A huge group of young women walkers (close to 50, I reckon) got off the train at Haslemere, as well as 2 old geezers from the SWC. The disappointment at such a low number on a perfect walking weather day (sunny with a breeze, never too hot, fantastic far views) was balanced by the other guy being of similar pace and therefore making for a smooth walk. Gorse and bluebells were in full bloom, with the bluebells being in fine fettle in all the many bluebell woods, on grassy slopes, in private gardens and in the long holloway down from Vining Common into the Rother Valley. Best though was the 'shallow valley' between the QE I oak and the Cowdray golf course, where the bb's covered the floor to both sides (and which the bracken will take over in a few weeks). There also were a few fields in yellow, most of them mustard (I think) and only two near Cowdray rape oil seed. We passed an unimpressed peacock on the path after lunch, heard a cuckoo and a woodpecker, and had an annoying encounter with the new owner of a cottage on the Blackdown estate: the public footpath runs between his garden hedge and his outer garden and he had three barking dogs steaming towards us (while still standing outside his field gate) and then refused to make any attempt to call them in or control them. Told us we could instead follow the neighbouring house's drive (which is not a right-of-way), i.e. clearly not aware of the r-o-w legislation as it applies to his own grounds! I was not having that, obviously... Lunch at the Noah's Ark was lovely and the sandwicher joined me for a drink and after an hour in there we moved on. We got to Midhurst just after 15.30, which left ample time for a drink at The Wheatsheaf (where the final minutes of the Liverpoool derby game were playing out) and then an ice cream from Fitzcane's. 16.30 bus, 17.17 train.

5 off the train, only modest mud (for the time of year) and very low clouds , which made for some atmospheric walking, especially as - apart from dog walkers - there weren't many walkers about. An amazing stillness in most places. But no views from the top of course.

On Black Down we caught walker 6, who had taken an earlier train and then reached Lurgashall 15 minutes or so earlier than the pre-booked lunch slot. Our table was in the barn-like main room, which is a very nice place. One of the 2 picnickers joined us for a drink, but the other one walked on.

On then, just after 14.00 hours, with more low clouds/fog and some slightly more serious mud on the ascent up Bexleyhill common, and then we found the bridleway down Hoe Hill 'closed' (18 Dec for 6 months) due to a 'collapsed culvert'. That was a bit of a non-event, as the remaining path over the culvert was still wide enough for two or more walkers (but maybe not sturdy enough to support a horse?). Walker 6 was caught again just by the Cowdray Cafe and we had well enough time for a stop there before taking the 17.05 bus.

This being my last walk of 2024, I highlight a quirky/funny incident that happened. At a kissing gate we were joined by two extra walkers of the 🐑 variant. It seemed they were patiently waiting for any human walkers. Despite one walkers best efforts the 🐑 were defiant. Not seeing a way to climb any fences the group decided to let the 🐑 through into the next field. A delicate task ( not crushing the 🐑 between the gates) but we managed. Once through the gates it was clear the 🐑 were in the right place scampering but obviously they had lost their usual entry point. Overall a pleasant walk to end another year with SWC. Thanks

All trains delayed or cancelled out of Waterloo. Person hit by train apparently. Let's meet on the concourse and decide what to do.

Where are you meeting? I am at the station.

In front of platform 12

Hoofing it to Paddington to join the other sec walk

8 of us did that

Table for 4 booked for 13.30 at the 3 Horseshoes, but all seats now allocated.

Sunny with only a few fluffy clouds it was, warm but never hot, and with a refreshing breeze almost all the time, in short: perfect walking weather. There were also fine far views from the tops, for example as far as the easterly end of the South Downs and a distant hill chain beyond Leith Hill, no doubt the North Downs (this from The Temple of the Winds). The paths were dry, the company very nice, there were enormous numbers of buttercups, many fine rhododendron and thorn bushes in full bloom and some by now rather sad looking bluebells. The SWC butterfly spotter2 reported seeing green hairstreak, lots of speckled wood and small copper varieties, plus a lesser stag beetle or two.

14 walkers assembled outside Haslemere Station, with 3 immediately going their own way: 2 finding some way (did it involve a taxi, perchance?) towards Black Down and the Temple of the Winds and then returned to H'mere via the Serpent Trail, not liking the sound of the 2 hourly bus service from Midhurst today. 1 other went her very own way, as she often does.

