After a safety briefing 15 Poly Ramblers set off promptly to join the Chess Valley path toward Latimer, first of four villages on today’s ramble. After a brief stop at Latimer Village Green we headed for Flaunden through Badwin Wood. We stopped to admire the church designed by Sir Gilbert Scott with beautiful stained glass window. We were a bit early for the 16 Century pub, The Green Dragon, with its own Wikipedia entry. Jennifer shared some of history and names of some of the men who drank here. We joined the Chiltern Way heading towards Sarratt, our lunch stop. We had some tricky stiles to contend with as well country lane walking made difficult by big, modern cars. Again we were grateful of the shade in Dawes Common and Sandfield Woods. After our refreshments and topping up our water bottles we descended to Chess valley with its ponds and water meadows and made our way to Chenies and on to Chalfont Latimer Station.
This was an interesting walk with lots of history and I would go back to churches at Latimer and Flaunden and stop for a drink at The Green Dragon.
It was ideal weather – sunny but not hot – for this 7-mile walk continuing our circle around London on the Green London Way. Fourteen Poly Ramblers met at Richmond tube station and made their way to the Thames through busy shopping streets. We followed the shaded river path northbound along the Old Deer Park, the Royal Mid-Surrey Gold Club and Kew Gardens. There were quite a few walkers and cyclists, some with bells and some without (the cyclists – not the walkers announcing they were lepers!). We walked at different speeds and met at Kew Bridge where two speedy walkers were already having lunch in a café. We crossed the bridge and some of us had a picnic, others went to a café or a pub. I lost three walkers after lunch; one who could only do a short walk and two who had planned to stay in the pub. Continue reading GREEN LONDON WAY – RICHMOND TO BOSTON MANOR 6 AUGUST→
Ten of us met up at Lewes station for our annual pilgrimage to The Little Cottage Tea Room at Glynde. We agreed to keep up a good pace on the flat as it’s a long way with 3 massive hills to negotiate, especially in the heat, and we absolutely needed to get to Glynde by 4.
We went past Anne of Cleves House which is a 16-century, timber-framed hall and, on another day, would be worth a visit. Apparently it was part of her annulment settlement from Henry V111 in 1551 which was an infinitely better option than having her head chopped off. It now has a cafe run by Patisserie Lewes – further inducement for a visit. Unfortunately we never have time for such delights as we have to get up that first beautiful chalk hill and down again to Rodmell in good time.
At Rodmell we had a swift drink stop and then continued along the valley floor to Southease church where Geoffrey and Lan awaited us. Lan’s train had been cancelled but she demonstrated her resourcefulness by joining Geoffrey on the train from Lewes to Southease & meeting us there.
In this summer’s reliably hot weather, eighteen members set off from Banstead station for a circular walk of just over five miles in the countryside along the Surrey border. The group first crossed a busy road outside the station and shortly after the A217 dual carriageway, before reaching the calm environment of a golf course. Threading our way through the fairways, we came upon a junction of paths. Having only completed a recce a few days earlier, I was confident about which onward one to take.
For the second year in a row, our trip to the Norfolk coast coincided with a heat wave in the south east, so we were delighted to hear reports from the early arrivals that Great Yarmouth was positively chilly in the evening. The town was clearly struggling economically but has a rich maritime history and those who managed to visit the Time and Tide museum were impressed. On the first evening most of the group gathered in the Alexandra restaurant for an excellent meal.
The next morning was hot as forecast, but we need not have feared as sea breezes came tumbling over us as we stepped onto Happisburgh beach. The cloudless sky had turned the sea a Mediterranean blue. A vast, white swathe of firm sands, damp from the retreating tide, made the going easy as we strode out to the sound of the waves. Continue reading Norfolk Coast Path: Happisburgh to Hopton on Sea 26-28 June 2026→
