Hindhead and the Devil's Punchbowl, Surrey
Date: Saturday 23rd October
Description: From Haslemere our walk will make a long climb to the summit of the Devil's Punchbowl, a large amphitheatre of dry sandy heath and the 894 foot high Gibbet Hill, the second highest hill in Surrey. This hill got its name after three men were hanged there in 1786 for murdering a sailor. After lunch we descend into the Punchbowl and then climb up to Gibbet Hill before returning to Haslemere by another route.
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 950 feet
Lunch: at pub after 4 miles
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 133
Meet: 0900 near the Burger King on the main concourse of London Waterloo Railway Station
Depart: 0930
Arrive: Haslemere 1030
Depart: Haslemere 1615
Arrive: London Waterloo 1713
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed £17.30 and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 20th October
East Grinstead via Brambletye, Sussex
This walk is organized in association with the Canadian Women's Club but everyone is welcome
Date: Thursday 18th Novemer
Description: East Grinstead’s, High Street still retains many attractive half-timbered houses as well as Sackville College a collection of almshouses founded in 1609. We follow a disused railway track and then turn off to make our way through an intricate pattern of fields and small woods. After lunch at a pub in Ashurst Wood, we pass the striking ruins of Brambletye House, built in 1631 but abandoned fifty years later, whose mysterious history was the subject of some nineteenth- century novels. We make our way to Weir Wood Reservoir where we can straddle the Prime Meridian. We then turn north and shortly return to East Grinstead Station.
Distance: 9 miles.
Cumulative ascent: 400 feet. There are no significant hills.
Lunch: at pub after 5 miles.
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 135
Meet: 0915 near the Swatch kiosk adjacent to platform 7 on the main concourse of London Victoria Railway Station
Depart: 0953
Arrive: East Grinstead 1047
Depart: East Grinstead 1607
Arrive: London Victoria 1705
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed £11.90 and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 15th November
Great Missenden to Wendover via The Lee, Buckinghamshire
Date: Saturday 27th November
Description: Great Missenden to Wendover.
We start by walking through the lovely village of Great Missenden to the churchyard, where the famous children's author Roald Dahl is buried, and from where we can catch a glimpse of the gothic mansion of Missenden Abbey. Then follows a short climb through fields after which the path levels out and we walk through the hamlets of Hyde End, South Heath and Ballinger Common to The Lee. After lunch we descend through woods to the charming old town of Wendover where we catch the train to return to London
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 330 feet
Lunch: after 5 miles at a pub, run by Italians, that serves excellent food
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 181
Meet: 0900 under the departure monitors on the main concourse of London Marylebone Railway Station
Depart: 0927
Arrive: Great Missenden 1009
Depart: Wendover 1610
Arrive: London Marylebone 1705
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed £16.20 and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 23rd November
Windsor Great Park & Runnymede, Berkshire
This walk is organized in association with the Canadian Women's Club but everyone is welcome
Date: 9th December
Description: An easy walk that starts by exploring the woods and lakes of Windsor Park and see several monuments including a colossal statue of George III which, when it rains, makes him appear to be weeping for his lost American colonies. We then visit Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed by a reluctant King John in 1215 and which is claimed to be the foundation of British, Canadian and American liberties. You are actually on American soil here because three acres were given to the United States as the British tribute to President Kennedy. Nearby, is the imposing monument to those 20,455 airmen of the British Empire who gave their lives in the Second World War and have no known grave.
Distance: 10 miles
Cumulative ascent: 530 feet
Lunch:at a pub after 5 miles.
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 160
Meet: 0920 near the Burger King on the main concourse of London Waterloo Railway Station
Depart: 0950
Arrive: Egham 1027
Depart: Egham 1623
Arrive: London Waterloo 1704
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed £9.30 and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 6th December
Tring & Wigginton, Hertfordshire
Date: Saturday, 11th December
Description: We start off by walking along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal and then branch off to climb the only significant hill on the route. We descend to Wigginton Bottom and then walk through fields and woods to the delightful village of Cholesbury which is built around a large common. After lunch we shall look at the windmill and then walk through a prehistoric fort that dates from the Iron Age and is so large that the parish church lies within its ramparts. We then walk through woods and cross the clearly visible Grim's Ditch which is believed to be an Iron Age territorial boundary. We then pick up a section of the Ridgeway Path, a national trail, that will take us through the outskirts of Wigginton and then descends to Tring Station
Distance: 9,5 miles
Cumulative ascent: 280 feet
Lunch: at a nice pub after 5 miles
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 181
Meet: 0855 near the ticket office on the main concourse of London Euston Railway Station
Depart: 0924
Arrive: Tring 1000
Depart: Tring 1626
Arrive: London Euston 1708
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed £13.30 and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 8th December
2011
Berkhamsted & Aldbury; a snowdrop walk in Hertfordshire
This walk is organized in association with the Canadian Women's Club but everyone is welcome
Date: Thursday 20th January
Description: The first couple of miles or so follow the towpath of the Grand Union Canal which has some interesting locks. We then make our way across fields to the delightful village of Aldbury which has a village pond, green and mediaeval stocks and where we have lunch. The rest of the walk is through the woods of the Ashridge Estate, once owned by the Dukes of Bridgewater, where we should see a fine display of snowdrops. before we descend through fields to pass the splendid ruins of Berkhamsted Castle that was once owned by the Black Prince.
