Section 5: Hamsey Green to Caulsdon South

 

The most southernly section around the South London Downs.  

Wow.  What an amazing day.  I left Bicester at 9am and was at London Bridge by 10.30am.  I had a particularly shite coffee from a bloody trendy 'select your blend and pay your hourly wage' kind of shop.  I complained that it was total crap and got some insane Columbian coffee injection as compensation.  This wonderful drug set me up for the day!! Result. (God knows if this coffee was legal or not.) 

I got a few pictures afterwards from outside the station.

First mile is always important

London Bridge views never get dull.

I met Tanya inside the station a little later and it was great to do another section with her.  We chatted all the way to Whyteleafe on the train so I was unsure which stations we went through but hey we were nearly on our way, or so we thought.  The only arse ache of the day was trying to interpret the written directions from the website.  They were all printed off and all at hand,  but they were so bad right from the start and we ended up getting completely kurfuffled right from the get go!

The only bonus is that we did wind back to exactly the same spot I ended in Hamsey Green (even though we were meant to be far more along the loop than this)  Oh well, the weather was fab and it was great to chat with Tanya.

 I had bad hayfever and the walking wasn't easy to begin with.   This truly was one of the worst signposted sections so far! But hey, there were lots of bluebells in the commons along with a great Robin.  Plus the bird song was so loud and there were so many butterflies.  It was crazy knowing we were inside the M25.  London was alive with nature!

In my happy place with my maps!

Then we got to this weird observatory and we couldn't help but laugh.  It was the tiniest observatory in a really dilapidated farmer's field. (I thought it was a toilet.)  All very odd but I've googled this place and every Saturday it is open for free for the public to come and have a look through the telescopes.  There are no amenities, you have to walk through the fields in the dark with your torch to find it,  but it is there for you if want to look at the stars!

https://www.timeout.com/london/attractions/kenley-observatory

We then went past Kenley airfield, one of the best preserved airfields from the second world war. It played a vital role in defending London from attacks. There were gliders close by and dog walkers all over the site. 

We then had to rest.  We had been out for nearly 2 hours. The  crap instructions said the whole walk was only 6 miles long.  This was bull...even with going wrong we had covered about 4 miles and weren't even half way!  Plus the walk was deceptively up and down hill.  I don't think there had been even half a mile of flat walking.

Anyway, after a break, off we went again and entered the most beautiful part of the London LOOP so far...

We had finally entered into the area of the South London Downs.  This is a National Nature Reserve, one of three in London, the biggest is Richmond Park.  It was like entering into the New Forest along with the rolling hills of the Cotswolds.  A totally beautiful surprise.  We walked first through Caulsdon Common with all the amazing bluebells, whilst getting more and more confused by the waymarkers,  and then finally we arrived in Happy Valley.  Now this place was fabulous.  The sun was out and so were the rare Greater Yellow Rattles.  (They look like Cowslips but their latin names are completely different.) 

Tanya and I sat down on the ridge and just took it all in!

I made this photo straight.  The flowers were on a slope.

I then clambered up.  By this point my calves and back of my heels were a bit buggered. I was one of those hobbling walkers! I thought it was the beginning of arthritis but I think I have done my achilles tendon in.  Too much wonky up and down walking in one day. (Plus I don't think I had fastened my boots tight enough.)

Anyway, off I lumbered into Farthing Downs.  This was just like the New Forest and was great too.  A high  ridge with fab views on either side and hardly anyone around.  We could also see the city ahead.  It was a completely different angle from my previous walk.  I had hit the most southernly point of the walk and was now walking North.   There was an overload of information boards around here.  Lots about the importance of the biodiversity here and also on the ancient burial chambers from over 12000 years ago.  A great little find , just a few miles away from Purley.   We then wandered down into South Caulsdon and got to the train station through the back of a housing estate.  

Tanya and I then went for a celebration drink in a sport boozer. (Liverpool vs Tottenham was on about 30 screens. ) and then we walked back to the station.  In true fashion of the day we got lost again getting back to the station. We'd only had one pint each!!  Was great to spend the day with you Tanya!
Once I got back to Marylebone I checked my phone and I had walked nearly 12 miles.  This was insane, the walk said it was 6 miles long!  I think either they hadn't taken the incline into consideration or we had spent the day getting really off track!   I think it was a mixture.