Length: Length: up to 16km (10 miles). Toughness: ~5/10

10:41 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:48, Balham 10:53 etc ...), arriving Dorking at 11:40

Buy a return to Dorking Stations.

Return trains from Dorking are xx:17, xx:53: to Victoria and xx:32 to Waterloo

This walk has only been posted once before, on a Sunday. I haven't done it myself but its web page says "This walk is mostly gentle over wide surfaced parks, so besides rhododendron flowering in spring, it would make a lovely mud free winter walk". So this seems a good time to give it a try, even though it's too early for rhododendrons.

The recommeded route today is to follow the GPX/map route on the SWC site. You start with a tour of the restored woodland gardens of Thomas Hope's Deepdene Estate (and Coady, the cast of an original Coade stone lion) and climb to the Terrace with its viewpoint. From here, take the southerly part of the loop across Betchworth Park, along surfaced paths across fields with open views of the Downs to Brockham. After lunch in Brockham, the northerly part of the loop leads back to Dorking via Glory Wood and the Terrace. There's an optional short out-and-back extension to the ruins of Betchworth Castle. Back at the gardens, at the ridge viewpoint, there's another short out-and-back loop to visit the Hope Mausoleum, the only surviving building from the original 17thC estate.

For lunch in Brockham there's:

Back in Dorking, there are several refreshment choices, including Cake Rider at 7 South Street, several pubs in Dorking town centre, as well as the usual chain coffee shops.

Please remember that these walks don't have a leader so come prepared with the SWC gps route and/or map from L=swc.364 page. It's also recommended to bring a ‘Map of the Trail’ from the Deepdene Trail websbite (there's also an app).

Length: Up to 16 km (10 miles). Toughness: Up to 5/10

As we get an hour less in bed I've plumped for a late start: the 11:02 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 11:07, Clapham Jct 11:12, etc), arriving Dorking (Main) at 11:54.

There are hourly trains back to Waterloo at xx:07 and half-hourly ones to London Bridge (not Victoria today) at xx:02 & xx:32. Somewhat ironically, I've chosen a date when there are only replacement buses at Dorking's other station (Deepdene).

This walk has been sitting unheralded on the SWC site for a while and deserves an outing. In fact it's not so much a defined walk, more a series of linked trails to places of interest on a ‘lost estate’ which a charitable trust is gradually restoring. You'll get more out of the day if you check out the Deepdene Trail site and print off its ‘Map of the Trail’.

If you choose to follow the GPX route on the SWC site you'll start with a quick look at the Gardens (as yet, not much more than a mass of rhododendrons), climb to the Terrace and then head off to Brockham. There's a choice of refreshment places around its large village green: I don't reckon there'll be much chance of getting Sunday lunch at the Inn on the Green (a “Grumpy Mole Restaurant”) on Mother's Day, but you could try phoning ahead (01737-845101). If the Royal Oak is still closed the alternatives are in the Village Hall, which contains The Taphouse (a small village bar) and the Reading Room Coffee and Cake House.

The afternoon route makes its way back to Dorking's High Street via the Terrace and Glory Wood, with optional out-and-back extensions to the ruins of Betchworth Castle and the Hope Mausoleum. Few of the town's independent tea rooms deign to open on Sundays but you'll find most of the usual suspects (Costa Coffee, etc) and plenty of pubs. Allow 20 minutes to reach the station from the High Street.

As well as the Deepdene Trail map, do bring the outline description of the walk and/or GPX file from the L=swc.364 page.