capital walkers

NEW HOME

2011-10-06T05:05:00.000-07:00

CAPITAL WALKERS

has a new home please click

HERE

celebrate scorching october with a capital walkers walk

2011-09-30T04:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday 1 October
Joint walk with the Chilterns Weekend Walkers
St Albans Beer Festival and Water Mill walk (linear walk from Harpenden). Start at Harpenden Railway Station, finish at the Alban Arena (for the Beer Festival). This isn’t too from the railway station. If you don’t want to come to the Beer Festival, the walk leader will direct you to St. Albans railway station or you can look around the lovely city of St. Albans.

Leader: Lucia (07790 820831)
Start time: 10:25am
Length: 11 miles
Pace: Moderate
Terrain: Mainly flat and countryside paths
Drop out: none
Meeting point: Harpenden rail station
Finish point: Alban Arena (near St. Albans station)
Travel: Take 09.50am from London St Pancras, arriving Harpenden 10.22. Buy return to Harpenden.
Note: Bring a packed lunch which we will have outside Redbournbury Mill on the River Ver. You can look around the Mill (it closes at 1.00pm) – there is an admission charge of £2. Bread and cakes will be on sale there, as well as cold drinks and ice creams. We expect to arrive at St Albans Beer (and cider/perry) festival at about 4.00pm. This is in the Alban Arena. The entrance fee is £4 (free to CAMRA members). Click on this link for full details of the beer festival, what’s on offer and also details of public transport options especially if you are planning to indulge at the beer festival!

the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

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is just around the corner - enjoy autumn by going on a walk with Capital Walkers!

Check out our September programme now.

Summer programme arrives

2011-06-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

With summer settling in what better time to get out and about walking with the Capital Walkers. Check out our new August programme now. The 1st walk is Thursday evening - 4 August

Phew what a scorcher

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Plenty of sun and plenty of walks

Check out our walks programme

for May and June

Spring is finally here!

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And so is the brand spanking new

Capital Walkers

walks programme

Plenty of great walks for

April, May & June

Torches at the ready ?

2011-02-16T04:49:00.000-08:00

A couple of next walks end in the dark so have your torches at the ready

CHECK OUT OUR

FEBRUARY & MARCH

WALKS PROGRAMME

NEW WALKS PROGRAMME

2010-12-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Capital Walkers

is 1 year old

Check out our 13 new walks

for January to March

see 'walks programme' on the right

CHANGE TO PROGRAMME

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*** CHANGE TO PROGRAMME ***

SATURDAY 4 DECEMBER

THAMES PATH WALK

6 MILES

START BLACKHEATH STATION 10.30

Films on Foot Festival in association with the 54th BFI London Film Festival

2010-10-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

Want to visit hundreds of film locations, meet new people and get fit?

To coincide with the 54th BFI Film Festival, the Ramblers are running a programme of 16 "Films on Foot" walks around London visiting more than 500 movie locations from Mayfair to the Isle of Dogs.

Between the 13th and 28th of October, one walk a day will visit dozens of big screen sites including famous landmarks and "hidden" corners of the capital, rarely visited by most Londoners. All walks are free, colourfully commentated - and will end at a pub.

Ranging from 3 to 8 miles, they will be led by film-lovers - including one movie screenwriter - from the Metropolitan Walkers, Capital Walkers and South Bank Ramblers groups.

The weekday walks will all start at 7pm, weekend walks at 1.30pm.

Eleanor Harris, Films on Foot Festival organiser, said: “The Films on Foot walks are a fantastic way to let Londoners discover a different side to their city. We also want to encourage Londoners to try out walking with the Ramblers - it's a great way to get fit, make new friends and discover different parts of the UK. The Films on Foot Festival has been a great hit with Londoners: last year more than 700 people joined a film location walk. Anyone with an interest in films, walking or just meeting new people and having fun cannot afford to miss these walks".

Why not try a self-guided film walk along the South Bank?

New Walks Programme - Autumn 2010

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Welcome to our 4th walks programme covering October to December.

Please visit the 'walks programme' page for more details.
We're now hosting a walk every Saturday.

