For anyone who can get to Victoria station, there is a 10.54 train, changing at East Croydon (arriving 11.10, departing at 11.19, from the same platform, number 3).

@Hilary: that arrives an hour later than the posted train. Presumably you meant the 09:54 from Victoria.

The train leaving Victoria at 9.54(Clapham Junction 10.01) gets to East Croydon at 10.10 allowing time to connect to the Balcombe train.

Will this be muddy? I'm quite a slow walker and mud slows me down even more, so I'm not sure I could comfortably complete the ten miles before dark. Thoughts?

The Weald is known to be muddy in winter, to be honest. I can't remember offhand whether this walk has many tracks or harder surfaces, but bits of it are very likely to be gloopy. However, with the temperatures as cold they are, some of it might be frozen.

Seen from the train at 11am on Tuesday - a dusting of snow still evident in some areas around Balcombe.

22 off the train were greeted by sunshine in a clear blue sky which warmed us throughout the walk. Another walker joined us along the way so 23 in total.

I'd forgotten how lovely this walk is with lots of woods and streams in the morning. There were dustings of snow brightening shady spots. Patches of mud were manageable. The group stretched out over the morning. Some I believe went to a pub in Handcross for lunch. A large group picnicked in the churchyard in Slaugham and some set off ahead of others. I don't know if anyone took a bus from Handcross or Staplefield. four of us caught up with a fifth who had picnicked outside the Victory Inn in Staplefield which was open but not serving food. It would be nice to get reports from those who did manage to get a pub lunch. The afternoon section of the walk was not as dull as the directions suggest. There were some nice views and the lanes had very little traffic. And there was birdsong. We picked up some mud in a field but it was below ankle level. Three of our group headed for the pub in Balcombe, two went straight to the station where six others were waiting. We caught the 15.55 train and saw a dramatic sunset on the journey home. A perfect day.

Two of us had lunch in the Red Lion, bar staff seemed half asleep but food was very good and served promptly. Restaurant area was fully booked but we were able to order and eat in the bar area. After lunch I dropped my co diner at Coulsdon South and went on to the Dentist!

N - 8

W - largely dry and often refreshingly windy

Lovely walk.Three at the front took off, never to be seen by the vanguard four (which later became five post-pub) who early on inadvertently added a little extra mileage for extra aerobic excitement. The four spent a pleasant forty minutes at the thinly populated Red Lion, with two dining and happy with the fare. We were also happy that the only rain we saw poured outside the window. Most of my group pubbed in Balcombe at the end, reached at around 4.40. I hope the front three enjoyed their walk. Thank you to the scheduler and my companions.

Correction to Balcombe report - 'vanguard' should be 'rearguard', of course.

8

largely dry and often refreshingly windy

Worth bearing in mind, the Half Moon in Balcombe had a really good rock group playing. Didn't find out whether this is a regular occurance. I thought they were a bit like The White Stripes, with a good Meghan White interpretation on the drums, although a guy playing.

6 on this rather damp walk. Mostly light drizzle also the odd heavy shower. Some mud. 5 stopped at the Red Lion & 1 went on to the Victory, where we regrouped. The Victory was a very welcoming pub to a wet walker, and surprisingly busy with locals at 1.30pm. Caught the 1550,missing out going into Balcombe. Plenty of room on the trains.

Thanks for scheduling such an attractive walk, Marcus.

15 off the suggested train, 1 on the following train - who caught us up mid-morning - and 1 car driver - so that's 17, and nice to see the return of some of our Wednesday regulars. The weather probably had most to do with today's turnout - it was a lovely sunny warm day , circa 24 degrees C, with a light breeze in the afternoon.

At the start we separated into three groups (two sixers and a foursome) and after swapping contact details the groups set off a few minutes apart - all very Corvid-compliant.

The morning leg of this walk is a delight (the longer, 3 hour afternoon leg, although nice, has a bit too much road and lane walking) and the Sussex countryside, lush and green, looked at its best.

Nymans was busy and I was not sure if we could get in to the Red Lion pub for lunch, but no problem - four of my group sat at one table and another four from group three sat at another. The pub organised its Corvid compliance very well - and the food hit the right spot - and what a treat to sup a pint of Harveys Sussex !

