So – my weekend hikes are usually 2 nights driving somewhere late friday night, camp, hike 2 days and drive home.

But this weekend I need to leave saturday morning and via train.

Any suggestions where I can easily train to hike, camp, hike and train home Sunday. Any London station is fine.

Train from St Pancras to Sheffield, then get another train to Hope/Edale?

Paddington train to Hereford, change, train to Abergavenny. Hike around the Black mountains/Sugar Loaf, maybe crash near Llanthony Priory so you can go for a few pints before bed. More hiking around offas dyke/skyrrid etc and back to Aber.

It’s what I do quite often just to get somewhere nice without driving.

Train from Victoria down to Billingshurt, Amberley or Arundel for the South Downs.

Or from Waterloo to Haslemere for Hindhead and the Devil’s Punchbowl.

Or Waterloo to Box Hill for Ranmore Common and the North Downs.

All those are pretty short train rides to pretty nice country.

🙂

Train to Glynde and then walk along the SDW to Eastbourne. Train back.
19 miles with dinner in Alfriston.

I’ve mapped the route here.

+1 North Downs or South Downs

Train to Ilkley leaving at 6 getting there at 10. Day on the moor then a day of Bolton Abbey, Beamsley Beacon, Roundhill and Denton Moor

All – thanks!

I am having a super shitty week at work and haven’t got bandwidth to research too hard – and a weekend away will do me a world of good.

No idea how much I appreciate the suggestions!

Train to Portsmouth, take your pick of the ferries to Ryde or Fishbourne, then hike round the Isle of Wight.

nearer to home – Ridgeway – Swindonish to Reading

and what about canals (Kennet and Avon to Reading – but lots other) navigation should be easy ……….

Train to Chirk, then follow Offa’s Dyke path/explore Ceiriog Valley/follow Llangollen canal

Train to Windermere (change at oxenholme) from Euston, 2 day walk wherever you fancy through the lakes to keswick, bus to penrith for return train home.

I think south downs way must be the answer. I sort of half planned it but then my plans changes

Train to wareham, walk south to Swyre head, to corfe for a pub dinner, camp at woodyhyde farm. Due south in the morning, pick up the priests way and down to dancing ledge to stop for a cup of tea, then along the coast path to swanage for a late fish and chips lunch, over old harry rocks and across the chain ferry to poole for the train home.

Did something similar the Easter before last, albeit a bit shorter, but it was cracking. Purbecks are nice and quiet outside high season. Email me if you want some more info/photos.

Does it really need to be a Saturday morning departure? Last thing on Friday from Euston and you can get the sleeper up to Fort William, arriving 8am Saturday, 36 hours to do a lot in and around Fort William (Mamores then over to Corrour perhaps), and return Sunday night back to work on Monday morning.

TomB +1 but with a slight modification and a bit more specific… From Windermere head over the High Borrans to Froswick, above Troutbeck/Kentmere, to gain High Street then walk all the way in to Penrith, nevermind in to Keswick and then getting an (expensive) bus ride! Alternatively, for the early stage, head north through Troutbeck, gain Wansfell, over The Hundreds to Kirkstone Inn then gain High Street via Stoney Cove Pike… If two single train fares might be a bit much the other option is to do a loop from Windermere such as hit High Street, drop down to Howtown, get the steamer down Ullswater to Glenridding, o/n in and around the village, head up on to Helvellyn in the am, then south over Fairfield, via Hart Crag and Red Screes to Kirkstone, The Hundreds to Wansfell then down through Troutbeck back to Windermere.

The only thing I’d say about AlisdairMc’s suggestion is, how early do you need to be back in work on Mon as the Sleeper doesn’t get in to Euston til around 0730/0800 – I used to travel to Inverness on the Sleeper regularly to visit my wife when she was based at RAF Lossiemouth. It’ll also be circa 150 quid for a return, so depends how flush you feel, whereas a return to Windermere from Euston’s about 95 quid.