12 walkers off the train, 2 by car and 1 materialized out of thin air (later train?) which totals15. Most followed the twists and turns

of the many loops of the walk on the way to Keston where 5 ate in the cafe TripleTwo which was busy but served delicious food,

some I guess had a picnic and maybe a drink in the Greyhound and 5 did not stop, instead completed the walk to have lunch in the Thai restaurant in Hayes.

Almost everybody agreed that having a final drink in the Real Ale Way would be nice, the problem was that we all arrived too early before it opened

at 14:00. So, some just loitered around the station, others went to the local cafe while the Thai lunchers were still finishing their meal.

When the pub opened, we piled in and enjoyed special beers and ciders (Monk's Spiced, Santa Paws, ...) before taking various routes home.

cloudy with a few sunny intervals

Weather looks iffy. However a couple of us plan to go.

5# we're at Hayes Station, and it was a lovely evening for walking the five miles or so. There was no rain as was forecasted. This is such a beautiful wooded walk across the commons. Caeser wasn't at his well, however probably never was.As the Greyhound was full of quizzers, we went to the Fox across the road.Food seemed good, although I just had chips with rosemary.Even though no one was called rosemary.And I forgot to pay for my coke, so if anyone did by default make sure I pay.

We just got back before dark, and all had a beer or cider in the Real Ale Way opposite the station. The trains were delayed returning to London, as they had been going out.

Well worth the journey though.

So, 5 in cloudy but mostly dry conditions.

I might extend this near the end by heading west from Coney Hall to finish at Addington Vilage (via Wickham Court, across Fox Hill and through Spring Park). There's a pub in Addington Village and the tram runs from there to East / West Croydon.

There were about 20 or so at the station, and I noticed that three joined afterwards. So, guestimate at 23. We could get CCTV evidence to determine the final number.

Always an enjoyable walk, on a lovely mild winter day. Just need to get my neighbour Sadiq to enforce the 20 mph limit on the roads which are quite dangerous to cross at times.

Quite a lot of us inside, and outside the Greyhound for lunch. My lunch and beer was excellent, although there were complaints about the coffee, which the landlady noted the good and not so good comments.

Several, or more people went on to Addiscombe to extend the walk by a couple of miles.

Four of us enjoyed a beer and cider in the Real Ale Way, opposite the Railway station (geddit).

Note: the train and the station do not have loos, so the costa and the pub do have community access, if you follow the sign.

23 A lovely mild winter day

Hi, What time will the walk start?

as per the posted train: at 18.50

I was in Keston Village today - I often walk the Three Commons Circular. The Fox was once a great place for ham, egg and chips but, like many other pubs, had difficulty finding a chef once it reopened in 2021. The Greyhound, on the other hand, remained open. It's a very friendly pub and welcomes walkers and dogs. Definitely worth a visit. I also went to the New Inn (a Reagan's pub) today. Very roomy, nicely presented food, at a reasonable price, though the service was a bit slow. The Nash Circular is also a very pleasant walk.

4 off the train plus 4 car drivers (some at the station, others up on the common) plus 1 other a train behind who deployed a shortcut to meet us at The Greyhound. Before then, we had diligently followed the route through the woods and across some commons and along The Ravensbourne, initially with the sun still out, but more and more with grey clouds taking over. This was very enjoyable, what with the sun's rays creeping through the canopy, some firm and bouncy paths and the varied treescape.

3 stayed on at The Greyhound for a bevvie, while the other 6 marched on to beat darkness, although soon after 4 of those took a gadget-led shortcut. The 6 reunited in Hayes, where The New Inn had already stopped serving food (it was 21.03 hours). After a little recce (the walk notes did not provide sufficient detail on 'tea' options), 5 of us sat down at Thara Thai for a meal, which was very nice.

