15 November. The weather forecast was for heavy rain, thanks to Storm Claudia, and it had rained continuously the previous day. But we set off in light cloud with patches of blue sky and sun. We walked past Walsingham School and its new vineyards – an investment to fund bursaries Read more
This walk now has an extended route (10-11 miles) and change of train times: Victoria 09.20, Clapham Junction 09.27, East Croydon 9.40, Woldingham 9.56. (East Grinstead train.) Woldingham is one station beyond zone 6. Riddlesdown is within zone 6. Lunch. My planned lunch pub is closed for renovations. So the Read more
Train times (Dover Priory train) are slightly changed: Charing Cross 08.58, Waterloo East 09.02, London Bridge 09.07. Change Tonbridge (arr 09.54, leave 10.01). Arr Leigh 10.05 (Redhill train).The changeover at Tonbridge is a bit tight, and we have to cross the bridge from platform 3 to platform 1. The first Read more
31 July. The forecast was for thunderstorms and heavy rain, which may have deterred some from joining us. But the twelve who turned up for Barbara’s walk were rewarded with a mostly dry day (just a brief shower in the afternoon). This is a favourite walk which Barbara has led Read more
21 June. We had chosen a hot day for this walk, which normally includes three or or four of the Seven Sisters. In the morning we leave the town via the golf course, going up through ‘Paradise’ (a section of the South Downs park) and making our way through undulating Read more
This is a last-minute change of plan owing to illness and injury (our first substitution walk has now itself been substituted). Trains: Victoria 09.42, Denmark Hill 09.52, Bromley South 10.04, arr Farningham Road 10.20. (The train’s final destination is Gillingham.) Tickets are slightly complicated because Farningham Road and Otford are Read more
Train: Victoria 8.54, Clapham Junction 9.01, East Croydon 9.10, arr. Eastbourne 10.17. The weather promises to be sunny and this is a walk largely on the open downs, so please bring sun protection and water. The walk is about ten miles. We start by going slightly inland, across a golf Read more
24 May. This is one of my favourite walks. It is somehow a particularly green walk. You get immersed in the hills and meadows of the East Sussex weald. From Stonegate, ten of us made our way to Burwash for lunch, where we were joined by an intrepid eleventh who Read more
NB: TRAIN TIMES HAVE CHANGED. Because the morning is relatively short, we shall take a train one hour later than shown on the original programme. New times are: Charing Cross, 09.34; Waterloo East, 09.37; London Bridge 09.43; arr Stonegate 10. 56. Please buy a return ticket to Robertsbridge. The walk: Read more
2 November. Fourteen ramblers arrived at Kenley Station for the short, steep climb up to Riddlesdown Common. Some unusual sheep (possibly Jacob’s Sheep) are now on grass control. And large placid brown cows – quite indifferent to people walking by – could also be seen, in and out of the Read more