t=SWC.32

Length: 16km
Toughness: 2 / 10
Transport: Take the 9:25 from London Victoria, arriving in Holmwood at 10:29. Return trains are at xx:00, xx:30 and xx:34 (last one with change at Redhill) to London Victoria and xx:18 to London Bridge with change at Redhill. A day return to Holmwood should be fine.

This walk in the Low Weald of Surrey in the Mole Valley provides broad paths through gently undulating country with glimpses of the North Downs ridge to the north. In the morning the walk passes through Hammond's Copse Nature Reserve, an ancient semi-natural woodland, with a wide variety of bird-life. The lunch stop is in the attractive village of Leigh with its village green, pub and church. In the afternoon the walk crosses the Mole at Flanchford Bridge and then rises on the Greensand ridge near Reigate Priory to give extensive views of the North Downs and on a clear day the South Downs near Devil's Dyke.

Length: 16.3km (10.1 miles) according to the home page, 15.3km (9.5 miles) according to the pdf
Toughness: 2 out of 10 - very gently undulating

9.31 train from Victoria (9.37 Clapham Junction, 9.59 Sutton) to Holmwood, arriving 10.32.

A day return to Holmwood ought to be accepted on the return journey: the stop before Holmwood is Dorking and return from Dorking via Redhill is perfectly legitimate.

For walk directions click here. For GPX click here.

There are places like the North Downs, the Weald, the Greensand Ridge, and there are bits in between. This walk takes you across one of the bits in between. The North Downs are a pleasant feature on the northern skyline but you never actually walk on them. The only real hill is a ridge to the south of Reigate at the end of the walk.

Hard though it is to believe after the endless grey and cold of March, this is the time when spring really starts to spring. I have no specific information on floral delights on this walk, but this is the kind of territory where flowers ought to be popping up on verges and butterflies flitting between them, if we ever get some suitable weather.

There is one pub for lunch. It has accommodated two parties of midweek walkers without griping in the past year and a quarter, but has not been tried on a Saturday for quite a while. It has a garden if the weather is nice. If it proves booked up, all I can suggest is a (map-led) migration 2-3km to the north to the villages of Brockham and Betchworth, both of which have pubs. You could then switch to the Dorking to Reigate walk (a very pretty walk in spring, but alas too short for most SWC-ers these days): actually, this makes an interesting way to extend the walk, if 10.1/9.5 miles is too short for you.

Once in Reigate there are lots of tea options. To those listed in the walk document, I might add the very nice cafe in the park that you cross as you come into town.

Allow 15 minutes at least to walk to the station from the town centre. Trains back are at 14 past the hour direct to Victoria (38 minutes) or 19 and 34 past to London Bridge, changing at Redhill (48 mins): these London Bridge trains stop at Coulsdon South. T=3.32

Length: 16.1 km (10.0 mi)

Holmwood to Reigate

Book 3* Walk 32 * online only

Brief Description

Suggested Lunch stop

Suggested Tea stops

Map

Return train times