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 510 feet
Lunch: after 5.5 miles at a charming pub that serves excellent food.
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 181
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch
Closing date for applications: 17th January
Sevenoaks and Knole, Kent
Date: Saturday 29th January
Description: This is a particularly interesting and attractive walk. After walking through Sevenoaks we enter the extensive deer park of Knole which is one of the grandest of Elizabethan mansions and the home of the Sackvilles for several centuries. We then climb onto the North Downs and follow a ridge that gives extensive views over the Weald of Kent to the South Downs. Our route then descends to Ightham (pronounced Itam) Mote which is a wonderfully preserved moated manor house dating from 1340. After lunch we pass through orchards and hop fields to cross Knole Park again and return to the station.
Distance: 10 miles
Cumulative ascent: 700 feet in a series of short undulations.
Lunch: at a pleasant pub after 6 miles
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 147
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
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Depart: TBA
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Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 26th January
Saunderton & West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
This walk is organized in association with the Canadian Women's Club but everyone is welcome
Date: Thursday 17th February
Description: A lovely walk through the beech woods of the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Shortly after leaving Saunderton station we climb through woods and then descend to the tiny village of Bradenham whose manor house once belonged to Isaac Disraeli who was the father of Benjamin the great Victorian prime minister. We climb up through woods from where we get a distant prospect of the golden dome of West Wycombe House which was built by Sir Francis Dashwood the notorious eighteenth century rake who founded the Dilettanti Society and the Hellfire Club and then descend to the charming old village of West Wycombe, now owned by the National Trust. In the afternoon we make one last climb and then follow a level ridge to return to the station.
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 1020 feet in a series of six short, steep hills
Lunch: after 5.5 miles at an atmospheric pub
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 172
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 14th February
Marlow & the River Thames, Buckinghamshire
Date: Saturday 19th February
Description: This is an easy walk that gives extensive views of the Thames Valley. It is a pleasant stroll through the attractive old town of Marlow to the banks of the river Thames which is followed until lunchtime. there is then a climb and the rest of the walk is through woodland until the path descends to Marlow.
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 320 feet. There are two short, steep hills
Lunch: at a peasant pub after 5 miles
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 172
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
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Depart: TBA
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Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 16th February
Farnham to Guildford, Surrey
Date: Saturday 5th March
Description: From Farnham Station we follow the river Wey for a mile or so and then follows a meandering route along tracks and paths through fields and woods to Puttenham. We then cross a sandy heath, pass under the A3 and enter more open country to reach the ruins of St Catherine's Chapel and the river Wey Navigation which we follow into the centre of Guildford.
Distance: 10.5 miles
Cumulative ascent: 470 feet in a series of gentle undulations
Lunch: at a pub after 7 miles (bring trail snacks because we shall be eating at about 1330)
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 145
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
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Depart: TBA
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Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 2nd March
Henley & Hambleden, Oxfordshire
This walk is organized in association with the Canadian Women's Club but everyone is welcome
Date: Thursday 31st March
Description: We cross the river Thames on an elegant eighteenth-century bridge and then follow a riverside path to a weir at Hambleden Mill. We then walk through fields to the charming village of Hambleden where we have lunch. Then follows a short, steep climb through woods to the village of Fawley. From here is is gentle descent to Henley giving lovely views over the Thames Valley.
Distance: 10 miles
Cumulative ascent: 400 feet
Lunch: after 4.5 miles at a delightful traditional old pub
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 171
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
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Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 28th March
Great Missenden to Wendover via Butlers Cross; a bluebeell walk in Buckinghamshire
This walk is organized in association with the Canadian Women's Club but everyone is welcome
Date: 28th April
Description: The end of April is usually the best time to see the wonderful display of bluebells in the woods of the Chiltern Hills and the route we shall take passes through some of the finest bluebell woods in the country. After lunch we shall see Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister and then walk to the summit of Coombe Hill from where we shall get striking views over the Vale of Aylesbury before descending to Butlers Cross and Wendover from where we shall return to London.
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 705 feet
Lunch: at a pub after 6 miles
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 181
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
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Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 25th April
Great Missenden to Wendover via Butlers Cross; a bluebeell walk in Buckinghamshire
Date: 30th April
Description: The end of April is usually the best time to see the wonderful display of bluebells in the woods of the Chiltern Hills and the route we shall take passes through some of the finest bluebell woods in the country. After lunch we shall see Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister and then walk to the summit of Coombe Hill from where we shall get striking views over the Vale of Aylesbury before descending to Butlers Cross and Wendover from where we shall return to London.
Distance: 9 miles
Cumulative ascent: 705 feet
Lunch: at a pub after 6 miles
Bathroom facilities: normally available on the train, at the station and at the pub
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 181
Meet: TBA
Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Depart: TBA
Arrive: TBA
Cost: £10.00 per person (£5.00 for students) excluding rail fare excluding rail fare (which will not exceed TBA and is likely to be considerably less) and lunch.
Closing date for applications: 27th April