Knockholt to Hayes

Length: 16km (9.9 miles) Toughness: 4 out of 10

09:58 Sevenoaks train from Victoria, calling at several stops in south-east London including Bromley South (10:26), to arrive at Knockholt at 10:45.
If you just miss that train, or if you don’t mind taking a chance, you could catch the 10:13 Ramsgate train from Victoria, changing at Orpington (arr 10:36, dep 10:40) on to the slower service above.

Return trains from Hayes to Cannon Street are at xx:02 and xx:32 (journey time 41 minutes). Change at Lewisham for Waterloo East and Charing Cross.

Both stations are within London Travelcard Zone 6

This is a fine rural walk through fields, woods and valleys in London’s ‘Green Belt’, with an opportunity to visit Charles Darwin’s home, Down House (English Heritage) in the afternoon. If you choose to do this, you will probably run out of daylight to complete the walk but could catch a 146 bus from Downe Church to Bromley South station, leaving at 20 minutes past each hour (journey time 18 minutes).

Today’s walk reverses the familiar Hayes to Knockholt walk for several reasons:
a) Instead of finishing with the same 4km as the Knockholt Circular ending, this walk reverses that stretch to give a new feel to it.
b) There are no tea places near Knockholt station, whereas Hayes offers several options.
c) The recommended lunchtime pub in Cudham comes slightly earlier in the walk.
d) Those wishing to visit Down House can do the bulk of the walk before breaking off and then have an easy onward bus journey available.

The recommended lunchtime stop is the Blacksmith’s Arms in Cudham (01959 572678), though you could carry on for another 30 minutes to the Queen’s Head or the George and Dragon in Downe.

For the moment, the link to the Walk Directions takes you to the original Hayes to Knockholt version of the walk. It is hoped to get the reversed directions up here by Sunday, but even if that isn’t possible, the walk’s author will be there to ensure that no-one goes wrong while following the existing directions backwards.
T=swc.82

Hayes to Knockholt (SWC Walk 82)
Length: 16km (10 miles)

9.47 train from Charing Cross (9.50 Waterloo East, 9.55 London Bridge) to Hayes, arriving 10.33

Your journey today is entirely within zone 6, so use Oyster.

For walk directions click here. For GPX file click here.

You get straight out into the woods on this walk, and throughout the walk there are lots of different woody bits. So you should get exposed to lots of different species of trees, some of which will hopefully be showing their maximum tint by now.

Lunch is either at one of two pubs in Downe after 7km (4.3 miles) or at Cudham after 9.5km (5.9 miles).

(If you are minded to visit Down House, home of Charles Darwin after lunch, it is open until 4pm today, costs £11.80 (free to English Heritage members) and there is a handy 146 bus at 20 past the hour till late from Downe Church to Hayes and Bromley South)

It is worth doing as much as possible of the walk before lunch so as to get to the tea stop in time - the very lovely self-service coffee shop at Coolings Nursery, which has wonderful cakes and is worth pushing through all the acres of pot plants and garden implements to get to. It is 4km (2.4 miles) beyond Cudham and shuts at 4.45pm today, but useable daylight will have run out by that time, so you will want to be on your way well before that anyway.

Time your arrival at Knockholt station carefully, as it is a charmless place to wait, with little shelter and no refreshments. It is 2.5km from the nursery to the end of the walk, or about 40 minutes walk, and trains go at 12 and 42 past (the 4.42 will be the last one in anything resembling daylight).

Don't forget to tap in for the return journey. T=3.82

SWC Walk 82 – Hayes to Knockholt

Length: 16km (9.9 miles) Toughness: 4 out of 10

10:15 Hayes train from Charing Cross arriving Hayes at 10:59.

Return trains from Knockholt to Charing Cross, changing at Orpington, are at xx:28 and xx:58 (journey time 51 minutes).

Both stations are within London Travelcard Zone 6

This is a fine rural walk through fields, woods and valleys in London’s ‘Green Belt’, with an opportunity to visit Charles Darwin’s home.

The recommended lunchtime stop is the Blacksmith’s Arms in Cudham (01959 572678), though an earlier stop at the Queen’s Head or the George and Dragon in Downe is also possible. The suggested tea place is Arthur’s Coffee Shop in Coolings Nurseries, 2.5 km from the end of the walk.

You will need to download the Walk Directions.

SWC walk 82 - Hayes to Knockholt
Length: 16km (10 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

9.47 train from Charing Cross (9.50 Waterloo East) to Hayes (Kent), arriving 10.26

Tickets: Hayes is in London Transport zone 5 and Knockholt in zone 6, so use Oyster.

For walk directions click here.

It seems to be my week* for picking walks with different train lines out and back (see First Walk above), but in this case it is no hassle as both trains are within the LT travelcard/Oyster boundary.

As with the First Walk, multiplicity of lunch pubs was also a draw, just in case there is a spillover effect from Mother's Day tomorrow. On this walk Downe has two while Cudham has another. If you see someone that looks like Nigel Farage in the Queen's Head in Downe, don't get him talking about Europe, because it probably will be Nigel Farage. (See photos)

These factors apart, this is a proper little country walk on the southern fringes of London (or the northern fringes of the North Downs, if you prefer), with a nice mix of scenery. I offer no opinions on the mud quotient, but isn't the underlying soil here chalk?

If you can get to it in time (it closes at 4.45pm), it is worth making the effort to divert into Coolings Garden Centre towards the end of the walk to sample their wonderful self-service cafe, which has excellent cakes. If not the Rose and Crown pub usually puts up with our strange walkery ways. Note that it is 2km - 40 minutes walk or so - from here to Knockholt station, in whose environs there is no comfort, refreshment or relief of any kind. But it is light these days till 6.15pm or so.

Trains back from Knockholt are at 14 and 44 past. ***DON'T FORGET to TAP IN **** (easy to do, as there are no barriers)

* Stargazer is away.