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Chessington to Cheam walk

Horton Country Park, Hogsmill Riverside Nature Reserve, Nonsuch Park and Cheam Heritage Trail

Easy London

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
Sun, 17-Dec-23 Sunday Walk – Chessington South to Cheam 7 sunny and mild day
Wed, 10-Aug-22 Wednesday Walk Chessington to Cheam - Horton Country Park, Hogsmill Riverside Nature Reserve, Nonsuch Park and Cream Village 9
Wed, 22-Sep-21 Wednesday walk Chessington to Cheam - Horton Country Park, Hogsmill Riverside Nature Reserve, and Nonsuch Park 8 fine
Thu, 03-Jun-21 Thursday Evening: Nowhere like Nonsuch Park 8 warm still and slightly cloudy
Sean
Extra Walk 352 – Chessington South to Cheam

Length: Up to 14.3 km (8.9 miles). Toughness: 2/10

10:21 Chessington South train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:25, Clapham Jct 10:30, etc), arriving Chessington South (TfL Zone 6) at 10:55. Buy a Zones 1-6 Travelcard or use Oyster PAYG / contactless.

Trains back from Cheam (Zone 5) to Victoria are half-hourly at xx:08 & xx:38.

Hogsmill Stepping Stones This walk takes in some pleasant green spaces squeezed into the urban sprawl of south-west london, including the Hogsmill Nature Reserve in the morning and the historically interesting Nonsuch Park in the afternoon. I'm told the park will be muddy so I'd be tempted to ignore the rather serpentine official route and stick to the main avenue. If you fork left halfway along you can rejoin the route at the Mansion, where it's worth popping into the Nonsuch Palace Gallery (which is only open on Sundays, between noon and 4pm; free entry) to see the elaborate model of Henry Ⅷ's palace.

The suggested lunch stop is in Ewell, halfway through the walk. The route passes the Spring Tavern, while if you venture into the village you'll find the Famous Green Man. There's a café in the Nonsuch Mansion and more tea places at the end of the walk in Cheam.

The L=swc.352 page contains details of the historical features en route as well as the directions.

  • 19-Dec-23

    7 people, including one on a slightly later train, on a sunny and mild day . A pleasant walk. Nonsuch Park wasn't muddy at least not along the route we took across it's centre but an earlier path diversion by the Hogsmill riverbank put an end to any hopes of clean shoes for the day.

Marcus
SWC 352 - Chessington to Cheam

Length: 14.3 km (8.9 miles) 12 km (7.5 miles) without circuit of Nonsuch Park
Toughness: 2 out of 10
London Waterloo: 10-17 hrs SouthWestern service to Chessington South Vauxhall 10-21; CJ 10-26; Wimbledon 10-33 hrs
Arrive Chessington South: 10-53 hrs
Return

Cheam to London Victoria: 08, 29, 38 and 59 mins past the hour, or 22 and 52 mins past to London Bridge
Rail ticket: the departure and return railway stations are both within the LT travel zones so use oyster, contactless or a TfL travel card to Zone 6. Holders of London Councils Freedom Passes enjoy free travel today
Shortly after leaving Chessington South today's walk goes through Horton Country Park as we make our way to Ewell, where we stop for lunch - suggested pub The Spring Tavern, close to Ewell Spring, source of the Hogsmill River. There are a number of cafes and another pub, The Green Man in the heart of the village.
After lunch we cross the busy Ewell By-Pass and head through light woodland to Nonsuch Park. Here you can continue ahead through Cheam Park to Cheam, for today's short walk of 7.5 miles, or you can take the sweep of Nonsuch Park, ending up at Nonsuch Pantry Cafe for tea. Those who headed direct into Cheam have plenty of tea stop options - with Tasha's Tea Room being a pleasant independent tea shop.
T=swc.352
Walk Directions are here: L=swc.352
  • 13-Aug-22

    I wasn't on this walk myself but I'm told there were about 9 people.

