Hike For Charity

Hike facts
Approximately 16 km /10 miles.
Duration: actual walking time, circa 4 hours.
Hike grade: easy
Weather: see here
Donation to GOSH: £5 cash on the day.
What to take: a packed lunch and plenty of water.
Also, we're not insured, so please have your own insurance for this type of activity.

Walk description
Starting from the station, we'll stroll alongside the River Thames and Jubilee River to reach Eton, and its world-famous College.

After our lunch break, we’ll continue along the Thames Path and then cross the river to join the Long Walk, the tree-lined avenue that leads up to Windsor castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world.

At the end of the Long Walk, we’ll be back in Windsor where we end our adventure. As always, everyone is welcome to join us for a drink or two before heading home 😊

MEETING AT
Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station. Meeting time: 10.30. We'll leave at 10.40 am.
We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below.

TRAVEL
by train
Getting there: get the 9.33 from London Waterloo, arrives 10.29 am.
Coming back: there's three trains an hour back to London.
A day return costs £17, but with a Network Railcard, or Groupsave, it's £11.30 (as of 2/11/24)
Plan your route here: trainline

by car
You could park at Windsor and Eton Queens car park, King Edward V11 car park, or Home Park car park.

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Groupsave tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊

• We're volunteers hoping to establish a community of friends, so please go with the flow and help out where and if you can.
• If you need to get in touch on the day, you can call Carl on 07503 237 375 or via Meetup.

Do this hike because – you’ll get lots of variety, charming villages and great panoramic views across the Chiltern hills and the Chess Valley.

Hike facts
Distance: Approximately 16km / 10 miles
Duration: Walking time 5 hours.
Grade: Moderate. We will maintain a steady pace over varied surfaces. There are a few hills and parts of the route may be muddy.
What to bring: Hiking boots (please - no trainers in winter), a litre of water and a packed lunch.
Donation to GOSH: £5 cash on the day
Risk: walking's a very low risk activity but as we're volunteers we don't have public liability insurance, so if you sign up for this walk, you accept you're fully responsible for your own safety.

Hike description
Starting in Chesham, we’ll walk across fields bordered by Oak and Beech woodlands on our way to Ley Hill common. From here, we’ll head on to Flaunden, a charming village surrounded by beautiful countryside.

Flaunden has an interesting old church and two pubs, and we'll stop here to enjoy our packed lunches (if we've time, you may be able to grab a quick drink in one of the pubs).

Afterwards, we’ll continue on to Latimer and Latimer House, enjoying sweeping views across the Chess Valley, and then we'll walk along the Valley back to Chesham.

Before heading home, there will be the option to stop for a drink or two at the Queens Head in Chehsam, which also serves great Thai food 😊

Meeting at
Chesham station (Metropolitan Line).
Meeting time: 10.20am. We'll leave at 10:25 am.

TRAVEL
Getting there (from central London): the train leaves London Baker St. at 09:17 and arrives at Chesham at 10:18 am.

Coming back: there are 2 trains an hour returning to London from Chesham.

Plan your route: TFL

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Group save tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take. Specifically make sure you bring good hiking boots and that you are ready for muddy conditions . Please - no trainers, they are not suitable for walking in the wintry muddy conditions.
4. In case of really bad weather we will shorten, or possibly even cancel the walk. Please do check the meetup page on the night before the walk for last minute updates.

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier


Hike facts
Approximately 15 km /9 miles.
Duration: actual walking time, circa 3 hours.
Hike grade: Easy.
Weather: see here
Donation: £5 cash on the day
What to take: a packed lunch and plenty of water.
Also, as we're volunteers we're not insured, so please have your own insurance for this type of activity.

Walk description
Leaving the station, we'll stroll along the Oxford Canal, through a local Christmas Market and then head towards our lunch stop at a popular pub (we're not ordering food here so please bring a packed lunch).

After our break, we'll follow the Thames Path to Folly Bridge. Crossing the bridge, we enter the city and continue along Christ Church Meadow Walk and Poplar Walk, heading towards the iconic Oxford University Colleges. We'll then reach Oxford Christmas Market for more festive atmosphere.

We’ll spend about 30 minutes at the market before heading to the Four Candles pub, just a few minutes from the train station.

Meeting at
Oxford railway station. We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below. Meeting time: 10.45 am. We'll leave at 10.50 am

Travel:

• by train from London

Get to Paddington ticket office at 9.10 am. It's by Platform 1. Colin will be stood by the ticket office holding a GOSH banner (see photo of banner below) to help buy return Grouspave tickets (we’ll need to get into groups of at least 3). The Groupsave ticket will cost approx. £22.90. We'll head to the platform at 9.30 to catch the 9.50 train which arrives into Oxford at 10.43 am.

• by car
• Suggest, 'Park & Ride' to avoid high parking charges & emission charges.

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Groupsave tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children: https://www.gosh.org
  We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊
• We're volunteers hoping to establish a community of friends, so please go with the flow and help out where and if you can.
• If you need to get in touch on the day, you can call Colin on 07941 646 035 or both of us via Meetup.

Hike facts
Approximately 14 km /9 miles.
Duration: actual walking time, circa 4 hours.
Hike grade: Easy to Moderate (there are some hills)
Weather: see here
Donation: £5 cash on the day
What to take: a packed lunch and plenty of water.
Also, we're not insured, so please have your own insurance for this type of activity.

Walk description
Starting from the station, we'll pass the town clock and the statue of Queen Anne, presented to the city in 1713. Next, we'll visit the historic 'Butter Cross' before moving on to King Alfred's statue. We'll then take a brief stop at the Visitor Information Centre to grab a free City Walk leaflet.

With the city bridge and city mill in sight, we’ll follow the River Itchen to St Catherine's Hill for great views of the city. Our journey continues along the Itchen Way to our halfway point and lunch break at Shawford. After lunch, we’ll pass the medieval Hospital of St Cross and the ruins of Wolvesey Castle.

As we head back towards the city, we'll see Winchester College and the house where Jane Austen spent her final weeks. Just a few steps further, we’ll find the medieval Cheyney Court before passing through Prior's Gate and towards the Deanery.

Prepare to be revitalized as we reach the Cathedral and Christmas Market. Here, you can spend 30 minutes exploring the market and the nearby historical sites, or catch an early train home.

We’ll then regroup and head to a pub for a drink or two before making our way back to the railway station and saying our goodbyes 😊

Meeting at
Winchester railway station. We'll be outside the station exit holding a GOSH banner, please see the photo below. Meeting time: 10.35 am. We'll leave at 10.40 am.

TRAVEL

• by train from London Waterloo

Catch the 935 from Waterloo, arrives into Winchester at 10.32 am.
There are 3 trains an hour going back to London.

Booking ahead, two singles maybe cheaper than a return. Using a Network railcard or Groupsave will save you a third off the ticket price.

Plan your journey here: Trainline & TFL

• by car
  Winchester has 'Park & Ride' options.

KEY INFORMATION
YOU MUST READ THE THREE SECTIONS BELOW - if you join this trip, you're confirming that you have.

1. The perilous bit
2. Our FAQs, including an explanation of Groupsave tickets which will save you money.
3. See here for what to wear and take

AND FINALLY

• We're raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children: https://www.gosh.org
  We’ll deduct Meetup fees but all the profits will go to GOSH. After each hike, we’ll let you know exactly how much we’ve all raised. And if you’d like to join us and raise money by leading some hikes, please get in touch – the more the merrier 😊
• We're volunteers hoping to establish a community of friends, so please go with the flow and help out where and if you can.
• If you need to get in touch on the day, you can call Colin on 07941 646 035 or both of us via Meetup.