This Week's Walks

Last Minute Changes

2012-12-31T09:00:00.027Z

Sunset this weekend (25/2) is at 5.33pm, giving light for walking until about 6pm.

We have a twitter tag, it's #saturdaywalkers If something goes wrong on a walk (and you have a smart phone), you can use it to let people know what's happening, e.g. "Henley Walk. Missed connection at Twyford, we're 1 hour late #saturdaywalkers".

Campaigns : Stop HS2 in the Chilterns, On-land Windfarms and Oil drilling ("fracking") near Balcome. See announcements for more.

Walk and Swim Sardinia

2012-09-23T13:50:00.000+01:00

Guided walking holiday in Sardinia in late September 2012.

To go we need a minimum of 5.

All info on Website

http://shepherdswalks.skedaddle.co.uk/holiday/Shepherds_Walks_Holidays/Sardinia_Shepherds_Walk/417/view.rails

You can download the Tour Dossier which I hope will answer any remaining questions.

Fully bonded operator.

Any questions ask Alison direct at Shepherds.

Alison can move the holiday a day or two forward if it helps to get better flight deals. Flights are not included, purchased independently from Easyjet.

Finistère: The Path of the Lighthouses

2012-03-30T12:00:00.000+01:00

This is an almost entirely coastal walk around the North West tip of France from Morlaix to Brest.

Departing Plymouth on Friday 30th March on the overnight ferry to Roscoff, returning on the afternoon of Tuesday 10th April (after the Easter weekend). The return fare by ferry is £129 including outward cabin for one person, or £219 for two.

Eleven days of walking, between 16 and 33km per day (with opportunities to catch the bus on most days). The going is not as hard as the South West Way. Full information on the first two days' walking can be seen here. Staying at small hotels, B&Bs and private hostels.

If interested contact Mike Powell at powell_michaelc AT sky DOT com by Friday 16th December latest.

Royal Manuscripts - The Genius of Illumination at the British Library

2012-03-13T18:00:00.008Z

Come and see this fascinating exhibition at the British Library. To book, please click here and book the 18:00 time slot. Adult tickets are £9, but if you come by National Rail there is a 2 for 1 offer (www.daysoutguide.co.uk/exhibitions-Events). You can also receive £2 off by choosing promo ticket type (£7) and typing in 'WSroyal' when prompt. Meet at the entrance to the exhibition at 6pm. Post exhibition F & B will be posted in due course.

Discover the British Library’s unique collection of medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts. Collected by the kings and queens of England over 800 years these treasures are outstanding examples of the decorative and figurative painting of the era. Together they are our most vivid source for understanding royal identity, moral and religious beliefs, learning, faith artistic trends and the international politics of the period.

Find out more from the BBC Four series Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings (started 9 Jan 2012).

A night at museum - Tate Britain

2012-03-02T18:30:00.014Z

Come and join us for a night out at Tate Britain. Apart from regular exhibitions (free), we plan to visit a special exhibition "Picasso and Modern British Art" tonight. Advance booking is recommended to avoid sold out on the night. To Book, please click here and book the 6:30pm slot. I have found a 2 for 1 offer by national rail. You can call the box office to book this offer but you need to present your rail tickets and voucher when you collect the tickets on the day from the box office: +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (menu number 1). http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/exhibitions-events

We will also have the opportunity to see three ballets commissioned by English National Ballet especially for the Picasso exhibition during the night (free) in the Duveen Gallery. Four repeat performances at 6:30, 7:15, 8:00 and 8:45pm, each lasting 20 mins (first come first serve). For those attending Picasso exhibition at 6:30pm, I recommend 8pm slot.

Meet outside the entrance to Picasso exhibition at 6:15pm. Post exhibition food and drink will be held at the Jugged Hare (10-15mins walk from Tate) on 172 Vauxhall Bridge Road, Victoria, SW1V 1DX. Tel: 020 7828 1543. Food served till 10pm. I have booked a table for 16 on the first floor at 8:45pm.

Sunday first walk

2012-02-26T12:00:00.000Z

Book 1 Walk 22 – Haslemere Circular
Length: 14km (8.7 miles). Toughness: 4/10

10:00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (Clapham Junction 10:09) arriving Haslemere at 11:06.

Return trains from Haslemere to Waterloo are at xx:17 and xx:42 (journey time 1 hour).