Marcus
SWC 352 - Chessington to Cheam
Length: 14.3 km (8.9 miles)
Toughness:2 out of 10
London Waterloo: 10-17 hrs SouthWestern service to Chessington South CJ 10-26 hrs
Arrive Chessington South: 10-53 hrs
Return
Cheam to London Victoria: 08, 29, 38 and 59 mins past the hour Southern service Change at CJ for Waterloo
Rail ticket Both stations are within the TfL Travelcard boundary
A nice easy walk today, best done before winter sets in when paths in the morning over fields and through nature reserves become soggy. They should be fine today. There are no hills on this walk - just easy going through some pleasant countryside close to London. According to the history stats. this walk was given its inaugural outing on a Thursday evening in June this year, so it should be very suitable for those who prefer shorter day walks.
Lunch can be taken in Ewell Village at the unpretentious Green Man pub, serving basic but acceptable pub grub. There are several cafes also in Ewell High Street.
After lunch we cross the busy Ewell By-Pass and head along a woodland path which comes out into Nonsuch Park. You have a choice of routes through this park, depending on whether you wish to go past Nonsuch Palace (probably not open for visitors today). Once through the park you are in the village of Cheam - with lots of refreshment options. The railway station is not far from the High Street.
T=swc.352
Walk Directions are here: L=swc.352
  • Margaret
    21-Sep-21

    The Spring Tavern in Ewell is a second lunch option and was open on Sunday. For tea, the cafe in the garden of Whitehall Museum in Cheam is open and also the Mansion House cafe in Nonsuch Park.

  • 23-Sep-21

    The number was 8 and a dog which makes 9.

    No-one was late and the weather was fine

    Lunch at the Spring Tavern. Everyone liked what they're havin’.

    Nearly no beer but the cider still here.

    We stayed as a group as we all looped the loop

    Around Nonesuch Park. And the dog didn’t bark.

    We stopped there for tea. All had some but me.

    Another go round - some flowers were found.

    Saw black-eyed Susan when we coulda been boozing’

    Some more we did roam, and then a train home.

Stargazer
Stargazer

Ewell West to Cheam T=swc.352

Distance: Approximately 4 miles or 7 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 2 out of 10

Travel: 18:24 South Western Dorking (main) bound train from London Waterloo, arriving at Ewell West at 18:54. Return trains from Cheam run regularly to either London Victoria or London Bridge – both stations are within zone 6.

When this walk had its debut last year (I think), I thought the shorter Ewell West start would make a nice addition to our evening walk repertoire….so we shall give it a go….Starting from Ewell West Station we will join the route as it explores Nonsuch Park, formerly a village that was razed by Henry the VIII to make way for a palace (also long gone). Cheam has a number of historic buildings and some refreshment spots for post walk libations…

More information about the route can be found here.

To facilitate the collection of contact details, please pre-register for this walk on the "events" page at https://www.lwug.co.uk/. You will need to first sign-on and possibly register if you have not previously registered on the site.

If you test positive for COVID within a week of attending this walk, please contact me by emailing covid@lwug.co.uk.

Enjoy the walk!

  • 02-Jun-21

    The short section from Ewell West to join the main route at point 22, Bourne Hall Park is not yet in the walk directions but it is very straight forward.

    Leave Ewell West rail station via the ticket office and walk straight ahead between buildings to the T junction with the main road. Turn left, downhill and away from the train line. Where the road bends sharp left, cross the road and keep straight ahead on the tarmac path with the tall brick wall running on your right. After a few steps, turn right through the brick arched gateway to enter Bourne Hall Park. You are now at point 22 on the main walk directions: "After lunch, retrace your steps...."

  • 04-Jun-21

    8 assembled at Ewell West with one having done the full length walk from Chessington in warm still and slightly cloudy conditions for this delightful walk through expansive parklands and gardens. This section of the full walk connects well to Ewell West Station and does make a fine little evening outing (just 30 minutes from central London) with a variety of open spaces to explore. It is particularly attractive at this time of year, as the grass has not yet been cut in Nonsuch Park, so the vast parkland resembles an open meadow with long grasses and many wild flowers, such as buttercups, daisies and cow parsley. Most paid a visit at the Ye Old Red Lion Inn in Cheam for dinks and snacks.