On a bright Saturday morning, with the promise of a coffee and toilet stop after 15 minutes, twelve Polyramblers set off from the station heading for Osterley Park. Shortly after entering the park the grand facade of the sixteenth century Osterley Park House came into view. Sadly, both the house and its tearoom were closed for filming of ‘The Crown’ but we were able to use the toilets.
Sixteen walkers turned out on the first day of autumn on a beautiful sunny day for a walk from Great Missenden. We headed west along field edges and through woodland. It was good to see the landscape so green after the prolonged dry spell but the absence of mud was also very welcome. We picked hazelnuts and the last of the blackberries and watched the red kites overhead. After a few miles we headed steeply downhill to reach our lunch stop, The Gate, in the village of Bryant’s Bottom, located, as the name suggests, at the Continue reading Saturday 1st September 2018: GREAT MISSENDEN (CIRCULAR)→
The forecast was for a cloudy day but, in the end, we had sunshine for most of the day. After a pleasant journey on HS1, 15 Polyramblers alighted in Margate. We walked along or on top of low chalk cliffs passing Fulsam Rock, Walpole Rocks and Long Nose Spit and nice beaches with beautiful sand in Palm Bay, Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay and its Castle and Joss Bay. We continued to Broadstairs – Charles Dickens’ favourite holiday spot – which was quite crowded. We saw his house and ate in his pub. Some of us also had an ice cream at Morelli’s ice cream parlour. While 6 Polyramblers decided to explore Broadstairs’ delights, 9 of us continued to Ramsgate. Danny was quite excited to arrive in Ramsgate to see the Royal Victoria Pavilion, the largest Wetherspoons pub in the world! We did not stop there; instead, we continued to the station to catch the HS1 back to London after a lovely 10 mile walk. Continue reading SUNDAY 19th: MARGATE to RAMSGATE via BROADSTAIRS (LINEAR):→
I had been on the point of cancelling this walk as, on the day, South Western Railway were offering a much reduced service on account of a dispute with their drivers. I decided to chance it and was pleased I did as the journey down and back for our group of 8 was barely affected. From Guildford we took a bus to Chilworth and then headed east through pleasant though generally dry, farmland. Turning north and east, we reached Shere, a pretty village on the river Tilling with two pubs, a cafe, an ice cream parlour, a couple of shops and some public toilets. Continue reading Saturday 4th August. Chilworth to Guildford→
After a 90 min train journey from London, 12 members assembled on the sunny concourse of Eastbourne station. I thus directed them outside across the road to the bus stop where we boarded the 12A bus to East Dean village. We started the walk from here in still sunshine but on proceeding south onto the downs beside Went Hill, the sea came into view and what seemed like a mild gale ensued! This subsided as we descended down to Birling Gap. It was noon so I asked the party whether they wanted lunch or just a coffee stop here. The vote was for coffee/cake, with a lunch at the later stop. Suitably refreshed, we all continued eastward along the South Downs Way clifftop path, passing the monument lighthouse of Belle Tout. We took lunch at the Beachy Head PH. Continue reading July 28th. East Dean to Eastbourne→
The Polytechnic Rambling Club – Walking with friends