A fine walk through woodlands and heathlands on the Surrey/Sussex border, with an afternoon crossing of Black Down, the highest point in Sussex. If visibility is good, a short detour to the panoramic view from the Temple of the Winds is recommended. Haslemere walks are renowned for the high quality of their mud, and this one is unlikely to disappoint, though the worst sections can be avoided. The suggested lunch stop is The Red Lion (01428 643112) at Fernhurst. For a tea stop in Haslemere, you need look no further than the rival establishments Darnleys and Hemingways which stand opposite one another in the High Street.

The walk directions and further information can be found on the Walk 22 page and there’s plenty of usefulFeedback too. But for the map you'll need to bring Book 1.

Third walk

2012-02-25T14:00:00.000Z

Extra Walk 107 : Ash to Brookwood
Take the 10:15 train from London Waterloo, changing at Guildford (arr:10:50, dep.11:00) for Ash. Return trains (direct) from Brookwood xx:23, xx:53. For a faster journey time (00:36 vs. 00:43) catch the xx:16 and xx:46 and change at Woking.

Saturday second walk

2012-02-25T11:00:00.007Z

Extra/Free Walk 40 - East Grinstead Circular
Length: 15.1km (9.4 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

10.23 train from Victoria (10.28 Clapham Junction, 10.39 East Croydon) to East Grinstead, arrive 11.17.

Trains back are at 07 and 37 past till late.

To print off directions click here

Last time this walk had an outing, the group encountered the one and only atrociously muddy section on it - a 100 metre fenced-in path just beyond the dam of Weir Wood Reservoir about two thirds of the way through the morning - and got in such a panic about it that they scrapped the whole afternoon of the walk and walked back along the old railway line. Let it be said clearly, then, that this is not a particular muddy walk and in fact has a fine, relatively mud-free afternoon that climbs into high hilly country and has a long section on gravel tracks with fine views. It is in fact in my humble opinion an excellent winter walk, which was the purpose it was devised for.

Lunch is usually taken at the Chequers Hotel, a dingy but perfectly serviceable pub in Forest Row that usually accommodates our groups with grace and ease, though there are other options in the town. For tea you are spoilt for choice in East Grinstead. The independent establishments have a habit of changing their names and formats, but there should be some kind of tea outlet in each of the places mentioned, and I doubt Cafe Nero or Costa Coffee have moved on. I dimly remember some walkers reporting a nice place in the long road leading to the station, but I have not checked this.

Saturday First Walk

2012-02-25T07:00:00.000Z

Book 2 Walk 04 Chesham to Great Missenden
Length: 15.5km (9.6 miles)

Toughness: 3 out of 10

OS LandRanger Map No. 165. OS Explorer Map No. 181

There is an option to reduce the length of this walk by 6km to 9.6km (6 miles) by following the standard walk directions given until [5]. Then follow the Shortened route directions and then pick up the standard walk directions at [9]. This will mean that you miss the recommended lunch stop but then you can have lunch in Great Missenden at the end before the train home.

Take the Metropolitan Underground train 9.45 am from Baker Street underground station to Chesham arriving at 10.43.
Trains back from Great Missenden to London Marylebone run at xx.19 and xx.49
If travelling by underground to Baker Street it is recommended that you buy a Travelcard Zones 1-9 which will cover your complete days travel with the exception of a single ticket from Great Missenden to Amersham (zone 9) for the return journey.

This walk makes for an easy day out from London. It starts in Chesham, the hustle and bustle of which is soon left behind for sloping fields, woods and hamlets. The route follows the Chilterns Link, but diverts at Herberts Hole (what a cracking name) to take a higher southerly path. It then picks up the Chilterns Link again through to Ballinger Bottom and Lee Common, and so to lunch in the charming village called The Lee. From lunch the walk continues on a gently undulating course, before a gentle climb through woods up to Frith Hill and down a steep descent into Great Missenden.

Standard walk The suggested lunchtime stop is the Cock and Rabbit Inn (tel 01494 837540, http://www.graziemille.co.uk/), The Lee, 8 km from the start of the walk, which serves fine Italian home cooked food from 12 to 2pm daily.
You can picnic near the Cock and Rabbit on Lee Green or virtually anywhere along the route would be a good picnic spot.

The suggested tea place is the Cross Keys (tel 01494 865373) pub which offers tea and coffee. It is open daily.
Alternatively there is the Café Twit.

Background to the walk here