If any updates to the directions are needed, please let me know.

Waterloo was heaving with people, doubtless heading for fleshpots and places of resort, so it was a relief to get a relatively quiet train to the Surrey Heaths.

16 assembled on the station platform on arrival and I am not aware that any joined later. The weather was cloudy but with increasing sun after lunch . Quite hot and sticky near the end.

Early on there were good displays of heather on Oxshott and Esher Commons. Not quite at its best but getting there. Two of us looking for butterflies recorded seven species, with three types of moth and one hornets’ nest (never seen one of those before!). There were lots of blackberries to eat en route.

The walk author asked for comments on the walk. Nothing to say about the written directions, since all of us used GPX as far as I am aware. But it was widely felt that the route dives up narrow (and sometimes overgrown) paths a little too often, when wider ones were available.

The morning was also felt to be too long. Several shortened it by missing out the loop down along the river and I wished I had done the same, frankly. The river path was blocked in several places by minor fallen trees and provided no scenic interest, not even a good view of the river. Simply turning right onto Esher Common would save a mile and a half without reducing the charm of the walk at all in my opinion.

Two tables of four had been booked at the Star for lunch, but alas when (or in some cases before) we got there we learned it had had a power cut and would not be doing food. Two of us speedily diverted to the Woodman in Ashtead, a chain pub which served reasonable food with reasonable rapidity. Two more joined us and we found on our way out that another five (?) had also turned up and were tucking into meals. Did I also hear later that some people managed to get food in the Star after all? So all who wanted to got a pub lunch, I guess.

In the afternoon we crossed Ashtead Common, hoping for some lingering examples of the cornucopia of butterflies that are found there in late June and July. But we had to content ourselves with a southern hawker dragonfly (and later the hornets’ nest). We rounded up a few sandwichers en route.

At the end I got to the Cricketers pub on Epsom Common expecting to find a happy crew of walkers there. But apparently people have social lives or significant others they have to get back to, so there were only four of us. We had a nice drink anyway and some good chat, before going for the train at…..(whenever: I never note the return train time)

Three of us got separated early on after diving up a narrow path which most others eschewed. We misread the directions to the A307 and made quite a detour to get to the River Mole (with hindsight we would have been better off reversing that bit). I thought that section was quite enjoyable although we did have to dodge round a path closure - hopefully only temporary. But there were no views of the river from above as the greenery was very thick; maybe there are only views in the winter.

I did use the directions, at least until Prince's Coverts, where after our detour and being a bit hungry, we took a bee-line to the pub. There we heard the news about no lunch and encountered some of the others mentioned in Walker's report. One group was about to leave in search of lunch and later another did get served, so we left them to it and headed for Epsom as the afternoon heat built up. Mike, I'll drop you a line separately.

When I last did this walk in March, the Cricketer's Pub on Epsom Common had a range of ciders as well as tea and coffee options...

If you are planning to end in Epsom, TFL bus services also run from there to some parts of London: https://bustimes.org/search?q=epsom

Ashtead station is on the edge of the common and far superior if you ask me!

#21, # Sunny , After a very wet July and early August it was good to see blue sky and feel the warmth of the sunshine. Even with GPS we had some difficulty following the route through the common, taking the wrong side of the Black Pond and not getting quite on to the ridge after the Mole. Its been a very good growing season for the bracken now over 2m tall and obscuring the section of path under the pylons. It's quite a long way to the Star and most stopped for a picnic. Three of us took a four wheeled short cut and had lunch, slightly formal, table service only, but good food and well kept beer. The picnicers joined us for a drink including two who were on a later train. After the pub some did the full walk and others took a shorter route to Ashford Station.

10 at the station. A largely sunny day. A pleasant walk. Despite the recent rain, spring was in the air and a lot of the walk was dry underfoot. But not all of it. It was still a wet sock day and it was a long way to lunch. By the time the Star was reached the number had mysteriously grown to 14. The walk split into two here. The first arrivals had managed to get themselves a pod but their sumptious banquet had only started arriving as we were leaving. The afternoon terrain wasn’t as dry as the morning. The socks got even wetter and infused with mud.It’s just a miracle there were no alligators. The intention was to do the full loop round Ashtead Common but something went wrong. An accidental shortcut was taken and there we were, suddenly at walks end. { Not my fault, you understand …I was merely following the others). Mr Tigers surly expression suddenly changed to one of joy and light.The rest decided to go on to Epsom. Mr Tiger skipped eagerly to Ashstead Station for the 15:13

Owing to the marking of a certain milestone, a record setting 14, including some special guests on this short map led excursion through Ashtead and Epsom Commons....We decided to slightly shorten the suggested route to allow time for a "bubbles break" to rehydrate near the pretty ponds with a variety of water fowl..then headed to the pub on the edge of Epsom Common where all had at least one drink, most ate and some had puddings....A fun evening of merriment in dry but cloudy conditions.

