only, are welcome. Once (if) there are enough of them, each of these categories will get their own page Posted by
Thanks about the reply on the "Alternative Gomera". I did try both e-bay and Amazon before posting the note on the blog. In Ammazon appear under 7 differente sellers... as unavailable! Isabel Sanchez : Monday, October 06, 2008 2:49:00 PMRe. Earnings from advertising: using those on some sort of Xmas gathering was my first though too. Posted by
Sean wrote under walk numbers: DAC : Sunday, October 12, 2008 2:42:00 PMSaturday 4 October, Book 2 Walk 4: Chesham to Great Missenden. Ten walkers .......... investigated it. A mention in dispatches to the staff at the Cock & Rabbit, who identified us immediately as Time Out walkers and then treated us like minor royalty. This made me laugh. Glad that SWC are appreciated. Truth is for every pub where we get a frosty reception (think prior recommended pub on Cookham walk, White Horse, Silver Hill) there are at least 20 where we receive a warm welcome. In the case of the Cock & Rabbit they no doubt appreciate that the books bring them custom they would not otherwise have. Posted by
Dear All, rika : Friday, October 24, 2008 8:26:00 PMI am one of the old Saturday walkers (1999-2004) and now live in the Netherlands. On November 8th I will be in London (just like last year) and would love to join a Saturday walk. Which is the best one to go on to meet some of the old crowd. It would be really lovely to see you again. Rika Posted by
1 walker showed up for the Pluckley circular walk. Rain for most of the day with two 5 minute cessations. Time Out book requires updating: no electric fences whatsoever in field behind The Swan pub in Little Chart (Best value Sunday pub lunch in Greater London at £7.95 plus oodles of the freshest veggies). In addition, a missing right of way sign in the Orchard opposite proved frustrating. An excellent icy weather walk.
Catherine : Monday, October 27, 2008 12:27:00 PMPosted by
Do you know that if you buy a book from Amazon using the link from this site (at the bottom of the page), our walkers' club will get a referral fee from Amazon? I just found this out! I will order all my books via this site from now on! Hope you will do the same to support the club.
Lucilla : Sunday, November 23, 2008 8:43:00 PMPosted by
I shall be going to Winchester on Saturday 6th December to research a new walk. I intend to make use of PC's comprehensive notes on Winchester but to go north east (opposite direction to Winchester Circular) along the so-called Pilgrims' Way, here waymarked as St Swithins Way to Alresford. Returning to Winchester by bus for a Cathedral tour or for an early train home. If anyone would like to explore the possibility of a new Pilgrims' Way route, eventually all the way to Canterbury, searching out relevant features they would be most welcome to join me or to make themselves known to me for a future occasion via mail ajkennedy at blueyonder dot co dot uk AJK : Tuesday, December 02, 2008 12:19:00 PMThank you. Initial map Reference http://www.multimap.com/s/1XyfAMuq Posted by
Christmas Trading Update Andrew : Tuesday, January 06, 2009 12:58:00 PMGoogle Ads - Not so good - I would have to move the ads higher up the page to get more "clicks" to make them worthwhile Amazon Ads - We have received the first income (for 10/08 - its 2 months in arrears) - Its dropped off quite a bit since the start, but picked up around Xmas (mainly thanks to someone who brought a camera :) - At the current rate, we will easily cover the current web hosting (£30/year) - most purchases are the TOCW books, and a few related southeast England walking books - anything you buy after going to Amazon via the link counts, even a flatscreen! The first priority is to save 2 or 3 years website hosting money. This may increase as we are currently on a not very well supported 'legacy' plan. Once the hosting plan is sorted out, and money has been saved, we can decide how to spend anything left over. Maybe small thank you's (eg a book or OS map) to the walk posters / new walk writers / photographers. NB The actual numbers are missing (as you're not allowed to discuss them in public) - email me if you're curious Posted by
