Chessington Circular walk

5.2 miles (8.4 km) with 300 feet (100 m) of ascent

Chessington South (Zone 6) is at the end of a line from Waterloo. 2 trains per hour, about 35 mins.

By car: Chessington: KT92JR does not have a CPZ, but parking is easier half way round the walk by the country park: KT198GW, or commons: KT187FB (both free).

The "Chessington Countryside Walk" is a local authority promoted walk which loops around Horton Country Park, Epsom and Ashtead Commons, and Winey Hill (viewpoint). A lovely summer walk close to London, its very muddy in winter.

Anti clockwise from Chessington station

• The walk quickly leaves Chessington along a lane and ascends through a small wood to the open top of Winey Hill (viewpoint, 75m, picnic spot, some road noise from the A3).
• Then down into woods (very muddy in winter), passing the Zoo's hedge-fence, then car park (use the car park to bypass a particularly muddy path) and entrance.
• The next stage is a path between hedges (muddy in winter), and a farmer's field (waterlogged in winter)
• You enter the north edge of Ashtead and Epsom Commons (all weather forest paths). You could extend the walk further into the Commons.
• You cross a road, passing a health centre, and another muddy stretch to Horton Country Park (all weather paths), a mix of open grassland and woods.
• Veer left across a field, then along a pretty raised path with nice views (picnic spot, muddy in winter) back to Chessington

The first third of the walk is almost impassable after wet weather in winter, with lots of muddy ground water. The remainder of the walk is mainly on all weather paths.

The walk passes a major attraction, Chessington World of Adventures (a Theme Park with a Zoo). Unfortunately no wild animals are visible from the footpaths as the zoo is surrounded by tall leylandii trees. There might be views from the north side of Winey Hill if you descend through the trees, but the animals are away on the far side, by the resort hotels.

About 1km off route is Castle Hill Nature Reserve (marked on the OS map). Just a small wooded hill, no castle (it was a manor house anyway), only some earthworks remain.

• The walk crosses the A243 road (by the zoo car park) near a Premier Inn with a Beefeater restaurant. One of the amusement park hotels (just north along the A243 main road) has a restaurant that overlooks the safari animal enclosure, sorry, I forgot which one, ask locally!
• The is a cafe on the road junction by Chessington station.

Horton Country Park (wikipedia, Friends of) has a golf course and horse riding centre. Much of it is open land and left as a Nature Reserve. Part of it was the grounds of a former hospital with a (closed) railway line.

Ashtead Common (managed by the Corporation of London for all Londoners) and Epsom Common (a local Nature Reserve) together make a single large green space in south west London. Usually quiet, they are worth exploring further if you have extra time. Neither has much of a website.