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Good Day Walks with a train back to the starting point.

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Kite159

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Yes that looks like the one. Google Maps doesn't seem to offer the path by the Itchen near there. I'm not sure if its because if that, or some other issue.

In my experience Google Maps does tend to be hit & miss when it comes to showing paths.
 

AndrewE

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In my experience Google Maps does tend to be hit & miss when it comes to showing paths.
Bing maps have all the OS maps up to 2.5" to the mile so you can see paths and the "official" view of rights of way.
A
 

Kite159

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Lelant Saltings to St Ive's is stunning in good weather.

That it is, although some of the steps along the path are a bit on the large size!

I started from Hayle rather than Lelant.

Even walked along Porthkidney Beach, which was beautiful.
 
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Cletus

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Did Lelant to St Ives on Friday. Enjoyable walk in the sun. Certainly goes up and down either side of Carbis Bay!
 

ChrisC

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Did Lelant to St Ives on Friday. Enjoyable walk in the sun. Certainly goes up and down either side of Carbis Bay!
I walked from Lelant to St Ives on a warm sunny day last October. The tide was out so walked along the beach from Lelant Church to Carbis Bay.
 

Cletus

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Also walked from Luxulyan back down the valley to Par, under the Treffry Aqueduct, alongside the river and along the old trackways.

Also found some old in-situ railway track and a buffer stop around this point:

There are quite a few routes down the valley, so it's a walk I'd like to do again. Although I still have knock off Bugle and Roche stations.
 

Llandudno

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Dent to Ribblehead is a good one over the top of Blea Moor tunnel.
Quite fancy that one, how long did it take you to walk it?

How arduous is it and I guess there are more downhill sections if you walk from Dent towards Ribblehead?
 

nw1

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Dean to Dunbridge via Dean Hill is a good one. Takes perhaps four hours. Once off the hill you have various variations including via Lockerley and via Newtown. Nice views of the surrounding area and in the coming weeks good for bluebells and other wild flowers.

Dunbridge to Romsey or v.v via the Test Way, or again via Newtown and south of Awbridge. Again would take about four hours.

Just make sure you don't fall into the Dean Trap, aka the Dunbridge Trap. If approaching either station from the wrong side for your train, you will be on the wrong side of the level crossing and if you don't arrive enough in advance of your train, you may find the barriers coming down (for your train, or in the most unlucky case, for something coming the other way first) and miss it! (There is no other way to reach the opposite platform)

Dean to Salisbury is another one but considerably longer as you have to loop some distance north, towards Pitton, to keep on the nice paths. Allow perhaps 6 hours (though I have done it in around 4 when forced to due to the extremely early sunsets of November...)
 
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Kite159

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Dean to Salisbury is on my list to do at some point.

Patricroft towards Navigation Road is a nice canalside towpath walk with options of breaking it earlier at one of the tram stops. Only bit of road walking is at the end and around the Barton Swing Aqueduct
 

Grecian 1998

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Whilst Dawlish - Dawlish Warren has been suggested, you can access the South West Coast Path at any of Starcross, Dawlish Warren, Dawlish and Teignmouth and walk along the Path to any of the other stations. You can also walk from Torquay to Teignmouth via the Path. The views are generally better at the Teignmouth end - much of the route in Torbay is heavily wooded. You can also stop off at the pub or beach in Maidencombe, and the beach in Watcombe. The latter is officially closed but still accessible, so is quiet even in high summer.
 

nw1

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Dean to Salisbury is on my list to do at some point.
Definitely a nice one, though I always seem to end up doing it in late autumn for some reason and running out of daylight!

I also remember while at university doing some kind of unorthodox route from Dean to Salisbury on a rather wet February day. Can't remember the exact route but it started heading west from Dean Hill to Pepperbox Hill and then somehow headed north to the Clarendon Way from Pitton-Salisbury. Don't ask me how we did it though because there doesn't appear to be an obvious route - given these university walks could be a bit random at times, it wouldn't surprise me if we partly used the A36! (This was in the early 90s so maybe it wasn't quite so busy at that time...)

It's actually a shame that there appears to be no good walking route from Pepperbox Hill to Salisbury. If there was, it would be a very good route indeed to get from Dean to Salisbury.

