Back in the Chilterns for an undulating 12 mile walk (although Jackie admitted it was more likely to be 13 miles) through woodlands and fields. Only 6 Polyramblers despite it being a sunny day but the lack of pub might have deterred people.  We soon left Goring, going up to Wroxhills Wood, accompanied by red kites mewing above us.  We skirted Woodcote and went through Common Wood. At one point, we lost Pam and Andrew but we found them again.  We had decided on a place to have lunch but we got lost in a wood and, as it Continue reading SUNDAY 9th June: GORING to PANGBOURNE (LINEAR): →

Eighteen walkers met at Wendover Station to begin our walk along the ridgeway joining the Icknield way and culminating in lunch at the Go Apes café in the depths of Wendover Woods. Wendover Woods is the habitat of the rare Firecrest the smallest bird in Europe which nest in the Norway Spruce. It is also the highest point in the Chilterns (265 m). We left Wendover High street to walk through a park alongside a stream past a church and on to the Ridgeway National Trail. We toiled our way up a long hill through woodland Continue reading Sunday 2 June 2019: Wendover/Coombe Hill Circular →

This is an annual festival of floral art in shops, restaurants and hotels in the neighbourhood of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The theme this year is ‘Under the Sea’. Approximately 20 Polyramblers and guests met at Sloane Square tube station to do a walk to see as many floral displays as possible. We went up and down Sloane Street, Pavilion Road where we met Lorna and her mum doing the same as us, up and down King’s Road and Duke of York Square. We were all very impressed by the beautiful displays.

The winner of Chelsea in Bloom 2019 is the display on the main photo (Hackett on Sloane Street, whose installation takes inspiration from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea).

Continue reading MONDAY 20th MAY: EVENING WALK – CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW FOR THE POOR (Chelsea in bloom) →

A grey start to the day but it soon brightened up for 17 Polyramblers for this lovely walk in Sussex. We left Wivelsfield and were soon in the countryside. We followed the Sussex Border Path through woodlands and fields, passing a farm with a massive field full of free range hens.  We reached the pretty village of Ditchling where we split to have lunch at the excellent Nutmeg Tea Rooms, pub or the churchyard. After lunch, we started a gentle climb to Continue reading SATURDAY 18th may: WIVELSFIELD to HASSOCKS (LINEAR): →

The weather forecast for the day was one of storm and tempest, but apart from a few spots of rain the weather was pleasant with sunny intervals.

The actual walk was one of two halves!  Eleven of us sent off towards the hamlet of Mogador (to see some hobbits!) from Betchworth. This initial part of the walk was to include a steep climb up to the top of the North Downs Way, but a deliberate mistake(!) by the leader led to a more easy ascent with views of the Weald and South Downs in the distance.  With some further adjustments and Continue reading BETCHWORTH (CIRCULAR) 11 MAY →