What we’re about
Welcome to Escape London City Explorers a walking and social group aiming at doing a range of guided walks and social trips to cities outside of London from London and guided walks and hikes within London.
The idea is to do a short country hike or city urban walk exploring cities or towns fairly close to London such as Oxford, Brighton, Portsmouth or Stratford-upon-Avon.
Transport will be either by train or coach, the group is twined with two other groups London Explorers (London walks & hikes) and Chiltern Explorers (countryside hikes within the Chilterns and further afield).
We are enthusiastic about photography and encourage photographs walking at a leisurely pace but also sometimes with harder faster and longer walks.
IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT WORLD HEALTH CRISIS I AM HOSTING SOME LIVE VIDEO EVENTS ON LONDON EXPLORERS & CHILTERN EXPLORERS MEETUP GROUPS.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Box Hill & Country Park– Short Afternoon Country HikeLondon Bridge Station, Camberwell£7.00
Walk length 8miles/13 km approx. Circular.
A chance to explore a section of the North Downs with panoramic views from the summit of Box Hill and exploring Box Hill Country Park.
The walk follows a part of the North Downs Way, a long distance footpath of 156 miles long running along the chalk ridge of the North Downs.
THIS HIKE IS SHORT IN LENGTH BUT UNDULATING AND DOES CONTAIN SOME HILL CLIMBS ESPECIALLY UP TO BOTH BOX HILL.
As this is an afternoon walk we will only be be stopping for a short early snack stop close to the visitor centre at Box Hill.
The walk should finish at about 5.00pm but maybe slightly earlier or later, however time will depend on the weather and pace.
Cost
Walk Cost: £7 cash on the day organizer fee. For paypal it is 'colin45@hotmail.co.uk' Please send as friends and family to avoid charges. For bank transfer message organizer.
Transport and meeting please read..
Various meeting points see below..
The meeting point is London Bridge Train Station. Meet next to the main ticket office opposite the WHSmith from 12.15pm to give us time to get tickets. See photo below. The organizer is getting the train for this hike.
Train at 12.41am gets to Dorking (main) for 13.40pm. Ticket price from £12.70 discounts avialable with a group save or network railcard.
Meet outside Dorking Main Station for the walk to start at 13.40pm (after the train from London arrives). Saturday Parking at Dorking main station is £4.10. Some side roads such as Calvert Road a short walk away are free (please check any restrictions before parking).
Please make a note of the organizers numbers - Colin 07709305681.
Walking Safety
Walking is a great way to keep fit and generally very safe; however it does contain an element of risk. Before going on any of these walks you need to be reasonably fit and be prepared to be responsible for your own safety. You should wear appropriate clothing such as proper walking shoes, warm and wet weather clothing and carry sufficient food and water. Please see our Terms and Conditions (https://www.meetup.com/Escape-London-City-Explorers/pages/23195445/Terms_and_Conditions/)
COULD EVERYONE PLEASE AVOID COMMENTS BELOW THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO THE EVENT AS THIS GENERATES SPAM, JUST CHANGE YOUR RSVP IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU CAN MESSAGE ME. MANY THANKS.
- Hill Views of Ivinghoe & Dunstable Downs – Long Country HikeLondon Euston Railway Station, London£7.00
Walk length 20 miles/32 km approx. Circular.
A very panoramic walk with a new twist on a popular Chiltern landmark Ivinghoe Beacon. This walk crosses paths over chalk grassland and woodland from Dunstable Downs to Ivinghoe Beacon.
The mid point/lunch stop is close to the National Trust visitor centre at Dunstable Downs The Visitor Centre at Dunstable Downs is 243m (797ft) above sea level and Ivinghoe Beacon stands at 233m (757ft) above sea level, the views from both are fantastic.
Some features on this walk include a chance to see the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral before taking a route along the edge of the Whipsnade Wildlife Park.
The Tree Cathedral was created by Edmund Blyth in memory of fallen comrades after the First World War as a spirit of 'faith, hope and reconciliation, he was inspired by the beauty of a sunlit group of trees seen on the way home from a visit to the Anglican Cathedral at Liverpool. It is now owned by the National Trust.