Suitably refreshed, and having been reunited with our group's two sandwichers, we set off on the long afternoon leg in bright sunshine. A visit to St Mary's Church, Slaugham and a brief look at the nearby ruins from the footpaths, and we were on our way.

Just before we crossed the railway we spotted two from group one, who took the direct route along the road to the railway station. At the station they were joined by the four from group three (our fellow lunch diners) who had taken a short cut (sensible in the sunshine) and I am told they all caught the 17-04 hrs train. My group, on reaching the village centre, was delighted to find the Half Moon pub to be open, so cold drinks were enjoyed before four of us caught the 17-34 hrs train back to London, leaving our two companions in the pub to linger over a more leisurely drink in the late afternoon sunshine.

A grand summer's day outing and so good to see some familiar faces after the long period of lockdown.

For Corvid, please read Covid !

No, I think you have hit upon something here, Marcus. Those crows are suspicious looking birds, always looking aslant at us. it was not the Chinese that started this virus - it was the crows!

Thanks Peter !

Yes - it's the crows, not the Chinese.......

Crows!!! You are both raven mad😂

This was a lovely walk that I have never done before. Thank you Marcus for posting.

Hi Guys I am attending this walk and hope to see some of you at London Bridge and yes hope Thames link are running. Not done this original version walk before and weather good. A respite from the workmen.

Monica

In the past, a few of us stopped at the Balcombe tea room in the morning to buy a take away cake to have with our tea at the pub later on.

I’ll take a half an hour earlier train to be able to get to the tearoom on time.

Sometimes the rain comes down in June. Sometimes the sun goes round the moon. And sometimes Thameslink trains all run on time. Amazing. 22 benefited from this punctuality, with one late starter making 23. The weather: glorious, unbroken blue sky, sunny and hot . In a few weeks such days will seem as fantastic as a fairy tale.

Nice to do this old favourite again. Some bits I remembered, lots I did not. At times I was taken back to the early days of the walking club, back in the late Middle Ages, when the world was young and we used to stop and look at the view occasionally.

We split up at lunch. Did some try the Royal Oak? What was it like? How was the rest of your day? The Red Lion may be a gastro pub, designed by committee at head office, but those of us who ate there found the food delicious - really mouthwatering. Not over busy either and with cheerful service. We were there for ages, lingering over coffee and even waiting for the late starter to order and eat. What nice people we are.

In the afternoon the Victory made an equally nice tea stop. Delicious puds, an outside table in the shade. Tea in pots. Your loss, Balcombe Tea Rooms: you should stay open later.

On up the big hill into Balcombe. There were a lot of big hills on this walk, more than I remember. Only two of us, as far as I know, went to the Half Moon in Balcombe for a drink. And I bet only one - me - went the lovely back way to the station.

3 of us on an overcast but mild day, with rain threatening at times but fortunately held off. Leaf colour in the woods is coming on nicely and should be good in ten days time. We stopped for lunch at the Red Lion in Handcross where two of us enjoyed an excellent, good value two course lunch (despite a long wait between courses), with our colleague sitting in the grounds of Nymans to enjoy her sandwiches during the only time in the day when the sun came out.

As the afternoon leg of this Circular walk once past Slaugham is less than exciting (although improved with the new pedestrian tunnel under the A23 road) we decided to take an alternative afternoon route - to Faygate via the High Weald Landscape trail and St Leonard's Forest. We enjoyed some nice views and leaf colour along the way, and the afternoon was enjoyable although a bit repetitive along the long, straight forest trail. We (just) managed to negotiate a difficult road crossing, chocker with commuter traffic, as we entered Faygate, where we stopped for a drink at the pleasant Holmbush Inn, close to the railway station. The 18-07 hrs stopping service eventually returned us to East Croydon, then fast to Victoria.

An enjoyable day's walking, with an unplanned afternoon leg - thank you to E.D for suggesting it.