The rest raced ahead, mainly led by the walking runner and the fittest of the Old Guard walkers, so much so that the local-ish 15th walker that arrived 10 minutes late for the start, took until after Black Down to catch up with us. On the descent from Black Down, we passed our trusted man from Siebeneichen (aka butterfly spotter2) who walked up the hill, to then go back down the hill (as you do). His car and partner were near Fernhurst, and they did some/most of the route and he then walked back to their car to pick her up (or some such), ie 17.

Most of this lot (minus the 3 early individualists) ate at The Three Horseshoes in Lickfold, with the outdoor eaters muscling in their way at the bar immediately and ordering quickly, while the indoor eaters with a booking patiently waited for table service which took a while to arrive (and then non-delivered some of the order) and consequently got their food much later. The group therefore split, with the early leavers later catching the 16.35 bus and the 4 others the 18.35.

Group 1 inadvertendly picked up a dog en route which had decided to follow them, and - having eventually called the number on the dog tag - had the owner meet them near Cowdray's Polo Fields to pick up the dog. They (or some of them) had time for a tea at the Cowdray Cafe and/or a drink at The Wheatsheaf.

Group 2 got into a long chat en route with a dog walker who was into Real Tennis and travelled to the French Basque Country for it a lot, then reached the Cowdray Cafe just before last orders, had a drink at The Swan, then another one at The Wheatsheaf, admired (if that is the word) the destroyed buildings on the High Street after the massive fire a few months ago (no through-traffic through Midhurst at the mo as the road is closed due to the danger of The Angel Inn's facade collapsing onto the High Street).

Both groups made the xx.01 trains, 2 hours apart.

sunny with a breeze

p.s.: I know and appreciate that this is not a site for political comments, BUT...both groups had sub-standard experiences at the lunch pub and the cafe later on, with disinterested looking and disorganised staff (of mainly secondary school age) being slow, mucking up orders, serving substandard tea or coffee, plus non-delivering some of the orders (and the food wasn't that great anyway). Where have all the well-trained and proud-to-serve-and-be-competent staff gone? Surely that is one price we are all paying for B****t?

2 on this walk, a predictably low attendance, what with a forecast of 90+% precipitation risk all day AND a less frequent and longer than normal train journey.

In reality we encountered continuous rain and sideways at that on the tops until lunch then principally dry weather.

Consequently, we did encounter more dog walkers than walkers, but also less mud than feared. Possibly as the mud was difficult to spot under all the standing water and the inpromptu streams running down paths and across roads?

We had a lovely and extended lunch in Lurgashall at The Noah's Ark, which gave us time to contemplate our options. And as the bus from Midhurst always misses the half past the hour train at Haslemere anyway, and today the trains were only running an hourly service, we walked back to Haslemere rather than on to Midhurst, but on a different route than outbound: staying east of Black Down, via Roundhurst and then along the Serpent Trail into town. That way we made the 17.28 with time to spare, which we would have otherwise missed.

Hi all, new here and would like to join the group for the walk on the 6/11. Anyone going from London that I can pair-up with?

Jeannette

Hi all, new here and would like to join the group for the walk on the 6/11. Anyone going from London that I can pair-up with?

Jeannette

Hi Jeanette,

Most everyone on this walk will be coming from London, but we only ever meet up on the platform at the walk's start, i.e.: in Haslemere. See you there

Okay, I see. Thanks for letting me know, Thomas.

Jeannette

If you don't have a Network Card, Jeanette, look it up. May be useful to you.

earlier train needed if travelling from Clapham J, due to a train cancellation following the Salisbury accident!

There were at least two other groups assembling at the station, but - I think - we extracted all SWCers from the melee.

14 we had off the train, incl. 4 first-timers (3+1) in initially overcast weather. 1 car driver had trouble parking the car and was always behind us until she caught up at the lunch pub.

Plenty of signs of autumn about, from turned leaves and stacks of leaves on the ground to masses of mushrooms in many places. On Black Down we overtook a solo walker with the SWC walk directions in hand. We got chatting to him for amost of the way to the Temple of the Winds: one of the many serial downloaders that use our walks. He had booked a table at The Lickfold Inn though, while all of us walked via Lurgashall. The booked table there for 4 had been amended to 8 by phone, and in the end 10 of us had some meal or drink in the most lavish heated garden tent of any pub. Nice food as well, and staff fully up to the job at hand. They still exist: good pubs, competently run.

The afternoon featured plenty of sunny breaks, but mostly it was still overcast.

The picnicking 5 got the 16.05 bus, us multi-course lunchers descended into Midhurst with the sunset just starting, just in time for the 17.05 bus.

The connecting train was just missed, as it ususally is, so we went to the Steakhouse opposite (the ex-Station Inn) for a drink.