I've received a 'Rough Guide to Walks in London and the Southeast' Andrew : Tuesday, January 06, 2009 3:09:00 PMA few walks in it are similar to ones we already have, but it does contain quite a few new ones (eg Ely, New Forest, Stonehenge). It has some inner London and 2 day walks as well. The format is - train station to train station - some instructions plus an OS inspired map (i.e. the instructions are not so detailed as our 'instructions only' format walks) The credits mention walk testers, which is a good sign. Not done a walk from it yet (so, on sight alone) - recommended Posted by
I also had this Rough Guide but carelessly gave it away as a present a few years ago. It looked good, and I was influenced by its style when writing my own walks (eg. dividing them into sections), but for some reason I only did one or two walks from it. Sean : Friday, January 09, 2009 10:35:00 AMApart from the Time Out walking books, the ones I would thoroughly recommend are those produced by Which? magazine. The Which? Guide to Pub Walks (in SE England), first published in 2000, is particularly good. Holiday Which? produced two country-wide Guides in 1985 & 1990 which are also good but somewhat out of date as well as being difficult to find (all three are probably out of print). A section on "What makes a good walk: our house rules" in their 1990 Town and Country Walks Guide is well worth reading. Posted by
Ive done a few of the Rough Guide walks - on the whole quite good. Ian T : Wednesday, January 14, 2009 8:36:00 AMThe directions are less meticulous but it seems to give you all you need and it only got me lost once - in Epping Forest of all places. The Stonehenge walk is a nice one but it depends on catching a bus back(the last one is quite early in winter)and has some road walking (that could perhaps be avoided by keeping to the river). There is also a variant of the Kintbury N Wessex Downs walk that goes the other way along the top. One or two of the walks were a bit too urban for me. The SE walks book by Christopher Somerville is also to be recommended Posted by
Train disruption. Andrew : Saturday, January 24, 2009 1:01:00 PMYou go for a walk, but drive, or get on at a surburban station like Clapham or East Croydon. But, when there's train disruption, and you aren't on the same train as the main group, what do you do? (something like this happened to the last 2 midweek walks) Is there any way of getting in touch with everyone else, or finding what's going on. Ideas? Posted by
I get frequent emails from small summer sun hotels/places to let with a walking theme/cater to walking groups. Andrew : Monday, February 02, 2009 5:28:00 PMSo far I've ignored them, but this one seems quite interesting - www.aqua-ventura.com - near Alicante, Spain - 50 euro/night full board, incl packed lunch, transport and walking guide! I may get round to making a new page for them all, but in the meantime, if someone would like to organise a holiday .. :) Andrew Posted by
AJS raises an important issue in his Walk Numbers post for the Harlow walk. What's the best way of getting – and keeping – feedback on walks, so that when a walk poster is looking for ideas in a year's time, he or she has more information than just the author's Walk Notes? Sean : Sunday, February 08, 2009 2:30:00 PMThere is a Feedback option for the Extra Walks, but it isn't (yet) widely used. I can think of several 'nice-to-have' features. If the Walk Number reports were linked to each walk, you could quickly scan all the reports from previous outings. I also like the kind of feedback you get on Amazon, eBay, etc, where people are invited to rate their overall experience (eg. 1* to 5*). Detailed comments about a broken post or a wobbly stile are useful, but perhaps in encouraging these we're missing out on the bigger picture. For me the key feedback about a walk is "Would you include it in a Volume 3 of Country Walks near London?" A hypothetical question, perhaps, but it's what a walk poster most wants to know. If the SWC was a commercial organisation with a few million to spend on IT, no doubt all this would be feasible. We're not, and I certainly don't want to encourage anyone to spend lots of time on this. But perhaps there are tools in Google, or Blogger, which one could use for this purpose. Any ideas on this, or about what features you'd like to see? Posted by
