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Chessington Circular walk

Horton Park, Epsom and Ashtead Commons, Winey Hill, all inside the M25

Circular Easy London Short

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Thu, 24-Aug-23 Evening Walk - Horton Park, Epsom and Ashtead Commons, Winey Hill: Chessington South Circular 7 overcast but dry
Thomas G
Length: 8.4 km (5.2 mi)
Ascent/descent: 100m
Net Walking Time: ca. 2 hours
Take the 17.47 Chessington South train from Waterloo, calls Vauxhall and Clapham J then all stations via Wimbledon, arrives Chessington South at 18.23. Chessington South is in Zone 6.
Return trains: 20.34, 21.04, 21.34, 22.04, 22.38…
Sunset will be at 20.05, with light for walking until 20.45.
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, it’s 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.

Refreshments:
En route: The Shy Horse in Maldon Rushett is a little off route.
At the end: nothing. The pubs in Chessington are nearer North Station.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.48
  • 22-Aug-23

    Can't the walk end at Chessington north if thats were the end of the walk refreshments are?

  • 22-Aug-23

    Impossible is nothing. Could walk the route in reverse and leave it before South station to cut north across the Recreation Ground (public footpath)...

    We'll have a vote at the start, shan't we?

  • 24-Aug-23

    The walk is described as anti-clockwise... The gpx file, and so the arrows on the map, were the wrong way round (which has now been fixed).

    You could continue north from Horton Park, past the Castle Hill nature reserve, along the river trail, to a main road. Turn left, there is a pub there, and one a bit further on by the roundabout. About 1km longer

  • 24-Aug-23

    The daytime rain showers and semi-convincing forecast for the evening did not deter 7 walkers to turn up for this. The moody dark clouds tried several times to break out into rain, but only managed a bit of spittle, and later it was a fine late summer (???) evening, with some clouds moving along and the setting sun trying to produce some colour.

    Mud-wise it was a non-event but one could see how in winter the bridleways especially in the early stages would be treacherous. We all enjoyed the route, diverse and ever-changing as it is. The road noise though reminds one that one is not quite in 'proper' countryside but who cares: we were only 36 minutes from Waterloo!

    We did walk the North Chessington ending, but baulked at the burgers or wings offers at The William Bourne, and the later Chessington Oak had just closed the kitchen due to some workmen turning up for roof repairs or something.

    Onto the 20.38 train then, with the 5 diners getting off at Wimbledon, as the 2 SW Londoners amongst us would get off there anyway for their connecting buses. Bill's had a table for us.

    A very fine evening walk.

  • 24-Aug-23

    overcast but dry