AND

Don't forget about the Films on Foot walks taking place throughout October.

Please visit the Films on Foot page for more details.

Spend a weekend away walking with Capital Walkers

2010-05-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Shropshire Hills weekend from Friday evening July 2nd to Sunday July 4th

We are pleased to announce the first Capital Walkers weekend trip based in Church Stretton in the Shropshire Hills. Church Stretton is a small market town set in a valley between the Long Mynd and Caer Caradoc and lies within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. All walks will be led by an experienced leader and will be starting and ending in the town.

The itinerary for the weekend:

Friday evening July 2nd: meet in a pub in the town, details to be announced in due course. For anyone arriving too late for the pub a meeting point in the town on Saturday morning will be arranged.

Saturday July 3rd: Circular walk over the Long Mynd 12 miles with about 550m of ascent. A packed lunch is needed for this one

Sunday July 4th: Walk over Caer Caradoc, pub lunch in Cardington and return over Hope Bowdler Hill, 9 miles and about 500m of ascent

Other walks may be offered subject to demand and willing leaders.

If you are interested just send us an email with some contact details using the comments option.

New Walks Programme - Summer 2010

2010-03-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

Our third walks programme covering July to September is now available.

Please visit the 'walks programme pages' for more details.

At the moment we're still putting on 2 weekend walks along with 1 evening stroll/social every month.

Hainault Forest

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Saturday 13 February 2010
Apparently Essex has a golden triangle and along with Loughton and Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell is one of the apexes and it was from here we started our walk to Hainault Forest. We started turning up in dribs and drabs from about 10.30 for our 11 start. We were delayed about 10 minutes while the last few stragglers negotiated the vagaries of the Woodford loop on the central line. So finally with a group of 30 (including me) we set off up the hill heading for the London Loop and the muddy Essex countryside.

These days Chigwell is famous for being the home of Sir Alan Sugar, Ronnie O'Sullivan and because Spurs train here, any number of premiership footballers. Just before we turned off the road to strike across country you pass Chigwell School - established in 1629 by the Archbishop of York its most famous pupil is probably William Penn who later went on to found Pennsylvania.

For those of you familiar with the London Loop this is stage 14 - Chigwell to Harold Wood - but of course we were only doing a coupla miles of it today. We step quite quickly through some semi-urban landscape and soon see the fertile farming land of Essex - remembering we're only about 12 miles from Charing Cross. Following some wide tracks (probably old drover roads) we go round Chigwell waterworks and end up in Chigwell Row. Here the skyline is dominated by a Victorian church (bloody ugly if you ask me) but next door is The Maypole, mentioned by Charles Dickens in Barnaby Rudge.

We're nearly at Hainfault Forest now - "A territory of woody ground and fruitful pasture for wild beasts and fowls in the protection of the King for his delight and pleasure". Back before the Norman conquest nearly all of today's Essex was described as forest. By the time of the early 18th century Hainault and its near neighbour Epping Forest were fighting off a vast horde of developers casting their covetous eyes over this unspoiled land. In 1858 Parliament gave consent for over 100,000 Hainault Forest to be felled and the land to be drained, fenced and subsequently developed. The country park we are just entering is a small fragment of the majestic original.

As well as encountering more trees almost immediately (well it is a forest after all)we also found more mud and less signing. We headed down towards the lake and had some lunch. I took the opportunity to feed the ducks (don't ask I blame my granny, others sought out the public loos and hot chocolate, while a few consulted their netbooks and iPhones. Aah technology - you gotta love it.

We headed further into the forest, passing the Millenium Beacon - what's that all about? We soon began to head back towards the road and civilisation, first trudging through a particualrly muddy stretch. Re-tracing our steps a bit we soon came to Grange Hill and the end of the walk. Some of us pushed on to the Bald Hind for a coupla beers while the rest headed home.

Socials Programme January to March 2010

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The Socials

Second Thursday of each month

So that's - 14th January, 11th February and 11th March

We’ll be in the Buckingham Arms, St James' Park from 7pm.
It’s one of only nine pubs that have been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide everyyear for its 37 years of publication and one of only two in the London area.