This walk also follows some of the oldest tracks in Britain, with paths such as the Icknield Way; extending from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Norfolk and a small section of the Ridgeway, 87 miles (139km) long, an ancient chalk ridge route used in prehistoric times.
Meeting: We are meeting outside Tring station (main station car park) for the hike to start after the train from London arrives at 10.02am. Tring Station, Tring HP23 5QS. (please note Tring station has no facilities however there are facilities at the Ashridge Visitor Centre less than and hour into the walk).
The 9.25am train from London Euston arrives at Tring station at 10.02am. Train ticket approx £17.50 or less using a group save or national railcard. If you want to meet to get any group saves meet close to the ticket office at 9.00am in case you need to queue (this photo below). The organizer is not coming by train but will meet you at Tring station.
By car to Tring: The car park at Tring Station is charged at weekends. Other road parking around close to the station is limited. If coming by car you could meet us at Aldbury as there is more off street parking, meet us in the main village green, it is only a small village, if you want to do this be on the green no later than 10.30am when we pass by, the village is 1mile from Tring Station (please let me know you are doing this so I can lookout for you).
Lunch & Finish
Please bring a packed lunch and water for the walk. This walk should finish about 6.00pm and include a 30 min snack lunch stop, however the time maybe earlier or later than this depending on the weather and pace (this is a complete day event and you are advised not to arrange plans for the evening).
Tring rail station station has no facilities. We pass the Bridgewater monument and Visitor Centre 1.5 miles into the walk.
We are stopping close to the Dunstable Downs Visitor Centre for lunch.
Cost: £7 cash or paypal (colin45@hotmail.co.uk) payable on the day guided walk & meetup costs. You can do paypal or bank transfer if you prefer, please message the organizer. For paypal please do friends and family to avoid charges.Please make a note of the organizers numbers - Colin 07709305681.
Walking Safety
Walking is a great way to keep fit and generally very safe; however it does contain an element of risk. Before going on any of these walks you need to be reasonably fit and be prepared to be responsible for your own safety. You should wear appropriate clothing such as proper walking shoes, warm and wet weather clothing and carry sufficient food and water. Please see our Terms and Conditions (https://www.meetup.com/Escape-London-City-Explorers/pages/23195445/Terms_and_Conditions/)
COULD EVERYONE PLEASE AVOID COMMENTS BELOW THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO THE EVENT AS THIS GENERATES SPAM, JUST CHANGE YOUR RSVP IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU CAN MESSAGE ME. MANY THANKS.
- The Old Docks of Rotherhithe – Urban HikeRotherhithe London Overground Station, London£4.00
Walk length 5miles/8km approx. Linear.
A varied historical walk exploring some of the re-developed dockland areas of Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.
Rotherhithe and Bermondsey have a number of parks, water features and significant industrial heritage around the former dockland areas, with good views from the top of 30ft Stave Hill within the Russia Dock Woodland.
The walk will end at the only galleried pub left in London, maybe also the oldest in London, the George dating back to the 16th Century.
Meeting and Transport
Meet outside the entrance to Rotherhithe Overground Station for the walk to start at 1pm, we will finish near London Bridge Station and Borough Station.
Please check Transport for London (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/).
£4 cash payable on the day guided walk & meetup costs. The host is a qualified London Guide. You can do paypal (colin45@hotmail.co.uk) please use friends and family with paypal to avoid charges. Bank transfer if you prefer, please contact the organizer.
Please keep your 'RSVP' updated for this event as it would help me get accurate numbers, and determine who is turning up for the walk; my phone number is Colin 07709 305681.
Walking Safety
Walking is a great way to keep fit and generally very safe; however it does contain an element of risk. Before going on any of these walks you need to be reasonably fit and be prepared to be responsible for your own safety. You should wear appropriate clothing such as proper walking shoes, warm and wet weather clothing and carry sufficient food and water.
COULD EVERYONE PLEASE AVOID COMMENTS BELOW THAT ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO THE EVENT AS THIS GENERATES SPAM, JUST CHANGE YOUR RSVP IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU CAN MESSAGE THE ORGANIZER, MANY THANKS.