I can't comment on the numbers as started an hour late but I decided to order lunch for two with drinks at the Red Lion at around 1.30. To no avail. To say the staff were (just the one jerk behind the bar actually) uncooperative would be an understatement. There was no attempt to acknowledge potential PAYING CUSTOMERS and so we left. This pub is a disgrace and I strongly recommend that SWC walkers give it a wide berth as they obviously don't need our custom. The only way to get the message across in this sadly backward country when it comes to service is to VOTE with our FEET. Luckily the Royal Oak 150m or so down the road was more than accommodating even though by then it was nearer to 2pm. Good food (plenty of it!) friendly staff (they appear to be under new management with nice staff, beautiful sheep dog (?) with good range of drinks and lots of table space. There was a whole bunch of visitors from the Far East who seemed happy. Why the Maple Leaf of Canada fluttered outside was not explained. Anyway, it was a nice change from the Chequers further along the route. But still, roll on sandwich weather!

20 ish? plus six freelance from Hong Kong and another couple. remained mostly dry . Fields were saturated and paths in woods very muddy. One dropped off at Nymans for tour of gardens with the walk inspector. Eight of us had lunch at the Chequers Inn. This is no longer a gastro-pub and was more or less empty with only one ale on tap, a rather odd dark mild with cherry! Menu is rather limited although the dish of the day moules and sweet potato fries was very good. It seems the pub is between tenants with a temporary landlord. It is larger than I remember and has pleasant views from the extended dinning room. I noticed three pairs of boots outside the Balcombe Tea Room but most of us arrived close to 4:00 pm and continued for the 4:22 train without even trying the door.

Three of us did indeed make it to the Balcombe Tea Room in time for refreshments, and in the spirit of fraternity we each ate two (different) portions of cake, the second for those who were unable to attend. Interestingly, all agreed that the second was not as nice as the first.

For future reference, you can buy cake to take away which may be an option for slower walkers who are happy to take it without a hot liquid accompaniment.

Anyone doing this one?

I'm keen to do the Balcombe circular. The return fare to Balcombe is only £8.50 from any London Thameslink station, very good value.

I will joining in.

Looks like The Chequers has closed but the Red Lion in Handcross is open

From London Bridge with network card only costs £5.6.

Thanks for posting this book one classic, not too far, not too long, not too tough, not expensive fare, what not to like!

I am in.

25 ish, cloudy with sunny intervals , This first book classic never fails its attraction. Some mud in various places but not too demanding. 12 had lunch in Red Lion, food was delicious and fish & chips barometer was 8/10 but fish cake was in tiny portion. At least 3 had lunch in Royal Oak, report was also good. I found lunch at Handcross was a bit early in the walk, we got to the pub just after 12pm. This left 2/3 of the walk in the afternoon. Thankfully, more refreshment opportunities on route. At least 10 stopped at the pub in Staplefield for further fuelling (Others pressed on and caught earlier train). Another deserving drink in the pub at Balcombe (as the tea room was long shut) before catching 5:22pm train back to London. Two GPSs registered 12 miles instead of advertised 10.9 miles. With mud underfoot, it felt 12 miles plus. Three more walkers who did the walk independently appeared at the station. A great day out for all.

Three walkers continued the walk from Slaugham to Horsham. The plan was to simply follow some public footpaths to and through the open access area to the east of Horsham. But with a surprising end of a path in the middle of the woods with no indication of any continuation the compass became the crucial tool to find our way out of the woods. After some stumbling through the woods (Horsham is due West !) we found some other path which lead us roughly in the right direction and ultimately out of the woods and on to Horsham. However, the open access area indeed proved to be an enchanting woodland with some attractive streams meandering through it and merits further investigation. The connection between this woodland and the walk to/from Balcome also requires further research in order to avoid a busy road and a long track along a tarmaced drive.

If the tea room has closed by the time you arrive, the Half Moon pub sometimes serves cakes which they buy from the Balcome Tea rooms.

Planning to do this walk.

Dear M Tiger,

I've often wondered what does the initial M stand for in your name?

Oh I know what the M in Mr M Tiger stands for

It stands for Moon. Something I like to howl at occasionally. Well, more of a yowl, really.

I heard more than 30 people took part in yesterday's Balcombe walk - a large group! I started at a different time, so missed most of the other walkers.