We had better luck weather-wise than the day walkers....the forecast held true and despite the torrential rain for most of the day, it managed to ease as we set off from Ashtead station under humid overcast skies . One of our group did don his waterproofs which I think helped keep the precipitation at bay (many thanks)....I think most agreed the route made a pleasant evening outing through commons and woods (which at times felt tropical given the humidity). We arrived at the Cricketers just at 9pm, so missed food -- but most did enjoy a drink (or 2) on the terrace.....Oh, yes, almost forgot, there were 8 off the train who bumped into another on the common, making for 9.

Hi. Newbie. Is there a watering hole before 8m?Thank you.

According to the walk notes and map, there are no refreshment stops before the Star.

For a shorter distance to lunch, if you look at the map of the walk route, you can see that there is very obvious potential to make a short cut on Esher Common.

Thank you for going the extra mile, Mr Walker.

27 walkers turned out on a mild and sometimes sunny day . The morning section started off dry under foot across areas of lovely sandy heathland, enjoyable despite the road noise. However, the flooded A3 underpass proved to be a sign of things to come. A few braver-than-me walkers removed their boots and socks and waded through the calf-high water but most detoured to cross the road via a bridge. Princes Coverts was atrociously muddy in parts (especially the bit via Jessop's Well) and Ashtead Common was similar. Nonetheless, this is a really nice walk across heathland and through some lovely open woodlands that deserves another outing during in drier times.

We counted at least 30, I think, and it was the underpass under the railway just after the A3 one that was flooded. Kudos to the lunchtime pub which had a booking for 8 but cheerfully extended it to 13 or so as more turned up - and they let us order at the bar. Nice people! A few ate somewhere in Claygate.

The mud on Ashtead Common was indeed shocking - or rather the standing water on the paths was. It had the odd result that my boots ended up quite clean. I noticed with interest that some who had been happy to wade through the underpass flood were remarkably reluctant to walk through the mud. “Straight through the middle” is my motto. The tracks on Epsom Common were by contrast quite dry.

The pub on Epsom Common was a kiddie hell. Packed with ‘em at 5pm or so. Was it Kiddie Pub Tea Saturday or something?

How do you dry your feet after underpass wading? Portable Dyson driers?

Epsom now Oysterable.

Yes, Epsom finally got added to the Oyster network three weeks ago. It will be more useful for any walk to or from another Oyster station, but be aware that the station is outside Zone 6 and so a Zone 1-6 Travelcard or Freedom Pass is NOT valid there.

Thank you both for the Oyster info.

Hi Guys hope to some of you on this which I have done before. See you at Waterloo.

Monica

13 set out from Oxshot under a typically lid on the Tupperware box sky . Service at the lunch pub was average. The majority took the longer afternoon route to Epsom, w

Just 3 walked to Ashstead. The morning section was around two thirds of the total walking. Weather brightened a little in the afternoon. Beer in the Woodman at Ashstead was of variable quality. Four return trains an hour made for an easy return journey.

Just a hardy bunch of 7 walkers out for this today, as the weather turned out as forecast: heavily overcast with periods of drizzle then rain . It was dry initially and again in the last hour or so, but inbetween all kinds of gear had to be put on. That didn't distract from what is a very good autumn walk, with plenty of varied woods en route (all with good colour displays), amongst the sandy paths, heathland and ponds. The ground was muddy in places but not much. The Star Inn was busy but with some tables available and friendly and efficient, and we got to Ashtead station just before 16.00 hours. 3 went to the platform, the other 4 to The Woodman.

The directions could do with some more compass bearings at critical junctions (there are always more paths in the woods than a map suggests) and some of the waymarkers etc were not there anymore, adding to doubts about the onwards route in places. All good stuff, apart from the obvious downsides: the closeness to the A3 and the noise it generates, and some stretches along an HV pylon line.

20 on this walk, delighted by unexpected sun for the first two hours after which it was cloudy . The mix of woods and heaths and ponds on this walk looked especially pretty at this time of year, with autumn colours still good - gold on birch trees, yellow-green on understorey hazel, and brown on oak.

The lunch pub, The Star, was very busy. It is 8 miles into the walk and it is probably just as well we arrived there a bit later when they were starting to get a few free tables. Nine of us lunched there that I know about - whether any faster walkers were turned away earlier, I do not know. The pub is deservedly popular as the menu is extensive and the service very cheerful.

After lunch we walked through Ashtead Forest - magnificent oak colours - and then Epsom Common as stipulated: there was a fine red dusk sky here. We then went off piste in search of a pub on Epsom Common of which we had nice memories. That was either closed or being refurbished, but we found another - also very busy: pubs in these parts are doing good business, evidently - which served us wine, beer, teas or pudding according to choice. We then got the 18.40 something train from Epsom station.