Walks

We will be walking anticlockwise from “Go”, starting at Park Lane [Dark Blue] and ticking off iconic properties from the London Monopoly board. From Mayfair, we will make our way through the retail hubs of Oxford Street [Green] and Regent Street, heading south-east.

Along the way, we will visit Vine Street [Orange], the shortest street on the entire board, and pass the former Marlborough Street Magistrates’ Court, now a hotel; this route brings us down to Whitehall [Pink] and Trafalgar Square [Red].

We will cover both ends of the Strand, taking a detour through the bright lights of the West End and Leicester Square [Yellow]. Finally, we will cross into the City of London past the Temple Bar dragon to finish on Fleet Street.

By the end, we will have covered 17 board locations and completed 6 full colour sets, which is surely a winning combination. No Speeding!

You will not collect £200, but you are very welcome to join us for a drink at the end, provided we all manage to avoid the least popular square on the board. There is an optional luxury tax to be paid to the walk leader (in the form of a pint).

Please Meet at Exit 2 (Oxford Street South / Park Lane) at Marble Arch Tube Station.

This walk will visit the town of Pluckley in Kent, reputedly one of the most haunted places in England. 
Along the way we will see where ghosts reputedly walk, and explore the woodland woodland that echoes to the screams of the unquiet dead. 

Please bring a packed lunch. 

Travel: Take the 09:34 from Charing Cross (09:43 London Bridge) arrive Pluckley 10:46.

At Halloween we follow the 170-year-old route of corpses and mourners, from Waterloo into Brookwood Cemetery - the largest cemetery in the UK. Established in 1852, Brookwood Cemetery was built to house London's dead, and until 1941 had its own dedicated stations at the start and end of the line. We will explore some of the haunting parts of this Grade I listed site, before moving on through atmospheric Surrey woodlands and fields. The walk will finish by taking in epic Guildford Cathedral, which featured in the classic horror film The Omen!

Please bring a packed lunch. Pub stop at lunchtime (for drinks only), and at the end.

Travel: Take 10:11 from London Waterloo (10:18 Clapham Junction), arr. Brookwood 10:58. Buy return to Brookwood. May require an additional single from Guildford to Woking on the return journey.

Meet outside Brookwood station, at the Cemetery exit on the Platform 2 side / south side.

Terrain: Woods, Fields, Tracks, Country Lanes

A walk of three parts. The first is a mostly gentle climb from built-up coast to South Downs ridge. The second is the main event – following that ridge westwards via Fulking, Perching, Edburton and Truleigh Hills. Be prepared for breezy weather, but a clear day should bring views to uplift the soul over countryside, villages and occasionally sea, including the sweep of the Adur valley. A quick descent then reaches the third, riverbank part, meandering to Shoreham Harbour.

Please bring a packed lunch so we can make good progress to the finishing pub before the hallows begin their een.

Terrain: Hills, riverbank.

Travel: Take 9:46 from London Victoria (9:53 Clapham Junction, 10:04 East Croydon), change at Hove (arr. 10:56, dep. 11:02), arr. Fishersgate 11:09. Buy return to Shoreham-by-Sea (NB Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex NOT Shoreham, Kent).

We'll begin with a climb up Colley Hill before descending from the Downs to explore the pretty villages of Betchworth and Brockham, where we'll have the opportunity to watch the building of the famous Brockham bonfire. From there, we'll join the Greensand Way to Reigate, taking in the Heath Windmill and Priory Park before returning to town.

Please bring a packed lunch. There will be an optional pub stop at the end of the walk.

Terrain: paths, hills, fields, short sections of road walking

Travel: Take 9:05 from London Victoria (9:12 Clapham Junction; 9:23 East Croydon), arr. Reigate 9:50. Buy return to Reigate or use contactless. Meet outside the station (platform 2). 

In 1972 the rumpled Lieutenant Columbo travelled to London along with his unseen wife, of course he gets mixed up in a murder aiding DCS Dirk of Scotland Yard. In the episode ‘Dagger of the Mind’. 
This walk will visit some of locations used in show, as well as some other interesting places. 