Just having the Walk Numbers reports stored under the relevant walk - perhaps as a section on that walk's update page - would be immensely useful. Walker : Monday, February 09, 2009 3:31:00 PMBut it sounds like a lot of work for someone to set up, particularly as the Free Walks don't even have update pages. Meantime, I suppose people who wished could use the existing Updates comment function to express views on individual book or two walks. For the unintiated, if you go to the BOOK ONE or BOOK TWO section of the site, click on the relevant walk, then the UPDATES AND FEEDBACK link at the top, there is a comment function. By all means use it to expres your views. (The only danger I can see in the above is that one or two views might sway everyone else. Eg if one person says a walk is boring, everyone else might believe it is: but perhaps it is just that person's view...) Posted by
Hello! I'm the author of the RG to Walks in London. and Southeast England. I'm all for friendly competition, but I read this review on your site: Helena : Monday, March 02, 2009 10:49:00 PM"There's a Rough Guide to walking in the south east, some of its walks seem quite similar to ones in our 2 books. The book doesn't contain OS maps or walking instructions, so you'd need to buy the appropriate OS maps for each walk as well." I'd say the walks in your book are simillar to mine - that's a moot point. But of course my book has walking instructions! And the maps are sourced from the OS. They're terrific, and you do NOT need to buy the OS map. I'd be grateful if you reviewed my book in the spirit of fair play, or don't review it at all. Helena Posted by
Hi Helena, Andrew : Tuesday, March 03, 2009 9:28:00 AMThere are some comments above this one which are quite favourable to your book - favourable enough to recommend it - we link to it on Amazon equally with 'our' TOCW books. I just found the text (Walking - Other Walks) you quoted - it refers to the previous edition of the RG, and as you say, is in no way fair to the current edition. I'd forgotten about that page, it, and the 'buy' page are outdated, and are on my 'to do' list. Andrew Posted by
Can we have some late starting walks - esp on Sunday ? anonymous : Friday, March 06, 2009 11:32:00 AMit's starting to stay lighter a bit later now... thanks Posted by
'Pilgrimage walk or is it just a sense of history?' on the new forum under Walk Ideas AJK : Friday, March 27, 2009 12:07:00 PMhttp://swclondon.proboards.com anyone can read, reply or start a new post topic there. You can follow it easily because it's multi-branched and not have to jump back and forth to in a single long list. Much better. Oh yes and you can go back and easily amend or delete a previous comment of your own thus changing your argument if you wish !! So nothing you say need ever be locked in stone. Posted by
South Downs National Park - Benn gives green light Em : Tuesday, March 31, 2009 10:36:00 AMNews Release ref: 72/09 31 March 2009 Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today gave the go-ahead for the South Downs to become England's ninth National Park. The new 627 square mile protected area will be home to an estimated 120,000 people, stretching from Beachy Head to the edge of Winchester, in line with an independent inspector's recommendations following a 19-month public inquiry. A new South Downs National Park Authority is expected to be established by April 2010 and become fully operational a year later. Hilary Benn said: "Having considered the inspector's report and recommendations carefully, and agreed that the statutory criteria are met, I have decided that the South Downs including the so-called Western Weald should be confirmed as a National Park. "It is fitting that in this year, the 60th anniversary of the radical legislation that gave birth to National Parks, we are celebrating an addition to the family. "National Park status can be a real boost for the local economy, attracting new visitors, businesses and investment, but above all, the South Downs' wonderful countryside will be protected forever for the enjoyment of everyone." For more information and a map of the proposed boundary of the South Downs National Park go to www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/protected-areas/national-parks/south-downs/index.htm. Posted by
