A walk in the rain

Eight walkers left the Sir Julian Huxley in Selsdon on Monday November 28 and walked along the undulating Old Farleigh Road to Selsdon Nature Reserve.

The November 28 group - photo George Taylor

ust as we arrived, Phil Willis turned up in his car and joined us – as a local he knew the exact timings to ensure a rendezvous.  The Nature Reserve is a hidden gem in the area which only Phil had visited - even Dave the Navigator was relying on GPS for navigation.

The route exited the reserve at the end of the track curiously named Baker Boy Lane on the corner of Farleigh Court Gold Course. The uphill path ahead looked treacherously muddy, but the group spotted some walkers cunningly detouring via the golf course itself and followed their example. We rejoined the track and skirted the course before a long and scenic stretch between fairways up to Farleigh and its quaint church of St Mary the Virgin.

Traversing Selsdon Wood

The rain started as we crossed waterlogged fields towards Farleigh Common but we were soon sheltering in The Harrow pub. We entertained a couple of locals there who remembered us and our ditties from a previous walk

The return journey in intermittent drizzle took us up to the edge of Kingswood then down Kingswood Way to the Selsdon Nature Reserve car park. Many of the group regretted not hopping on a bus for the last three-quarter mile down and up the hilly road back to the Huxley. Bargain Wetherspoons prices were enjoyed as an early dinner was consumed.