Eschewing the classic Thames Path route between Pangbourne and Goring, this walk instead explores the Berkshire countryside to the west of these villages.

Lunch is in the pretty village of Ashampstead, and there will be an afternoon stop in the Bell Inn in Aldworth (drinks only) – a multiple CAMRA award-winning pub which brews its own ale on site. 

There will be a further optional pub stop when we finish in Goring.

Bring a packed lunch and a torch. 

Travel: Take 09:08 from London Paddington, arrive in Pangbourne 10:01.

 Buy return to Goring & Streatley Station.

Meet at Pangbourne Station's northern entrance (outside the ticket office)
 

This walk explores the lesser-known paths and rural roads between Princes Risborough and High Wycombe. It will be held at a fast pace and there will be hills aplenty, foremost among these being the ascent of Chinnor Hill. We will also walk through several woodlands, which will hopefully display an autumnal hue. There will be a pub stop en route, and we will finish at the Mad Squirrel Taproom.

Please bring a packed lunch and a torch (as the walk may finish in the dark).

Terrain: Woods, hills, fields

Travel: Take the 09:42 from London Marylebone, arr. Princes Risborough 10:24. Buy a return to Princes Risborough.

We begin by exploring Windsor Great Park, traversing the Long Walk and passing The Copper Horse state of George III and the Golden Jubilee statue of Queen Elizabeth II.

After lunch, there will be an afternoon pub stop.

We then explore country paths and woods before finishing in Bracknell with an optional end pub stop. 

Bring a packed lunch and a torch. 

Terrain: Park, Woods, Urban

Travel: Take the 09:33 from London Waterloo (09:37 Vauxhall; 09:43 Clapham Junction) arrive Windsor & Eton Riverside Station at 10.29am. Return trains from Bracknell run to London Waterloo. 

Buy two single tickets as the two legs are on different train lines.

Meet outside Windsor & Eton Riverside Railway Station's western entrance on Farm Yard Road

Route starts by following woodland paths through Alice Holt Forest, and then crosses undulating landscapes and scenic heathland, taking in Frensham Great and Little Ponds. We also visit Waverley Abbey Ruins before the final section of the route into Farnham. Total ascent 240m.

Please bring a packed lunch. Pub stop at end of walk.

Terrain: Woods, heathland, fields

Travel: Take 9:05 from London Waterloo (Clapham Junction 9:15), arrive Bentley 10:21. Buy a return to Bentley (Hampshire).

Swap the city for the Christmas countryside, as we visit locations from the hit festive film The Holiday! Places include the site of Iris's cottage and The White Horse pub in Shere, Graham's Mill House near Wonersh, and Amanda's shopping destination in Godalming. Between which we'll also take in the lovely landscape of the Surrey Hills.

Please bring a packed lunch. Pub stop at lunchtime (for drinks only), and at the end.

(Note: for the accompanying 'The Holiday Concert' social the following day, please visit the Met Walkers website).

Terrain: Tracks, Country Lanes, Woods, Fields, River Path

Travel: Take 8:45 from London Waterloo (8:52 Clapham Junction), change at Guildford (arr. 9:23, dep. 9:36), arr. Gomshall 9:52. Buy return to Gomshall. May require an additional single from Godalming to Guildford on the return journey.

A classic route taking in views from Coombe, Beacon and Whiteleaf Hills, and some other undulations through the Chilterns woodland (including a couple of familiar steep, sometimes slippy descents). You may spot some Iron Age and early medieval earthworks. Total ascent 650m. Brisk pace.

Pub stop shortly after lunch for drinks only, and at the end (optional).

Bring a packed lunch. Bring a headtorch as we are likely to finish after the (early, hopefully pretty!) sunset.

Terrain: hills, woods

Travel: Take 9:27 from London Marylebone arr. Wendover 10:16.