Distance: 13.5 miles to Colchester Town station - with a dropout after 11.5 miles at Berechurch for the bus. An extra optional mile through Colchester town centre to Colchester (main) station ups it to 14.5 miles ...

Meeting Point: Kelvedon station at 10.30 am (main entrance - cross over the footbridge), moving off thereafter

Getting There: Catch the 9.36 Greater Anglia service from Liverpool Street station (destined for Ipswich), stopping at Stratford 9.43, Shenfield 9.59 and arriving at Kelvedon 10.24

Getting Back: Aiming for the 18.00 service from Colchester Town station to Colchester, arriving 18.07 - change across the platform for the 18.12 service back to Liverpool Street (stopping at Kelvedon 18.22, Shenfield 18.51, Stratford 19.06), arriving 19.14

(Rail ticketing would be a day return to Colchester Town, to cover the outward journey to Kelvedon)

Lunch: Stopping at Layer Breton after 6.5 miles, either bring own munchies or get something from the "Hare & Hounds" PH

Route: Leaving Kelvedon, our route takes us over open fields skirting Prested Hall to the village of Messing with All Saints church (originally 13th C, renovated 19th C). Then into the trees of Coneyfield Wood and Pods Wood before emerging onto The Rampart (supposedly where Queen Boudicea fought against the Romans) with views towards Mersea and the ocean beyond. Quiet lanes and tracks lead us to Layer Marney with its impressive 16th C gatehouse tower and scary gateposts, along with 16th C St Mary's church. Then over more open fields under the wide open skies to Layer Breton with its heath and rebuilt St Mary's church following the Great English Earthquake of 1884. Lunch follows of less seismic proportions.

Afterwards, more open fields leads the way to Abberton Reservoir (constructed in the 1930s), popular with waterfowl and migrating birds but looking a bit depleted at present. After passing St John's church, dating from the 12th C, we pass the ancient house of Blind Knights (originally a medieval hospital for returning Crusaders) before skirting Layer de la Haye to 18th C weatherboarded Layer Mill astride the Roman River. The landscape then changes to the sandy heath and ancient trees of Friday Wood: Owned by the MoD, paths march their way past barracks to Berechurch (drop out after 11.5 miles). The final 2 miles follow the green corridor into Colchester with its army presence since the Roman era (and trouble from Boudicea) before arriving at the former drill grounds of Abbey Field. The final leg takes us past St John's Gate, a 15th C survivor of the Benedictine abbey that once was, to Colchester Town station. St Botolph's church adjacent is worth a look, rebuilt in the 19th C on the ruined 12th C Augustinian priory. Colchester is a extraordinary myriad of historic buildings from different eras, which awaits anyone wishing to go the extra mile to Colchester station ...

Moderate yet fairly relaxed pace (2 to 2.5 miles per hour) over good paths. Easy terrain with minor undulations.

Cheers, Nick

Meet at Gomshall train station at 11:01pm, taking the train that leaves from Victoria at 09:46.The return journey is from Dorking Station.  

Bring a packed lunch; we will stop at The Wotton Hatch pub for a drink.

Major international kite flying exhibition in Southsea near Portsmouth. Admission free. Possibility of combining this day out with a seaside picnic and  shortish walk, and maybe a pub visit afterwards. Details to follow

.

We cycle out of Kelvedon on cycle paths and some tracks where we may need to dismount and walk for short sections.  Soon we will be in Tiptree where we can stop for morning coffee.

We get back on our bikes and cycle through Layer Marney until we get to Layer de la Hay which has a 14th century church. We may stop at the Layer Fox pub for lunch or wait until Fingringhoe where there is the Whale Bone pub, or maybe even push on until Rowhedge where we get the little passenger and cycle ferry across the Colne to Wivenhoe, a pretty riverside town lined with crooked timber framed houses, where we may stop for afternoon tea or lunch.  

From Wivenhoe we can either take the train home (direct service) or cycle a few more  miles along the cycle path by the river into either Hythe or Colchester Town where we can also take the train home.