In the same area, if you want something a bit challenging length-wise, I've done walks from the Southampton-Salisbury line to the Basingstoke-Salisbury line (and v.v.) on a couple of occasions. Dunbridge to Andover up the Test Valley (mostly using the old rail track and then through the Clatford area; I also diverted to the viewpoint of Woolbury Rings for a bit of variation) is a good one. More challenging is Grateley to Dunbridge which I did in July one year. Early section maybe not so classically scenic but still good for wide-open views, then you go through the Wallops and Broughton and over the hill to Dunbridge. A long one though!
 
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Kite159

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Did a nice walk today between Cholsey & Reading, following the Thames Path. There was a couple sections where the Thames Path doesn't follow along the river side due to old ferries no longer running, but it was good signposted.

A walk which could be broken down into separate parts as the path comes close to the other stations along the route (Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne & Tilehurst). Although one best to do this time of year as I suspect some parts will get muddy in the winter time.


-----

I'm hoping to make a start with the Basingstoke Canal on Sunday, starting at West Byfleet and walking West (passing Woking & Brookwood stations), can't decide between bailing at Ash Vale or heading towards Farnborough on the Blackwater Valley path, will probably decide on the day based on my legs & the weather
 
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E27007

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Has anyone tackled a walk Marsden to Greenfield or vice versa? Both stations at opposite ends of the famous Standedge Tunnels (Railway and Huddersfield Canal? I have only tackled Marsden to the Tunnel Mouth, at the Marsden portal there is a museum/visitors centre for the canal and a nice cafe.
 

nw1

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Has anyone tackled a walk Marsden to Greenfield or vice versa? Both stations at opposite ends of the famous Standedge Tunnels (Railway and Huddersfield Canal? I have only tackled Marsden to the Tunnel Mouth, at the Marsden portal there is a museum/visitors centre for the canal and a nice cafe.

I've done Marsden to the Pennine Way which was pretty nice, but then returned to Marsden via a different path.

Nice, though it was early January so perhaps not the best time of year.
 

ic31420

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As the OP for this thread I have a bit of a long term notion of putting a bit of a website together with these walk ideas in.

It won't be commercial, more of a bit of a project to refresh my website building skills and to give my little lad a project and let him see how websites are researched and built.

It'll be a long term winter project

Do any of the suggesters have any objections to their ideas being used?
 

bspahh

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Yesterday I used a £20 ticket from the East Midlands Summer Sale to go from London St Pancras to Matlock. I got the 11.00, and had a 15 minute connection in Nottingham. I then got off 2 stops early at Cromford and did the walks from derwentvalleyline.org.uk to Matlock Bath, and then up to the High Tor and down to Matlock.

I got lost in the bit after Cromford where it says "After 150 yards, the path turns back on itself on a waymarked path by two large beech trees." and ended up at Masson Mill. I got to Matlock after a couple of hours walk, and had an hour before my return journey.
 

lachlan

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As the OP for this thread I have a bit of a long term notion of putting a bit of a website together with these walk ideas in.

It won't be commercial, more of a bit of a project to refresh my website building skills and to give my little lad a project and let him see how websites are researched and built.

It'll be a long term winter project

Do any of the suggesters have any objections to their ideas being used?
Sounds good, keep us updated please!
 

5562

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Quite fancy that one, how long did it take you to walk it?

How arduous is it and I guess there are more downhill sections if you walk from Dent towards Ribblehead?
Did the walk in Feb 2017 so pretty wet underfoot, especially the climb up and over Blea Moor. Initially, I went north from Dent Station up the "Coal Road" before heading east (path well marked on OS) parallel with the railway and dropping down under Arten Gill Viaduct. Overall actual walking was about 3 hours. Quite a bit of climbing at the start and up to the top of Blea Moor but well worth it.
 

_toommm_

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As the OP for this thread I have a bit of a long term notion of putting a bit of a website together with these walk ideas in.

It won't be commercial, more of a bit of a project to refresh my website building skills and to give my little lad a project and let him see how websites are researched and built.

It'll be a long term winter project

Do any of the suggesters have any objections to their ideas being used?

