Effingham Junction to Dorking Book 2 Walk 14 (use online version)
14.8 km, 9.2 miles
Difficulty 5/10
A Surrey Hills walk through hidden valleys, pretty woodlands, gentle pastures and the estate of
Polesden Lacey. Although we would usually finish in Westhumble, the Dorking ending is suggested today, it being less reliant on Southern trains.
Lunch: The main walk visits the
National Trust tea room at Polesden Lacey for lunch. It is accessible without paying the entrance fee. (If you do want to visit, prices are £8.50 for the gardens, £13.60 for house and garden, free for NT members. Remember though, it gets dark not long after 4.)
For a pub lunch, branch off at point [2] and follow option (a) to the
Sir Douglas Haig 01372 456886. This adds 1.2 miles onto the walk.
Tea: The Visitor centre at
Denbies Vineyard does tea and is suitable for both endings. Denbies is open till 5 in winter.
Finishing at Dorking: The
Lincoln Arms is next to
Dorking Station.
Finishing at Westhumble: Pilgrim Cycles' shop at the station has a cafe (closes at 4 but may stay open later by arrangement 01306 886958). There's also a nearby pub, the
Stepping Stones.
Trains: Get the
9:32 Guildford train from Waterloo, arriving Effingham Jct. at 10:24. Intermediate stations include Clapham Jct. 9:42, Wimbledon 9:49.
Returning from Dorking: South West trains return to Waterloo from Dorking at
xx:07. Southern trains only return as far as Clapham Junction today. There's an xx:15 and xx:45 from Dorking. The xx:15 connects at Claphan Jct. for Waterloo.
Returning from Westhumble: The same Southern trains call at 'Box Hill & Westhumble' station at xx:18 (change at Clapham Jct. for Waterloo) and xx:48 (change at Leatherhead for Waterloo).
The walk's start and finish are on divergent train lines. Your best combination is probably a return to Effingham Junction plus a single for the short hop from Dorking to Leatherhead where the lines re-join. (You could try getting waved through Dorking's ticket barrier with an Effingham return but, if it's not accepted, you risk missing your train).
Directions: Use the online version, available
here. (Access to Polesden Lacey has changed since the book, causing some route changes). There is a shorter route from Polesden Lacey to the stations on the "Alternative Afternoon" button. Saves 1.2 km. 0.8 miles.
T=2.14