15 at the start of this walk, for the record NOT experiencing a flood of Brighton Pride attendees at London Bridge, which if anything was a bit quieter than usual. We were joined at lunch (and in the afternoon) by the walk author, so 16 all told.

The weather initially followed the forecast script - cloud breaking to sun - and by late morning it was feeling decidedly hot and sticky. (What happened to that “fresher” air, then?) But after lunch it went off-piste big time and was unexpectedly grey and drizzly in the afternoon . I shall be writing to the Met Office to demand a refund.

The Gallipot Inn proved a bit busier than in previous years. But with only three of us eating (shocking hints of encroaching midweek walk-ism…) and a few having drinks, we were able to secure a table on the patio. They insisted on table service (for diners, anyway) but took orders quickly.

In the afternoon myself and a companion went astray through me turning left rather than right. That meant we got left behind. But charmingly six or so walkers waited for us at a bench overlooking the view in Ashdown Forest, for which much thanks. Heather was coming out in force here - quite good displays - and the pinkish bell heather was at its best.

I inveigled the others to stop for tea at the Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre. Once the staff had got the (obviously little used) tea machine going, this was very pleasant. They have installed tables, a sofa or two, and there were some nice cookies/tiffin slices. All this plus recorded birdsong and some interesting displays In a very historic building.

We then walked down to Forest Row where a bus pulled up alongside us even before we had got to the village centre. This was considered too tempting to pass up, so all got on bar one walker who planned to walk up the old railway line to East Grinstead.

The rest of us split between those who took the bus all the way to the station and five of us who disembarked for a drink on the back terrace of the Dorset Arms. We then got the 18.36 train.

Do you know, I did not count, but I think 8 at the start of this walk on a day of sun and cloud . Some confusion at the get-go as the walk author has changed the route a bit and some had lovingly preserved copies of the old directions. But we soon worked it out.

Fine rolling Wealden scenery but more mud in places than on the other walks today, it seems - enough on one bridleway to elicit cataclysmic accounts from some commenters, but we either waded through it regardless (me) or picked out way gingerly around it (everyone else).

As for nature - acres of celandines, banks of primroses, drifts of cuckoo flowers, the multifarious tootling of nuthatches, baa-ing lambs (once), and - my biggest delight - a willow warbler on the Ashdown Forest heathland. But privately I was wondering where the blackbirds, chaffinches and butterflies are this year (just one of the latter seen all day).

I think nearly everyone ate in the friendly Gallipot Inn, which was full inside but empty but for us in its lovely garden. We were joined by the walk author here, who walked the rest of the way with us, so 9 altogether. In the afternoon the gorse was full out in Ashdown Forest and the Visitor Centre there had a well hidden tea machine (only I partook).

We had by now split into an advance party, who seem to have ended up in the Hop Yard microbrewery and got the 5pm bus (having a bottle of wine on the train), and three of us in the vanguard, who found the former Taeffels now reopened as another cafe and had tea there. We got the 5.30 bus.

As told today on the Knebworth walk: 1, rain at times hard , the walker walked all the way to East G

47 on this walk. Yes, 47. “Is this a record?” several people asked me. Consulting my database (which stretches back to 2011) I think the answer is probably yes. “Probably” because there has been the occasional popular book one walk - Hever to Leigh, Milford to Godalming, Haslemere Circular - where “around 40” have been reported. Maybe people on those days did not count precisely. But I did count today’s walkers as they exited through the platform gate and there were definitely 47.

Too big a group to “do names”. Too big a group to fit into a walk with “one lunch pub”, you might think. Some did take one for the team and stop at the earlier Anchor Inn in Hartfield. But the Gallipot Inn, the sugggested lunch stop, actually coped with the rest of us without problems. They had oodles of space in their very scenic garden. The service was also unflustered apart from one staff member who was rather frosty and seemed not to know the difference between vegan and vegetarian (even though vegan options were promised on the menu) or indeed between a beefburger and a veggie burger. (And no, this is not my personal moan: I had the lamb kebab).

It had started sunny but was mainly cloudy , with refreshingly moderate temperatures that I think we all enjoyed after the recent heat. Up in Ashdown Forest there were two or three nice patches of heather in full bloom, though not as much as I expected to be honest.

Five of us had tea at the pop-up cafe in the Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre, which was not, despite my jibe in the walk post, a tea van but some ladies (and gents) with nice homemade cakes. Most of the rest of the group went on to Taffels in Forest Row, whose welcome was as stellar as usual in the face of an army of walkers turning up not long before closing time and cleaning them out of both vegan and non-vegan cakes. Others went to a nice new microbrewery type bar across the road.