9 sunny start then overcast

And Hayes has some more interesting ales and ciders just nearby at The Real Ale Way, open til 8pm

https://www.google.com/search?q=micropub+hayes+kent&oq=micropub+hayes+kent&aqs=chrome..69i57.9685j0j7&client=ms-android-huawei-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

One of us stepped off the train at Hayes felt the drizzle and nearly got back on. Sadly though, he had already been spotted by walker number 2 and had to continue. It didnt drizzle all day, just some of it. occasional drizzle slightly warmer .

Icy underfoot with water on top of it. No slips though. We weren’t lost or anything but we might have gone round backwards. Not lost though. No way.

Lunch at the Fox. I splashed out and had chips. It is Xmas after all.

Back to Hayes for 3. The Real Ale Way micropub made an ideal ‘tea’ stop. A half of porter for me, a half of ridiculously strong cider for Red Rambler. Back to London on the 3.30

5 familiar faces met at Hayes station on a sultry summer evening to enjoy a respite from the heat of the day in the varied woodlands visited on this charming walk close to London. After visiting "the source" and indulging in cooling splashes, we slightly trimmed the far reaches of the walk so as to have a bit more time in the pub....we stopped in the Greyhound where all had a drink and 4 a meal...one left promptly after a drink whereas the rest left a bit later (9.20pmish) after their meal. This later group again trimmed a few bits from the recommended route and took a slightly more direct route along the London Loop and across Hayes Common to arrive back in Hayes in record time about 9:50pm....having just missed a train, we opted for one more night cap at the New Inn across from the station and caught the 10.15pm back to London. An enjoyable escape from the heat of the city!

There has been some forestry work in Padmall Wood: A large portion of a chestnut wood has been razed to the ground. Last time I did this walk (last winter) the right fork at point 23 has been destroyed. If it has not been restored just continue straight: A few minutes later you can pick up the instructions at the gnarly oak at point 25.

I don’t know this wood, but sweet chestnut is often coppiced - ie cut to the ground to harvest the wood. It looks a bit shocking, but it grows back. This is an ancient woodland management technique and it encourages biodiversity, with lots of woodland insects and butterflies thriving in an environment with some mature trees and some open spaces.

14 on a lovely warm summer evening stroll through ancient woodland speckled with various water features. I had never done this walk and it is a real little gem on the outskirts of London -- worked very nicely as a rural evening walk and would likewise be a nice afternoon outing...It wanders through various bits of ancient woodland and follows the River Ravensbourne to its source. When we magically emerged on a common with 2 pubs (one of which was open) some discussion was had whether we had the time to stop for drink and still finish before dark -- following which, all but 2 stopped and enjoyed a beverage (or 2) in the front garden on the common.....after which, 3 opted to try their luck with an uber (or similar) back to Hayes and the remaining 9 carried on with the walk in the safe hands of the walk creator who navigated us back to Hayes through the woods in the deepening darkness....with one stop in a clearing to admire Jupiter and Saturn...in nice alignment...Back in Hayes just after 10pm...and on the 10:15 back towards London...

As regards Tea Places, my (not so extensive) network of local spies now tells me - of the ones open on Sunday afternoon - they are:

Pavilion Cafe (01883-770666) in the Recreation Ground, open to around 16.30. Walker-friendly. Some home-made cakes. Seating inside plus a couple of tables on a patio.

The Whyteleafe Tavern, on the A22 roundabout, open all day. A 'locals' pub.

The Radius Arms, in the parade of shops, a former shop converted into a micro-pub. Closes at 17.30.

[Thanks, Sean.]

Does one buy a return to Hayes or Whyteleafe for this walk?

Neither, it is Oyster pay as you go. Stations are in Zone 5&6.

Anyone would like to do only the Hayes to Whiteleaf walk with me? Starting at the same time?

8 off the train, which soon enough, after the initial ascent onto the Common, turned into 5 + 3, walking at different paces. The weather was overcast only initially, to just before lunch, then with rain, then with a long break in the rain, and then steady rain to the finish, i.e. grey with some rain after lunch .

Interesting route through the commons and woods between Hayes and Keston, and not too muddy despite the many streams, ponds and a river.

