Length: 19.6 km (12.2 miles) 3/10
A surprise if you haven't been here before - Oxshott Heath and Esher Common constitute a huge area of open heath land only a few stops from London. The club usually seems to do this walk in the winter when the latter part can be very muddy (and a railway underpass flooded on one occasion) so I thought it would be good to try it when the heather is in bloom. After leaving the heath, the walk is mainly in forest with some more open sections on Epsom Common.
The directions describe the finish at Ashtead but you can finish at Epsom as shown on the map.
Travel: Waterloo 1003, arriving Oxshott 1038, should fit in with the lunch pub. 4-5 return trains an hour from Ashtead and Epsom. Buy a return to Effingham Junction where the Oxshott and Ashtead/Epsom lines meet.
Lunch: The Star, Kingston Road, Leatherhead is large and has a beer garden. It is reached after 13.1 kms. Tel: 01372 842416. Prince's Coverts and Ashtead Common (just before and after the pub) have picnic areas.
Tea: The Woodman, 238 Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead. Tel: 01372 274524. With an Epsom finish you could try the Cricketers 01372 729384 which is on the walk route to the station.
Shortening the walk: the walk directions make a number of suggestions including a finish at Claygate (making a walk of 11.9 km/7.4 miles) but the simplest short cut is to go straight through Ashtead Common from the Star to Ashtead station, missing out Epsom Common and cutting 4.3 km/2.7 miles.
PS The Oxshott Heath/Esher Common part of this walk was done in the evening fairly recently but there is almost no overlap with the Horton Park/Epsom/Ashtead walk posted for the evening of Thursday 24.
For walk directions, map and GPX click here
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