Heather in full blooms up and around Temple of Winds, very beautiful

can't see a 10.15 train

Thanks, amended.

This happened before, did it not, two weeks ago for the Milford to Godalming walk? You know, at my age you do start to worry about Pre Senile Dementia. So just to be sure I looked up the train times for Saturday 29 August. They show a 10.15 train. So every week SWT says the Milford train will be 10.15 and then at the last minute change their mind and make it the 9.45. Nuts!

On the other hand PSD is definitely to blame for me miscalculating the likely arrival time at the pub. What planet was I on there? I hope no one made a lunch booking based on my previous estimate.

I will now check the return train times. Sigh! It is not that I have anything better to do....

Just for the record I missed the scheduled train due to engineering works on my train line but did the whole walk on my own with a bit of help keeping on track from other walkers and horse riders. Navigation by the sun through the heather and heathland south by south west did incur a bee sting as the honey bees were very active and almost invisible. No lunch served after 2.30pm as the Three Horseshoes is a community pub and closes at 3pm! Probably can’t justify keeping a chef on any longer but it’s good to see the pub thriving and looking good. Luckily I had a baguette from Greggs purchased at the Milford petrol station on route which together with a large cappuccino cost £3.80. A bargain! Am on the 18.11 train with 3 other SWC walkers who no doubt had a nice tea in Darnleys. Sorry to miss everyone Marion

22 on this walk: 21 at the start, but one apparently ended up on a later train having missed the specified one: she did the whole walk alone and met up with others on the train home. The weather was sun and cloud: possibly a bit more sun as the day wore on. There were at least three newcomers who we hope enjoyed their day

The start of this walk is not good too much main road walking. One of our number did an alternative route that looks like it would be worth writing up. But eventually we gained the peace of the heaths. The heather here was good, though one walker reckoned a week more would bring it to its best. I was happy though. Thursley Common in particular was awash with purple and wherever the fire was in June, it was not on the bit crossed by our route.

Three of us had phoned at the start of the walk to nab the last table in the garden of the Three Horseshoes. Two of the newcomers had also booked in advance. My apologies to any others who wanted to lunch and were disappointed. I later realised that one person on the train had expressed a desire to have a pub lunch and could have joined our table. I did not think of this until too late unfortunately.

We initially felt a bit aggrieved that our table was the only one in the garden under a tree. Two weeks ago the shade would have been welcome: now a breeze made it a bit chilly. But we had the last laugh, since while we were eating there was a sharp shower the only rain of the day. The rest of the garden emptied, but with waterproof jackets and the shelter of our tree, we were able to remain at our post.

After lunch I think most took the rim route around the Devil’s Punchbowl, though one thought we had gone the wrong way and so did the original route down into the bowl. Many managed to get tea at the National Trust cafe, but when my backmarker group got there at 3.20pm it had abruptly shut due to problems with the water supply or staff fatigue or I don’t know what. This is not the first time this establishment has let me down in this fashion and to say I was most seriously displeased would not be exaggerating. My NT subscription just came out of my bank account, but I am not sure I will be renewing next year.

Anyway, I recovered, and a bunch of us pushed on to Gibbet Hill, where the view was fine but not quite sharp enough for London to be visible, except through binoculars. We got to Haslemere and the excellent Hemingways at 4.45pm, to find some other walkers at an outside table. I said to a staff member: “Are you about to close?” They said “We close at 5pm”. I said “Do we have time for a quick tea and cake?” They said “Yes, take a seat” and came directly to take our order. This is private enterprise at its finest and the kind of spirit we need to get the economy moving again. The chocolate cake was scrummy too moist, gooey and chocolatey. The pigeons appreciated the crumbs I dropped for them too (the lockdown must have been tough for them...)

Afterwards three of us joined five others (at separate tables, outside) at the Swan, where government rules were being strictly (maybe even fanatically) enforced. We had beer, wine, chips and sweet potato fries and discussed decarbonising transport from a socialist perspective. Having discovered that the train service was now only hourly, we then rushed for the 19.11 train, back to a fairly busy Waterloo. So busy that it looks like the M&S store might finally be preparing to open.... Easy, tiger...

If doing the short detour to Gibbet Hill, I recommend retracing your steps onto the very scenic Polecat Valley route as opposed to taking the long bridleway into Haslemere (ie the green line on this walk's OS map rather than the red line https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/walk/milford to haslemere/map.html). There could well be heather there also.

Another platform blocker of a group (pity any non SWC passengers getting off at Milford) 37 in all, plus one walker who got the train to Haslemere by mistake and met up with us late morning, having done the afternoon in reverse. So 38 in all. The weather was a bit of everything: quite grey at times, spots of rain, the unexpected sun. Variable sun and cloud is my term for this.

Inevitably with such a group we soon got split up, especially since this walk has remarkable amounts of wilderness an immense bracken filled wood in the morning, then Thursley Heath. We took varying routes across the latter, some bearing little relationship to the walk directions or GPX. The little group I was in went right, which was wrong, so had to bear left to find the right route which was to the right once we got on the plateau. It was that kind of day.

