Eighteen Poly Ramblers arrived at Oxted Station to begin our walk to the start of Section Three of the Vanguard Way. It was a very hot, quite muggy, day as we wended our way through the woods and up on the Downs. We enjoyed spectacular views of the countryside before we reached our starting point, joining the Vanguard Way at Limpsfield Chart. We stopped for a much need drink at the Carpenters Arms Pub before making our way to St Andrew Church and the official start point of Section Three. We passed the gates of Trevereux manor and an ornamental lake on the northern link to Crockham Hill our lunch stop.  Crockham Hill is a sleepy village on a south -facing promontory of the Greensand Ridge in Kent. In the village garden there is a memorial to the seven staff and twenty-two of the London County Council residential school in nearby Weald House who were killed by enemy action on the thirtieth June 1944.

We enjoyed our picnic with outstanding views outside the Holy Trinity Church. Inside is a marble effigy of Octavia Hill (1838-1912) a housing reformer and co-founder in 1895 of the National Trust, she is buried in the churchyard. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the interior of the church as a wedding was taking place. After lunch we rejoined the Vanguard Way and continued along a series of tracks and through wooded areas. It was at this point that we realised that a number of the group had gone in a different direction which added to their walk! We came out onto a lane and continued our route reaching a series of golf courses. We followed the link to Edenbridge Town where a number of us enjoyed an ice cream before catching the train back towards London Bridge.
Hilary

Photos by Stuart, Hilary and Lan