A lot of my hikes I record on an app called Komoot, which can then be shared on an OS map to anyone with a free account. I’d be more than happy to share a few I’ve done when you get to creating the website if you DM me.
 
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As the OP for this thread I have a bit of a long term notion of putting a bit of a website together with these walk ideas in.

It won't be commercial, more of a bit of a project to refresh my website building skills and to give my little lad a project and let him see how websites are researched and built.

It'll be a long term winter project

Do any of the suggesters have any objections to their ideas being used?
Go ahead. In London much of the work has been done already via the London Loop and Capital Ring.
 

atominside

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Anyone interested in a day walk on the Pennine Way at short notice tomorrow Wednesday 7th September please see the General Discussion subforum, some tickets that I cannot use may be can get some use from somebody else.
 

Railcar

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I have a particular interest in walking disused railway lines where it is possible to start and finish at different National Rail stations.


In North London. this 'Northern heights' route is just what you want.
Start at Finsbury Park Station, walk into the Park, follow the path parallel to the railway and cross the ECML on the footbridge at the end of the path.
At the West end of the footbridge you can pick up 'The Parkland Walk', a linear nature trail which uses the trackbed of the line from Finsbury park to Alexandra Palace (the line closed in 1954).
The Parkland Walk cosses the GOBLIN at the site of Stroud Green Station and, futher on, you can take a rest on the platforms of Crouch End Station before emerging into the Archway Road.
In Muswell Hill Road you can pick up the railway line's curve by walking through Highgate Wood and emerge at the Cranley Gate ready to pick up the Walk which will take you to Alexandra Palace.
The lake at AP has a cafe and was the location of the Lakeside Miniature Railway (1950-1970).
A walk down the hill takes you to Alexandra Palace Station where a Great Northern train will get you to FInsbury Park, for the Underground.
 

AndyHudds

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Has anyone tackled a walk Marsden to Greenfield or vice versa? Both stations at opposite ends of the famous Standedge Tunnels (Railway and Huddersfield Canal? I have only tackled Marsden to the Tunnel Mouth, at the Marsden portal there is a museum/visitors centre for the canal and a nice cafe.

If you go direct its pretty much road walking really. Across country veers off in the opposite direction, the quickest route is via Butterly Reservior, across to Swellands Resevior on on the Pennine Way on to the A62 cutting then the Pennine Bridleway all the way to the Diggle Hotel. Its not a very demanding walk or difficult navigationally. When I say not very demanding, yo an experienced reasonable fit walker it's not.
 

Tester

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In North London. this 'Northern heights' route is just what you want.
Start at Finsbury Park Station, walk into the Park, follow the path parallel to the railway and cross the ECML on the footbridge at the end of the path.
At the West end of the footbridge you can pick up 'The Parkland Walk', a linear nature trail which uses the trackbed of the line from Finsbury park to Alexandra Palace (the line closed in 1954).
The Parkland Walk cosses the GOBLIN at the site of Stroud Green Station and, futher on, you can take a rest on the platforms of Crouch End Station before emerging into the Archway Road.
In Muswell Hill Road you can pick up the railway line's curve by walking through Highgate Wood and emerge at the Cranley Gate ready to pick up the Walk which will take you to Alexandra Palace.
The lake at AP has a cafe and was the location of the Lakeside Miniature Railway (1950-1970).
A walk down the hill takes you to Alexandra Palace Station where a Great Northern train will get you to FInsbury Park, for the Underground.
A very good description.

Interestingly it's the one I did first (ignoring sporadic ones in the past), in January 2021, which has led to 189 others since, totalling 1,572 miles.

Whilst I've pretty much done the low hanging fruit, I'm still finding more.
 

bspahh

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A few weeks ago, I walked on the Torpel Way which is about 12 miles between Peterborough and Stamford. I parked just off Bretton Way in the West of Peterborough and walked from Katharine Way. Its mostly gently rolling countryside with a few woods. The path skirts around most of the villages and has well made paths with good signage. In a couple of points, I went off the route, and then some of the footpaths were a bit more overgrown. There was one field with cows in it, and it had a gateway which would have been muddy in wetter weather. The last section is along a disused railway line between the river and the current line into Stamford. I then got a train back to Peterborough and a Number 2 bus back to Bretton.
 
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