Here's what fancyapint think of it and beerintheevening

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Walks Programme January to March 2010

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Walk One
Saturday January 9th
Green Chain Walk from Eltham to Greenwich North
Following the Green Chain Walk and Thames Path, we’ll see historic and important buildings (includingthe Thames Barrier and Eltham Palace), walk in ancient woodland and have some great views.
Leader: Phil M (07939 585813)Start time: 10:45 am
Terrain: Mostly paved, although tracks that can get muddy
Length: 8 miles
Meeting point: Eltham station (Zone 4) – trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo East and London Bridge
Finish point: Greenwich North station (Zone 2) – Jubilee Line
Pace: Moderate
Drop outs: 3 and 6 mile points
Travel: Take the 10:17 from London Charing Cross to arrive at Eltham at 10:45
Note: Bring a packed lunch

Walk Two
Saturday January 23rd
The Chilterns: Kings Langley to Apsley featuring the Chess Way
Leader: John B (07799 804429)
Start time: 10:00 am
Terrain: Hills, woods and riverside paths
Length: 12 miles
Meeting point: Kings Langley station
Finish point: Apsley station
Pace: Moderate
Drop out: Only at Chalfont and Latimer station which is on a different line
Travel: Take the 9:34 from London Euston, arrive at Kings Langley at 9:59. Buy a return to Apsley.
Note: Pub lunch at Chenies in the Chess Valley

Walk Three
Saturday February 13th
A visit to Hainault Forest
Leader: Des G (07884 476900)
Start time: 11:00 am
Terrain: Mostly flat woodland – could be muddy
Length: 8 miles
Meeting point: Chigwell station (Zone 4)
Finish point: Grange Hill station (Zone 4)
Pace: Moderate
Drop out: none
Travel: Take the Central line to the start of the walk.
Note: Bring a packed lunch.

Walk Four
Saturday February 27th
West Byfleet to Hampton Court
Walk along the Wey Navigation that joins the Thames, possible extension on to Kingston throughHampton Court Park.
Leader: Teri (07795 106238)
Start time: 10:25 am
Terrain: Canal and river tracks, flat
Length: 9 miles
Meeting point: West Byfleet station
Finish point: Hampton Court station
Pace: Moderate
Dropout: none
Travel: Take the 9:53 from London Waterloo (10am Clapham Jct), arrive West Byfleet at 10:21 – buy a return to West Byfleet.
Note: We’ll stop for a pub lunch along the way and tea or/refreshments at the end.

Walk Five
Saturday March 13th
Goring Circular
Leader: Dawn and James (07814 696915)
Start time: 10:00 am
Terrain: Country lanes and footpaths, some hills. There will be mud!
Length: 12 miles
Meeting point: Goring Railway station
Finish point: Goring Railway station
Pace: Moderate
Dropout: none
Travel: Take the 9:06 from Paddington, arrive Reading at 9:30, depart 9:53 and arrive Goring &Streatley at 10:06
Note: Bring a packed lunch. We’ll be stopping at one of the best pubs in Berkshire – The Bell Inn atAldworth! They do have a fine selection of sandwiches. Finish off with a pint at The John Barleycornin Goring. Return trains leave hourly.

Walk Six
Saturday March 27th
Godalming Circular
The walk passes through the National Trust property of Winkworth Arboretum (where we will stop for lunch), via a public right of way. Winkworth contains over a 1,000 exotic trees and shrubs and has sweeping views. The second half of the walk is mostly along bridlepaths and lanes, passing an oldcider house and finishing along the River Wey towpath. Please bring a packed lunch. Café stop at lunch time and pub stop at end of walk.
Leader: Fung (07748 997497) and Deborah (07985 433521)
Start time: 11:00 am
Terrain: Woodland and fields
Length: 8 miles
Meeting point: Godalming station
Finish point: Godalming station
Pace: Leisurely
Drop out: (if any) Winkworth Arboretum (4 miles)
Travel: Take the 10:15 am from London Waterloo, arriving Godalming 11:00am.
Note: Bring a packed lunch, we will stop by Winkworth Arboretum at lunch time, where there is a café but this may be busy with long queues. Pub stop at the end.