To Whyteleafe then, and this was much more muddy, the route consisting mainly of well-used bridleways (horses more than bikes, seeemingly). Mostly one could hang off tree stumps or hedges to get past the deep bits, but not always, as the two sneaker-clad walkers found out. We got to The White Bear just before 14.00 hours, and it was fully booked. Unfortunately the front-of-house (it is a well-oiled machine, The White Bear, the margin clearly overwhelmingly coming from the food custom) refused to sit us at the one table that was free on account of a later reservation at 15.00 hours, as "we don't sit people just for an hour". Arguing was a waste of time, so we settled down at the one table that was kept for drinks-only customers, for beer and crisps.

At Whyteleafe, 3 marched straight to the station, 2 frequented the Pavilion Cafe at the Rec (this opened at Easter last year, and is recommended: fine cakes and nice interior, and warm!) and then also the Micropub, The Radius Arms (est. 4 1/2 years ago, the man behind the bar says). Nice selection of beers, as you'd hope, Wantsum's offering was our favourite. 17.13 train for us two.

7

overcast

Thank you to Dirk for posting this walk,

and pointing out interesting landmarks along the route.

Just to add a brief not that four of the six who did the full walk dined at the Fox Inn, Keston, and were later joined by the t wo sandwich eaters. The staff at the Fox were friendly and the food received favorable comments. I recommend the ham, eggs and chips. After lunch, it took less than 45 minutes to get back to Hayes station.

Seems to me that if you want a longer walk (there being something of a preponderance of very short walks this week...), you could stay with the group on this walk as far as its halfway point in Keston and then do the Hayes to Knockholt walk (SWC walk 82 - 16km/10 miles). Trains back from Knockholt seem to be operating normally at 14 and 45 past the hour

...or you could go on one of the long-ish walks posted... But maybe that's too straight forward?

12 turned out on an unseasonably mild day for this convoluted walk round 3 wooded commons. Almost unbelievably, Mr Tiger kept up with the group. The whole way. (Probably a good thing as he would almost certainly have gone adrift with so few landmarks).

The preferred pub, the Fox, was packed out so the majority decamped to the Greyhound – a welcoming pub that served large portions. Very dog-friendly too with many of the mutts, big and small, in evidence, décor to match, and dog snacks and ‘beer’ on offer. What a shame we didn’t have a dog.

One walker did an extended version of the route but most were happy with the six-miler. This ended abruptly at 2.15 when Hayes station hove into view.

I diverted to Addington just before the end of the walk to pick up the tram connection to East Croydon. The route took me across Coney Hall recreation park, through an open valley and Threehalfpenny wood, arriving in Addington just after 3 pm. This could be an alternative ending, with the pubs in Addington Village as a tea stop.

Margaret

Note, that the GPX file is incorrect between points 40 and 44. Follow the instructions between 40 and 44.

Many thanks to Dirk for a lovely walk.

13 on this walk.

Weather sunny and dry .

Eight walkers set off from Hayes Station at the appointed time, most of them enticed by the prospect of a short train journey from their local station in south-east London. In the course of the morning this nucleus attracted more participants at regular intervals and eventually 12 sat down for an efficiently-served lunch at the very welcoming Fox Inn on an overcast day.

The author has packed quite a lot of walk into a small area, weaving an intricate route through the wooded commons between Hayes and Keston. Navigation was relatively straightforward along the well-waymarked Three Commons Circular Walk but whenever we were getting complacent we were directed down narrow paths on little loops and whorls through the woods; one hopes these unmarked paths don't change too much from one year to the next. The walk instructions got us round without mishap but a map (or GPS) and a good sense of direction wouldn't go amiss.

This made a good winter walk, with splashes of colour from the flowering gorse bushes, holly berries, pines and other evergreens, together with a mandarin duck which had fled the hurly-burly of St James Park and chosen a suburban life on Keston Ponds. For at least one walker recovering from a cold the short walk length was just right, but we were back at Hayes by 2.15pm where another walker made the not entirely frivolous suggestion that we could go round again. The author had talked about plans to extend the walk and it would certainly be nice to experience this area in other seasons.