The solo walker had been on the same bus back, and reported that he was a bit disappointed by the food at the Lickfold, so maybe it's going the way of many other pubs: slowly downhill...

15 overcast with some sunny breaks

1 off the train in light showers clearing to bright sunshine . I took the long morning route to the Temple viewpoint and returned to Haslemere via the shorter route to avoid the forecast late afternoon rain. Joe.

25 walkers off the trains, fast and slow, in warm and sunny weather, with a haze, afflicting the far views. 3 took a taxi up to Black Down, 2 car drivers were met on Black Down and continued with the group. So 27 in all.

Most seemed to walk via Lurgashall where we had only one small table booked, but plenty people found space outside anyway. Just as well as the pub stopped taking food orders after a while as they were busy with 2 large parties. The village shop was frequented by latecomers. Some muddy stretches are left in the woods, two woods either side of Lurgashall were in full bluebell carpet display, the shallow bluebell valley just before Cowdray golf club though needs a few more days.

A cuckoo was heard near Bexley Hill, a snake was spotted on the descent from Hoe Hill. No Polo was played today.

4 o'clock bus for some, tea or drink in Midhurst for others.

Worth recording the fruit cake in the Cowdray Farm Cafe was considered to be the best fruit cake ever, well as far as we could remember, the best fruit cake ever.

We spotted three deer bounding across the heath in the afternoon. Or was that just the effects of the pre-lunch gin tasting at the Blackdown Distillery kicking in? If you like gin/vermouth/fruity liquers, it is well worth checking out ***hiccup***

8 walkers and a by now familiar well-behaved dog on the platform, with the walk poster a train behind, so 9 in total, but 1 went off in her very own direction immediately, never to be seen again, so 8.

2 walkers took a taxi from the station to a car park up on Black Down, and the laggard had caught the rest of the group at the Temple of the Winds, only to dash ahead to check his write-up for the new bit via Lickfold.

The taxi-crew had reached the Lickfold Inn first, but had patiently waited for the rest to turn up before venturing inside. Then, with some trepidation, we asked to see the menus and had a decision to make: tapas-type menu (ground floor only) or a la carte/set lunch (upstairs only). 5 went upstairs for one of the most eagerly awaited lunch experiences in SWC history.

We left after 2 1/2 hours in the Inn.

In the meantime a heavy shower had been and gone, so we experienced some mud in the arvo, but stayed dry under at times heavy skies , although the tapas-type eater and the sandwichers most certainly got soaked.

Got to Midhurst 10 minutes before the next bus was due, so took the shortcut to the bus station rather than looping through town. 18.32 train.

Great day out. Great walk. Phantastic lunch. Excellent value-for-money wine. Superb company.

One walker did her own version of The Temp;e of the Winds walk and had lunch in Lurgasall .

This walk ends in Petworth. Rain and rainbows and sunshine but very nice jfk

Lickford Inn sounds fantastic, I am hungry already. Any chance of this walk being featured on one of Saturdays for those desk slaves?

Intend going.

You gotta love it when the weather turns out as forecast. In principle.

But when the forecast for the area you are walking in says: continuous rain from morning to late afternoon , you kinda hope that it won't be true, as it often is. Unfortunately it was today. Not a walk for fairweather walkers then, so only 7 (fool)hardy people congregated at Haslemere, immediately donning what waterproofs they had, as what looked like mild drizzle from the train window was actually a fair chuck-down.

The bad thing about heavy rain is: there will be muddy paths. Cue: some muddy paths.

The good thing about heavy rain is: there are no views from the tops. Cue: no delays for admiring this and that far view, also no unnecessary stops for chat or Brexit-talk, just fast walking.

So we arrived at the lunch pub a good 50 minutes before the booked time (!), before creating puddles of rain water on their floor, while enjoying a high quality, convivial lunch.

We were also treated to the sight of a walker donning her puffa-jacket as a skirt, while her (non-waterproof) troosers were deemed to dry out, hanging over the back of a chair (they didn't).

On then to Midhurst, where the front runners arrived at 16.00, well in time for Cream Tea at the Cowdray Cafe (with disappointingly small allocations of cream and jam, one opines). We did also pop into the wine tasting shed (and bought a desert wine from Worcestershire, who would've thunk?).

One more drink at the Angel Inn, then the 18.00 bus.

...and a long delay en route to H'mere, as there had been an accident (an overturned car in a bend of the road), resulting in a temporary road closure. That's the small annoyance of a very wet walk put into some proper perspective, there and then...