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Planning a Time Out Book Walk

There are no mountains in south east England, only hills (and sometimes mud), so these walks do not need too much pre-planning or expensive gear.

Weather

A good tip is to check the BBC Breakfast Program or News 24 first thing before you set off, for a last minute forecast on the chance of rain or shine.

The Met Office is quite good as well, and has a rainfall animation.

Train Times and Train Tickets

Check the UK rail timetable, and don't forget the return journey. Note that trains stop at suburban station which may help, e.g. Charing Cross trains often stop at Waterloo East and London Bridge, and Waterloo trains often stop at Clapham Junction and Woking.

Also, don't forget that the tube sometimes has engineering work at weekends.

• Network Railcards cost £20, last for 1 year, and give 1/3 off on weekends and bank holidays for up to 4 people in the south east. They can also be used after 10am on weekdays, but there is a £10 minimum.
• Gold Cards (which come with annual season tickets) carry the same discount, but with no minimum weekday fare. This applies to their travelling companions as well! Gold Card Holders can also get a free Network Card for a friend. In addition, some Railway companies give other additional benefits. Check for details.
• There are also national railcards for Seniors (over 60), Families (travel with at least 1 child) and Students/Young People (under 26) which also give 1/3 off. Check for details.
• Group Save lets 3 or 4 people travelling together go for the price of 2

• Travelcards : If you have a Travelcard, you can use that to cover the first part of your journey, just ask for a ticket from the 'Zone x boundary to ...'.
• Individual Rail Company Schemes : Check the rail company websites, e.g. Southern, Chiltern Trains, Great Western, South West Trains.

Yes, it is ridiculously complicated.

Travel by Car

This usually works out cheaper for more than 1 person.

• Not all book 1 walks are car friendly, so do check that the start and end of the walk are on the same train line! If you have 2 cars, you can park 1 at the end of the walk and drive the other to the start.
• Parking : Sometimes (and especially on weekdays) its easier/cheaper to park in a residential area 1/2 a mile or so along the route from the train station. You could also park at the lunchtime pub, which tends to be in a quiet village, and start the walk from there.

What to Bring / Wear

• Essential: The book, a compass, a water bottle, a windproof layer.
• A Good Idea: Some snacks/a packed lunch in case there is a problem with the lunchtime pub.
• Boots: In the winter you will need proper walking boots as some of the walks can get very muddy (light shoes to change into at the lunchtime pub, or on the way home are also useful). In the summer, trainers will do.
• Waterproofs: A waterproof jacket is essential if there is a chance of rain, and waterproof trousers if it will rain. You can get away with an umbrella during a shower if it isn't windy. There is no need to buy Gore-tex, as there are many equally good equivalent 'breathable' waterproof fabrics nowadays. Indeed, as few of the walks are very strenuous, a simple PVC mac would do. However, do check for 'taped seams', as water can get in through the stitching.
• In Winter: A torch in case you don't finish before it gets dark.
• In Summer: Hat, sunscreen, etc. as you'll be outside for several hours.

Outdoor Gear

General shops include Blacks and Millets

Specialist Outdoors shops include Field & Trek (mail order, shop in Covent Garden), and Cotswold Camping (mail order, shop on Picadilly)

What to do if you get lost. First of all, don't panic. Second, don't just carry on, because, if you don't have a map, and you have gone wrong, you really will get lost. If the next instruction is "in 100 meters...", which will take about 2 mins on flat terrain, don't carry on walking for 10 mins! All the walks in the books have been checked several times by different people, so all the obvious and commonly made errors have been corrected. The most common error people make is skipping a paragraph, or reading the same one twice. Sit down, and spend a few mins re-reading the last paragraph, and see if you've missed something. Maybe there was an arrow or a path partly hidden by undergrowth, or you missed something while you were talking. Some good tips. Use a pencil, and lightly cross out each paragraph you've read, so whenever you look at the instructions, you always know where you are. If you think you may have gone wrong, but aren't sure, use a compass to check you direction. If your path is at 290º, but it should be 240º, then that is a 50º difference, and something is wrong. Average walking speed is about 60 meters per minute. If you have made a mistake: Go back to the last point you were sure of, and try again. Do not just carry on, or try and guess the right way. Without a map, it'll take longer, probably much longer. Although, it feels hard to retrace your steps, and walk back the way you came, its usually the right thing to do. Even if you have to go back 500 meters, thats only 10 mins walk, and you'll probably spend that much time just thinking about it!

What speed to I walk at?

• Average walking speed is about 2.5 miles an hour (4 km/h), which works out at 60 meters per minute.
• Allow 2 miles an hour (3.2 km/h) taking into account mud, hills, navigating, talking etc.
• Walking quickly, on good terrain, 3 miles an hour (4.8 km/h) is possible.

How far can I see?

The distance to the horizon is

• 113 x square root (height in km) km

• or 3.6 x square root (height in meters) km

• or 2.25 x square root (height in meters) miles

So, if you are on the South Downs (height about 200 meters) looking out to sea, you can see 32 miles on a clear day, i.e. 2.25 * √(200) miles.

If you are looking at another mountain, or other object above the horizon, you need to add your distance to the horizon, and its distance to the horizon together. So, if you are on the South Downs, looking towards the North Downs (also about 200 meters), you could see the very tops of them 64 miles away.

You can derive the formulae for yourself if you know the earth's radius, and understand radians ... sin Θ => Θ as Θ => 0

Swimming

Mid July to mid September are the months when the sea is warm enough for this. You can swim in late June, but however hot the weather is, the sea is still icy!

Besides the coastal walks, the following are suitable for swimming including...

• Book 1 #27 (small lakes),
• Book 1 #34 (the first lake, not the reservoir)

Last Updated: Dec-07