See email for details of how to book a place on the ride.

Meeting Point:- Ewell West Station 11.04 

Train Info:- Take the 10.32 train from Waterloo to Ewell West, arriving at 11.04 Trains back to central London every 30 minutes, xx26, xx56 past the hour. Ewell West is within London boundaries. If you miss this train you can get off at Stoneleigh Railway station and head straight to the tea rooms, which is approximately a 1 mile walk.  

Lunch:- Cafe/picnic in Nonsuch park  

Length of walk:- 6 1/2 miles, (circular). There is a drop out point after 4.5miles, where you would be able to return to Ewell West Station (not until after lunch, as we have to walk a further mile to reach this point).  

Starting from Ewell West Station we head towards Nonsuch Park - once site of Henry V111's huge but now vanished palace. Nonsuch Palace was modelled on contemporary palaces in Italy and France and Henry V111 described it as 'non pareil' (without equal, nothing like it - hence nonsuch). Now the only significant building in the park is Nonsuch Mansion with its tea rooms built in the 18th century. There is also a Museum and Gallery which we will visit - see link below https://friendsofnonsuch.co.uk/

From Nonsuch Park we head towards Hogsmill River where we walk through woodlands, and meadows. We will finish the walk at Ewell West rail station. 

 Helen E 

The venue is standing only entrance is free but you must buy a ticket online to qualify for admission. 

It starts at 2pm and lasts until 9.30pm but I am arriving at 4pm.

Some of us have booked for this, the first major European exhibition of James McNeill Whistler’s work in 30 years – bringing together the artist’s world-famous paintings alongside rarely, or never seen, works. It includes exquisite portraits, drawings, prints, and designs, from as early as his teens in St. Petersburg to the enigmatic late self-portraits.

Full price is £24, concessions available. I suggest booking a ticket as soon as you can for the 14:15 slot (or an adjacent slot) at:

https://shop.tate.org.uk/ticket/date?cgid=375283

Meet either in the White Swan, 14, Vauxhall Bridge Road, for lunch or a drink from 12:45 to 14:05, or at the Gallery (side entrance in Atterbury Street, off Millbank) at 14:10. We can have tea at the gallery later. The nearest tube is Pimlico, or overground at Vauxhall.

It would be helpful if, having booked, you drop me an email to say you are coming, also whether you are lunching.

Tim N

The plan is to travel on Friday afternoon/evening and pitch our tents at a campsite on the Knepp estate, where we can have a campfire. On Saturday we will do a local walk in the area. Checkout time is 10am on Sunday, so we may wander off home or potentially be able to leave packed-up tents on site in someone’s car.

This trip has opened for booking. See email for further details.

This walk over the National Trust's picturesque Headley Heath ('open heathland, woodland, and chalk downland') feels very remote even though it starts within London Zone 6. The walk returns to Tadworth via Headley Heath.

The walk starts at Tadworth (Zone 6), just south of Epsom Downs, and crosses open downland (and under the M25) to Headley.

At the start of Headley Heath, the walk crosses the open heathland - with a mix of partly forested hills allowing nice views for most of the way. Then it's a gentle stretch along the North Downs Way (NDW) along the edge of the escarpment, followed by a short stretch along a road to the lunch.  Here you have a choice – the preferred option is a packed lunch followed by a drink in the CHALK HARE Pub (01737 420441 or www.chalkhare.co.uk ), however, as the pub is large, serves an Indian and British menu and the service is rapid, you may wish to opt for a Pub Lunch.

The walk returns across pretty Headley Heath along gentle forested paths, with a gentle Walton Heath ending.

There’s a choice of 2 pubs for tea about 20 mins walk before the station.

Train – Catch the 10.10 from London Bridge [platform 11] to Tadworth arriving 11.04.

 Return trains are at 10 and 40 mins past the hour to London Bridge.

More info soon!

Chair.clog@membermojo.co.uk

Secretary.clog@membermojo.co.uk

Joining details to follow.

Chair.clog@membermojo.co.uk

Secretary.clog@membermojo.co.uk