I have changed the "owner" of walkingclub.org.uk to "Saturday Walkers Club" (for £11.50). Andrew : Wednesday, April 08, 2009 9:34:00 AMIf you can read this, doing it didn't break anything. Posted by
Hi, Lucile : Saturday, April 18, 2009 6:18:00 PMI have just discovered this group and find it very interesting. I was hoping to find family friendly walks (I have a 3 year old), but from the browsing of the website, it is not obvious to me which (if any) of the walks are suitable for families with young children. Are any of the walks suitable for young kids? Are people sometimes joining the walk accompanied by children? Are there other people who would be interested in easy family friendly walks? Could someone recommend the most family friendly walks amongst all the walks mentioned here? If there are other people with an interest in family friendly walks, it would be great if there was from time to time walks targetted to families with young kids (e.g. once a month, every first Saturday of month or similar). Looking forward to your feedback. Posted by
In reply to the above post, I don't want to be offputting, but I don't think our walks are really suitable for you. We are walking 8-13 miles in a walk, at maybe 2-3 miles per hour, and I don't know any 3 year olds that can do that. Very rarely people have come with teenage kids on the walk, but to be honest I don't think they find our company very interesting: the bulk of our walkers are in their 30s or 40s. Walker : Sunday, April 19, 2009 1:14:00 AMWhy not see if The Ramblers Association can advise you? Posted by
In April, business picked up (the weather?), and 79 items were purchased via Amazon, including: Andrew : Friday, May 01, 2009 9:46:00 AM23 x Book 2, 13 x Book 1, 3 x Rough Guide southeast walks, 3 x Time Out London walks 5 x various OS maps, 1 x the Cicerone Thames book The website can now support itself. I am minded to move it to a better (and more expensive) hosting service, with, for example, 1000x more disk space! Andrew Posted by
A larger server would seem like a good idea if it meant you could combine 'walk number' comments with 'feedback' and store against the specific walk for say 18 months. All that's needed is for someone (me for instance) volunteering for a time to label the 'walk numbers' correctly then they could be parsed by your sorting mechanism when soemone wanted the information, or for more permanent storage in a database. What do ya think?
AJK : Friday, May 01, 2009 12:37:00 PMPosted by
Some places available on Isle of Wight trip with one week to go. See under New Forum, weekends away. I publish this here in order to get maximum coverage.
AJK : Sunday, June 28, 2009 10:23:00 PMPosted by
There has been a new edition of the British hills database. It includes the highest hill in each county, and each London borough (Hills - Southeast)
Andrew : Monday, June 29, 2009 9:40:00 AMPosted by
Multimap OS Maps Andrew : Tuesday, June 30, 2009 8:10:00 AMAs a test, this map uses 'multimap', rather than the OS's map service. It uses true north, rather than 'OS map' north ... http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_1/walk_01/map.shtml Posted by
Great but seems to miss out the 1:25000 scale (where footpaths are in green and field boundaries are shown) that can be had by working the Multimap site directly. That is one of the best features of the MM site. A real bonus apart from that.
AJK : Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:59:00 AM | |
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Revising Book 1 - How you can help.
In the good old days (i.e., before book 2), peeps who did a book 1 club walk would send in updates. Nowadays, most of the regulars are doing book 2 or the new walks, so these annual revisions have dried up of late, and book 1 seems a little unloved. How you can help - give feedback, check a walk's updates, or fully revise it.
Revised: 29. Updated: 1. Assigned: 17. Up for adoption: 6 = 53 01-10: KC EJ DA JG ++ ++ ** ++ ++ -- ++ revised ** updated 11-20: NR ++ -- ++ ++ ++ -- -- ++ ++ -- up for adoption: 10, 13, 17, 18, 21-30: ++ DC ++ ++ DC ++ ++ CL MG ++ 40, 48, 53 31-40: ++ AS ++ ++ DC ++ ++ MP ++ SW 41-50: AS ++ ++ DC ++ ++ ++ -- ++ DA 51-53: KG ++ -- Posted by
I'm impressed at all the work you've done. Thanks from my walk partner and me.
