Sole Street circular – 5 Oct

Train: London Victoria 09.42 (Denmark Hill 09.52); arrive Sole Street 10.31 – trains run hourly only. [NB: Freedom Pass holders can purchase a day-return ticket from Swanley to Sole Street, it’ll be cheaper than from zone 6]

Lunch: Luddesdown – picnic [preferable] – benches in the church yard, or eat in pub ‘The Golden Lion’, approx. 6 minutes from church. The pub menu is fancy but restricted. NB: they do not serve sandwiches or any sides (i.e. no chips, soup, salad/veg, bread). Check out link for what’s on offer: https://thelionluddesdown.co.uk/the-menu-new/. I will not be booking any tables but we’ll stop there for a drink before venturing forth.

The Walk: The walk is 9 miles – the morning is longer than the afternoon. There is no easy drop-out at lunch, except for a taxi back to the station.

The terrain, esp. during the morning, is a mixture of low hills and flat sections. Although none of the up-hills are steep, some of them are rather elongated. However, there are a couple of very steep, uneven downhills (walking pole helpful), one of them has steps cut into the ground. There are also numerous stiles during the morning section, some are tricky to negotiate.

The walk will take us across fields/meadows with some lovely views; woods and through a recently developed vineyard. In the afternoon we’ll stop in the village of Cobham at a Dickensian pub ‘The Leather Bottle’ for a cuppa or other desired drink before making our way back to the station through orchards and across a large field. The church in Cobham is also worth a look in if it’s open. Some of the ground, esp. across the ploughed fields will be muddy – please wear appropriate footwear. Any questions please contact walks@morleyramblers.uk.

Happy walking – Sigrid