Was there heather? Reader, there was. Not 100% out, but certainly 80%. A very grand display. See our Facebook page for a couple of photos. The pub did not seem too busy and eight of us got our order in before the management abruptly stopped taking food orders because a wedding party of about 30, occupying about a quarter of the available seating, had to have priority. We were told they had “pre ordered” but actually half an hour later were still studying their menus. The net result was that eight of us (me being the last to squeeze my order in) got delicious, if pricey, food and everyone else gave up. I would be fascinated to know how the pub takings compared to a normal Saturday lunchtime, but with half their tables unoccupied I am guessing they were sharply down.

On through wooded holloways at one point it was like going into Hobbitland and up onto the rim of the Punchbowl. A big bunch of us managed to get tea (for some this was lunch) at the National Trust tea room before it too went into meltdown, closing early because of a water supply problem. Many then took the main route but a few of us detoured to Gibbet Hill where the view included a Red Arrows display over a distant air show and amazingly a pin sharp view of the towers of the City of London 38 miles away.

Down in Haslemere we took pity on the non lunchers and went to the White Horse, which had delicious nosh including vegan lasagne.

To add to Walker's post, the best description I head of this walk was "enchanting". And it was. For some, the Devil's Punchbowl Hotel was available for lunch and the Polecat Valley route was the cherry on the cake with it's fine display of heather and view across the sweeping valley.

I've done this one in winter before. I think it's a good choice. The stretch across Bagmoor Common in the morning may well be boggy but after that there's plenty of sandy paths.

25 at the station. A dry morning and wet windy afternoon
Despite the presence of sandy soils, there is mud a plenty on this walk in winter. Quite a tough walk with its ups and downs and long muddy bridleways. Not that I’m complaining mind, I can’t get enough of the stuff myself :( .
Anonymous was right about Bagmoor Common being boggy. I managed to step off the path into a ditch :( The welcome signs have gone, btw.
The 3 Horseshoes was OK I guess. I don’t know about the food, I wasn’t on the same table.
After lunch about half wimped out and headed for Witley. Diehards such as myself went the whole way.
I think I still prefer the descent into the Devil’s Punchbowl over the detour round the right hand side. The views would be good if it wasn’t for the trees. I wonder if a detour round to the left would work.

Sorry to hear about the mud. This is a challenging time of year to pick walks......

After a splendid lunch at The 3 Horseshoes in Thursley, 10 of us, lightweights / people who have a life outside of just walking ( delete as appropriate ) took an off piste route to Witley which reduced our total walk for the day to 15.6 km ( it didn't seem that far but so the sat nav told us and apparently The Sat Nav is the truth much as in Google is the truth. In the old days you would argue a point in the pub and it would likely never be resolved but now you check Google and that is the truth and no argument but maybe that is a discussion for another time, I will check with Google )

The morning was a bit of a route march resulting in us doing something like 6 k an hour and one of the fellow walkers quoted
We have no time to stand and stare.
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

I should have slowed and we, who wanted to, could have slowed down but the lazy gene was whispering in our ear something along the lines of 'if we keep those walkers in front in sight we won't have to find the route for ourselves' and thus we followed.
Note to self for the future let those at the front go and then relax into the walk and the lazy gene has just piped up with ‘ yes and then we can follow a slower walker ‘

But i digress in the afternoon we duly followed the person in front who did a sterling job of leading us and arrived at Witley around 5 to 3 time for refreshment but sadly there was none to be had. We could wait 15 minutes or so and catch a train to Haslemere and then catch a fast one of we could wait 40 minutes or so and catch the next stopper to Waterloo. 9 of us chose the train to Haslemere where the man at the station Pucino had his busiest session of the day whilst he served us drinks and snacks.
We then caught a fast train back to Waterloo and waved to the one who had stayed on the platform at Witley but

Woe are we Alas Alack Alarm There is no turning or going back For in the Present In the Here and Now we are and always shall be.

and she waiting on the platform did not see us

Good day out but wayyyyy tooooooooooo fst
Monsieur Whin Gin

Thanks very much to Arthur Dent and Bridie for leading us in the afternoon to Witley. Great day out plus time and energy left to enjoy London's night life!

Just to clarify it's a Book 1 walk.

Thank you, MG: corrected!

Your lunchtime stop on this walk is the Three Horse­shoes pub in Thursley (tel. 01252 703268)

25 or more showed up. (Hard to count that high, not enough fingers). cloudy start hot and sunny later. Dry underfoot. So dry on the heath that the sand was difficult to walk through. But not impossible. The heather put on a good show. 3 Horseshoes fine. Did a nice cider called Hazy Hog.

Two more latecomers arrived on this walk on the 12.15 train from Waterloo. Lovely walk with heather at its best. No walkers or people around until the pub and Devil's punchbowl. Orientation problem at Bagmoor common, found it easier to use new footpath with yellow arrow (perhaps directions need updating here). Finished with tasty dinner and good service at the Swan Inn in Haslemere.

9
cold wet dry sunny
l=lunch for 4 in the excellent Three Horseshoes pub in Thursley. Superb beer, cider, and food. Table was booked the preceding Monday. Don't try and eat your own rations at this pub, either in the back garden or in the smokers shelter at the front, otherwise you will be chased off the premises.
m=mud one man down, seriously someone turned back before lunch. In the afternoon we seemed to fragment Into 3 groups with four making it back to Haslemere station, without a stop for tea.

Two enjoyed tea and scones at the National Trust cafe.

One on a later train. A lovely walk with nice views and I will definitely do it again.