: Saturday, February 23, 2008 5:54:00 PM | |
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Announcements
Posted by
[Alison Bearn writes] Rethink is a large mental health charity & we have recently received funding to set up walking projects for mental health service users & carers in four areas of London ( Harrow , Ealing, Hackney & Lambeth). The planned walks will only be relatively short – only up to 1 – 1 ½ hours/ 2 – 3 miles - in length & are targeted at mental health service users & carers. The aim of the project is to encourage & motivate people to take part in walking & hopefully then link them into other physical activity groups in the area. It is hoped that the walking groups will act as a first step to get people walking & to then link them in with other services. Mental health service-users & carers often have much higher rates of physical illness & often lack the confidence to join mainstream services & this is what our project is hoping to address. We are in the process of recruiting volunteers to the project & this is one of the reasons why I am contacting you now… : Tuesday, April 15, 2008 7:07:00 PM…I was sitting on the train on Saturday listening to a group of Saturday walkers on their way to Leigh for a (very wet!) walk & it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps I could publicise our service on your website – or in your forum – as it might be a way of reaching keen walkers who might be interested in volunteering for the project – or who might know people who would like to join one of the walks. I have a huge amount of regard for the Time Out guides & the Saturday walking group as it was the first edition of the book that started me out walking & helped me escape into the country when I first moved to London . I now go walking most weekends but don’t know that I would ever have started doing this without your books to guide me! When listening to the walkers chatting on Saturday I thought it would be great to let some of the people who use your site & books know about our project as it would be great to make links with fellow walkers who have the enthusiasm to encourage people to start walking. Alison Bearn Walking for Wellbeing Coordinator Rethink http://www.rethink.org/go.rm?id=5216 Phone 020 7330 9148 Fax 020 7330 9134 Alison.Bearn --AT-- rethink.org | |
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SWC Club Walks
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Walk Photos
There are 2,800+ photos of the 136 walks. We have a SWC Group on Flickr (which you are invited to join), or you can use Google's Picasa web albums. Flickr Slideshow: Press F11 (on PC's), then choose from most interesting or most recent.
Posted by
I'm one of those who are thinking of posting an extra walk at some stage. What's the score on adding pics from the web if I don't have a digital camera? How do I know if they're copyrighted? Is there some way of requesting pictures of relevant locations and getting the reply "Have one of mine" ?
: Monday, September 04, 2006 8:25:00 PMPosted by
I am not an expert, but I would not use any photo from the web unless you are SURE it is not copyrighted. Peter C : Monday, February 12, 2007 8:01:00 PMFor the record, you can do an extra walk text without photos: I don't think any of the extra walks so far have photos with them. I am sure if you want to have some pics of your walk on your site then some walker on the first check would oblige you by taking some on a digital camera Posted by
I really like these photos especially the one of the owl. : Friday, February 23, 2007 5:33:00 PMWho took it? Jane Posted by
absolutely brilliant photos...does anyone know which camera? ...I'm in the market for a new digital camera ! : Saturday, February 24, 2007 8:18:00 PMmany thanks Posted by
The photos are randomly selected from the Flickr SWC group each time you view this page. : Sunday, February 25, 2007 8:25:00 AMMore more details on an individual photo, click it, or follow the link to the Flickr SWC group Posted by
Andrew - it doesn't say which make model camera etc,..?
: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 7:38:00 PMPosted by
Anonymous - click on a photo, then scroll down the text column to the right of the photo. Under 'Additional Information' you'll see the camera model and date the photo was taken. If you want to be really geeky, click on 'More properties' for a host of useless technical information.
Roland : Wednesday, March 07, 2007 10:38:00 PMPosted by
I'm glad to see that photos are becoming more inventive in expressing what one sees on SWC walks and not just masses of pics of individual flowers, trees, toodstools etc which don't seem to have any relevance to walking routes; or is it that I'm just not a fun-gi?
: Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:45:00 PMPosted by
Could just be the time of the year. There aren’t too many of the little blighters around in the winter. But for me the little things are just as much a part of the walk experience as the big things. And the big things could quite often be from any of a series of walks themselves. A downland scene could be from the same range of walks as a chalkland flower. : Tuesday, February 05, 2008 8:17:00 AMI find it interesting to see what images other people got from a walk whether big or small but really, deep down, its pretty pictures that do it for me, regardless of how walk specific they are. Knowing they were taken on that walk is enough for me. Posted by
Added five photos from my recent Himalayan adventure. Most of these walks were a 10 (;>)
PeteB : Monday, December 22, 2008 7:59:00 PM | |
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Club Organisers
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Train Travel
Posted by
If you live in zone three or further out, note that with a Network Card you can apparently get a day travelcard covering ALL London Transport zones (1-6, plus A-D)for £4.80 at weekends: this is available, I am told, from tube ticket offices, but not from ticket machines. If used to get a reduction from the boundary of the outer LT Zone (6 or D as appropriate) this could save several pounds on train fares.
Peter C : Saturday, December 03, 2005 11:24:00 PMPosted by
Yes the £4.80 All zone travelcard can be bought at weekends from any tube station ticket office. Somebody told me about this a few weeks ago and I've made use of my network card to get this discount a couple of times. Still cost effective even if you are making a fairly short journey from a zone 1 tube station to a mainline railway station to then purchase a return rail ticket from boundary Zone 6 to whereever.
David C : Friday, December 09, 2005 2:09:00 PMPosted by
you can also buy these from the new ticket machines at Charing X, London Bridge and other southeastern trains railway stations
: Friday, January 06, 2006 12:50:00 PMPosted by
Can anyone give further info on the '4 travel for the price of 2' offer mentioned ? I can't find it on any rail-related site. : Thursday, February 23, 2006 6:26:00 PMCheers (tony_cantlay@hotmail.com) Posted by
The "4-for-2" offer is called GroupSave (3 or 4 travel for the price of 2 at off-peak times). It may not be a national offer, and it may be withdrawn at any time. South of London I've used it recently on Southern and South-West trains, but I don't know if it's available on South Eastern. You're supposed to travel as a group but you actually get individual tickets with GRP-3 or GRP-4 printed on them. Sean : Friday, February 24, 2006 10:12:00 AMSouthern also promote DaySave, where if you book online 7 days in advance a group of up to 4 people can go anywhere for a day on Southern's network for £20 (just £5 each). If those who schedule extra walks on the South Coast in summer could give at least 10 days' notice, it would be possible to take advantage of this offer. But of course if it pours with rain on the day you lose out... Posted by
From the end of July 2006 There are also two types of 'Downlander' ticket offering combined Southern Rail and Bus travel for max £12.50. Might be useful for exploring the more remote parts of Sussex me thinks. See Andrew K : Monday, September 04, 2006 7:06:00 AMDownlander Visit South Downs dot com is also a useful site for linking transport anyway. Posted by
Zone 6 Extends Further Than You Might Think When You Travel By Bus! Link to Grapevine : Thursday, March 15, 2007 5:14:00 PMFollow the link below to see how you could get to Dorking, Knockholt or Redhill on a London Buses Travelcard / OysterCard and even return from Tunbridge Wells for part of the way on that same card! A.K. Posted by
Is this the right forum to post a walk update? Anyway, here's the update. Volume 1 Walk 32. Arundel to Amberley. The bridge at South Stoke is now open again (at last). Please update the Update web page for this walk.
: Monday, April 09, 2007 10:47:00 PMPosted by
I reckon the best strategy for train tickets on walks like Gerrards Cross to Cookham (on two completely different lines) is: Sean : Monday, October 01, 2007 6:33:00 PM(1) On the way out, buy a Travelcard covering Zone 6 and a single from the Zone 6 Boundary to Gerrards Cross, both with the Network Card discount. Don't buy a return ticket. (2) On the return journey, each gang of four can get a 50% saving by asking for a Groupsave ticket from Cookham to the Zone 6 Boundary. Anyone left over can still get a third off with their Network Card. You can't combine the two discounts, but Groupsave "4 travel for the price of 2" is still cheaper. You could of course also use Groupsave for the outward journey, but that requires more organisation - meeting up and queueing at what's usually a busy ticket office, etc. | |
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Train Travel : Midweek Walks
This advice is for anyone travelling by train for a walk during the week
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