Most, I think, got the bus to East Grinstead. Some (I did not count) did the extension up the old railway line. Seven of us reversed the shorter morning of the East Grinstead Circular (with a variation or two) adding 4 miles to the walk (=15 miles) and stopping en route for dinner in the Dorset Arms.

At least 3 went to Dorset Arms for lunch. 9 in Hartfield for lunch, joined by 1 sandwich eater. After lunch, 6 detoured along the old railway track way to avoid road walking via Gallipot Inn (since we had already eaten), eventually taking a pleasant footpath south to rejoin the official route near Marsh Green. This made the walk longer so after a reviving tea and cake at Visitors Centre in Ashurst Forest, most walked the shorter distance to Wych Cross to catch the 16:58 bus, with 1 carrying on to Forest Row and East Grinstead.

8 from the cafe group did the extension to East Grinstead but more may have followed on from the later arrivals in Forest Row. Superb day out.

On some of these walks. You can download onto pdf on your Mobile phone. And you go into Files to do so.

16 on this walk, on a cloudy day, but with some early sunshine. A very pleasant and varied ramble, with a bit of hill, then flat river meadows and fields, then pleasantly hilly country around various villages named Hartfield, then a climb up and over Ashdown Forest. Good heather in the latter place, a whole mountainside of Himalayan balsam on the meadow section, and much discussion in our little group about what did or did not constitute a small heath butterfly. We had an illicit game of Pooh Sticks at a non-authorised bridge.

Lunch in the Gallipot Inn was very pleasant and efficiently served, apart from the meal that they forgot about, and the garden had a nice view. The fake bus stop opposite the pub, at which buses do actually stop, was very amusing. After bemoaning in advance the lack of a cafe at the Ashdown Forest Centre, three of us were delighted to stumble upon a "pop-up cafe" there. Most if not all finished the walk in Forest Row: if any walked on to East Grinstead we would be happy to hear about it.

Yes some did indeed walk onto Forest Row. I'm not sure how many as we were in 2 groups.

Five of us in the advance party stopped briefly for an ice cream in Forest Row then proceeded to East Grinstead for tea at CJ's in the High Street (the upstairs terrace overlooking St. Swithun's churchyard is recommended)

Really enjoyed my first Saturday Walkers Walk from Ashurst - helping slow down Sean and Peter - only just arrived in time for cake at Forest Visitor Centre. Posted some nature pictures on the Facebook Group page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/saturday.walkers.club/permalink/10154468414549529/

Intend doing the long walk option.

On the long walk option 11 foggy until lunch and clear sunny skies after

11 off the train at Ashurst. Foggy start to the day with lots of dew on the ground. In Hartfield, the group stopped at the church of St Mary the Virgin to participate in the Big Draw. Some 4-8 year olds were colouring up a storm, but we were not intimidated and showed them a thing or two about drawing. Also took advantage of the coffee, tea and cakes that were available for a donation. Next stopping point was Pooh Bridge where three walkers played the obligatory game of Pooh sticks. Lovely walk through Posingford Wood.

6 dined at the Hatch Inn, 5 picnicked on the green by the busy road and joined for drinks once their sandwiches were consumed. Food very good by all accounts. Landlady of the pub took an interest in the SWC and was pointed in the direction of the website for further information. By the time lunch was finished, the sun finally made an appearance and the afternoon was very pleasant walking through Ashdown Forest. Lots of exciting fungi were spotted, including one example of amanita muscaria (proper red and white fairytale mushroom). One final distraction for the day was a visit to the Forest Information Centre where time was taken to watch the video presentation about the forest.

4 took the bus from Forest Row. The remaining 7 completed the full walk to East Grinsted. Drinks were had by all at the Dorset Arms. 3 set off for the train and the remaining 4 had another drink, catching the 19:07 to London. All in all, a very good day, especially as no walker was lost to the bald eagle (7ft wingspan and three-inch-long razor-sharp talons) that is currently missing in Ashdown Forest...

6 more walkers took the bus from East Grinstead for the shorter start from Hartfield, in the same foggy but a bit brighter later weather. It sounds like we were just ahead of the larger group but never paused for long enough to meet up. The main reason for this was our experience at the Hatch Inn. The pub was half empty at 1pm but the manager claimed they were full and refused to take any orders for food, not even a sandwich to eat outside. We grimly ploughed on to Forest Row and had a reasonably good late lunch in The Swan, after which two took the bus and four did the final leg up the hill.

The walk design seems to cater for all tastes (a middle section over Ashdown Forest with optional legs before and after) but the unwelcoming attitude at the Hatch Inn rules this out as a lunch pub as far as I'm concerned. The landlady may have taken an interest in the SWC but if their policy is to turn walkers away they won't be seeing us again in the near future, if at all.

Historical duplicate/misleading attendance numbers cleanup project: 17