Rustic Rocks & Rails (14 miles)

Wealden woods beginning their autumn colours. Often one is asked: "What is your favourite place?" A place leaving a most indelible mark is the sandstone outcrops of the Weald.

These began in the Lower Cretaceous as sands accumulating in the shallow inland Wealden sea. The sands hardened over epochs into rocks. which may now be found hiding in the fields and forests all round the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Passing among the woods with their outcrops is the Spa Valley Railway, whose steam trains add colour & sound, and a sense of nostalgia to the landscape. And this weekend the railway holds its annual Ale and Cider Festival, with food stalls, and free live music at its stations, as well as the heritage trains chugging to and fro along the line all day.

A Spa Valley walk of autumn colours, unique rock formations, and stations visited along the line to sample the festivities.

Further details of the Festival are here:
14th Real Ale & Cider Festival! « Spa Valley Railway

TRAVEL: Take the 9.54 train from London Bridge to TUNBRIDGE WELLS. Walk starts 10.45 AM from Tunbridge Wells station. Circular walk

The organizer will be standing from 9.30 am in front of the ticket office to act as a focal point for people to arrange Groupsave tickets.

An off peak day return to TUNBRIDGE WELLS is £14.15 with Groupsave or a Network card and will cover all travel.

How to join?

• The walk is entirely free of charge;
• You only arrange for your own travel and pub expenses;
• Understand our terms and conditions below (the "IMPORTANT" part);
• Understand how to stay safe outdoors, as you will be responsible for yourself. See our quick safety tips:
  https://www.meetup.com/Free-Outdoor-Trips-From-London/about/

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section!

IMPORTANT
Please bear in mind this is a free of charge, self-guided trip with a hobby group. It is not organized by a business nor any entity with commercial purposes.
Any trip details, travel advice, route planning, instructions and other content in our group merely represent our shared personal knowledge, research and suggestions as outdoor enthusiasts. As this is no business, there is no "product", "service" or "package" and also no "tour guide", "operator" or "walk leader".
Each participant is responsible for their own safety. Even if some of us are very experienced walking outdoors, nobody assumes responsibility for any kind of injury, damage or loss that may happen.
Despite this, we take extreme precautions and all trips we plan are very safe, fun, highly educational and popular. Our experienced members volunteer their time and effort to shape a pleasant and quality adventure for everyone :-)
By participating you acknowledge and agree with this disclaimer.

Here are our tips on staying safe during outdoor trips:
https://www.meetup.com/Free-Outdoor-Trips-From-London/about/

TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION, INSURANCE
Although we provide detailed suggestions, each participant is expected to arrange their own travel and (if required) accommodation - this gives everyone the freedom and choice to join from wherever they want and stay wherever they want. Anyone interested in travel or outdoor insurance should also arrange this on their own. As mentioned above we always take extreme precautions, but some people may still feel safer if covered.
We advise not to buy tickets until the day. People getting tickets from the same station are encouraged to meet early on the day to benefit from discounts such as GroupSave.