Not the South Downs Again… North Is The New South! 🧭 | 22.5 km (13.7mi)

📈 Grade: 🥾🥾🥾 Level 3/5
🔦Sunset will be around 16:05, so it might get a bit dark towards the end. Please bring a head torch or hand light just in case!
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📕 ABOUT:
Dear South Downs, we need to talk. 💔 This time we're seeing someone new: the North Downs in Kent, less than an hour from London. 🧭

We drop into the hidden Luddesdown valley, past the church of St Peter & St Paul with its 13th-century roots and Luddesdown Court, said to be one of England's oldest continuously lived-in homes. Then we climb through woodland to Holly Hill (almost 200 m) and follow the North Downs Way above the Medway valley, with a surprise lunch stop where the beer is brewed on site. 🍺🤫

After lunch we cross a wildflower nature reserve to the Darnley Mausoleum, a Georgian pyramid hidden in the woods that has never held a single body, then pass through Cobham, straight out of Dickens' Pickwick Papers, to reach the station at sunset for a pub drink right the corner!. 🌅
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📖SUMMARY:
🥾 22.5 km (13.7 mi) | ➰Circular | ⤴️Ascent: 584 m | ⤵️Descent: 584 m | ⏱️~6.5hrs including breaks and lunch
🚆 Train from London Victoria station
⛳️ Meeting Point: 2 Options
1- London Victoria, in front of the ticket office | 08:20 (Train is at 08:42)
2- Sole Street, outside train station | 09:35
📍 Hike start: Sole Street, outside train station | 09:45
🏁 Hike finish: Sole Street train station at sunset 🌅 | ~16:30
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🚊 TRAIN TICKET INFORMATION:
🎟️Buy an Off-Peak Day Return: London Victoria ⇆ Sole Street
Fare: £13.10 with a Network Railcard (£19.70 without)

• ➡️Outbound: London Victoria 08:42 → 09:33 Sole Street (direct)
• ⬅️Inbound: Sole Street, Any Off-Peak Return → London Victoria (direct, hourly)
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  💷COST: Free
  This hike is completely free to join but participants need to purchase their own transport tickets.
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  🎒WHAT TO BRING:
  2L Water
  Packed lunch, plus money if you'd like to buy a drink (card preferred)
  Waterproof hiking boots with good grip
  Warm layers, waterproofs, hat and gloves
  Head torch, just in case (we finish at sunset)
  Optional: trekking poles, camera

✅WHO CAN JOIN:
Our hikes are open to adults aged 21 and over.
For safety reasons, we're not able to include children.
We love animals, but pets (including dogs) can't join our hikes.
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🚨RSVP & ATTENDANCE:
RSVP only if you plan to attend. Please cancel as early as possible if you can no longer make it so others can join. A no-show means you RSVPed but did not attend or cancelled just before or after the start time. Repeated no-shows or late cancellations without a valid reason may lead to removal. Reliable regulars who end up on a waitlist may message the host for priority consideration.
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☯️STAYING TOGETHER:
A dedicated back marker is not always present, so please keep others in sight and avoid moving too far ahead or falling too far behind. Faster walkers should wait at junctions. The hike leader will pause at key points to regroup and reduce the chance of anyone becoming separated from the group.
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER:
By joining, you confirm that you have read and accepted the group policy on the About page. You are responsible for your own safety, and neither the host nor the group can be held liable for injury, loss, or damage.