Remarkably, 17 brave souls and 1 dog turned out on a wet day for a walk from Woldingham with an absolute guarantee of mud. I had altered the morning route to avoid some of the worst of it, and this involved some lane walking. At the North Downs Way viewpoint, high above the M25, we encountered an even larger group from the Southbank Ramblers who were doing a similar walk and stopping in the same pub. We sped on and arrived before them, only to find that they were short staffed in the kitchen and some dishes arrived late. However, well refreshed, we set off again in rain that was by now heavier, with only 1 member opting for the bus. Continue reading Saturday 3rd February. Woldingham to Oxted →

Another fine autumn walk enjoyed by 8 Polyramblers on a day which remained mild and misty, with only the odd spot of rain. At Box Hill and West Humble station, there was a very large walking party assembling but we set off and never saw them again. We walked through Denbies vineyard and up onto Ranmore Common with great views over Dorking and Box Hill. The trees were a glorious colour and we had a carpet of autumn leaves underfoot. Dropping down into the valley, we passed Milton Court, a Grade II listed 17thC house, now the UK HQ of an American company called Unum which offers insurance products to employers. Clearly a profitable business! Continue reading Saturday 18th November, Boxhill to Dorking →

Twelve Polyramblers braved the drizzle, coming from near and far to meet on the edge of Epping Forest.  We were lucky with the weather. The drizzle dried up and we even had some sunshine later in the day. We kept gasping at the stunning autumn colours as we puffed up and down the promised undulations! I didn’t see any sloes and only a few bracket fungi and one cluster of possible false death caps (?) but we decided the other fungi must be covered with the thick carpet of copper-coloured leaves (beech, hornbeam, oak etc.). We did see two tree-loads of crab apple windfalls, and some of the group were lucky enough to spot a herd of deer in the forest. Continue reading Saturday 11th November. Epping Forest →

16 Polyramblers set out from Amersham station on what was a sunny morning, but with heavy rain forecast for later in the day.  We walked downhill through woods to Old Amersham and from there across wheat fields to the village of Coleshill.  Unfortunately, lack of concentration on my part meant  that we took the wrong path but thanks to Stuart’s local knowledge we got back on track and rejoined our path outside the village of Winchmore Hill.  From here we walked through woods and more beautiful rolling wheat fields which I think show off the Chilterns at its best and eventually reached the village of Penn Street where we an excellent pub lunch.  Continue reading Saturday 29th July. Amersham circular →

A total of 15 Polys met at Amberley station for a walk in perfect weather. A much larger walking group left the train at the same time, so we sped off just in case they were heading in the same direction. We had a short walk along the river Arun, then through Amberley village with its castle, thatched houses and delightful cottage gardens, then across country to Parham Park where the picnickers had their lunch. The pub lunchers enjoyed sandwiches in the garden of the nearby Crown Inn, in the company of goats, rabbits and guinea pigs. We were pleased to see that none of these featured on the menu. To celebrate the first day of Geoffrey’s retirement, he treated us all to glasses of Prosecco and Harriet produced an excellent cake. Continue reading Saturday 1st July. Amberley circular →