Vanguard Way: East Croydon to Oxted

I arrived at East Croydon after an easy journey on the Elizabeth Line, that only took an hour, including a change at Farringdon. The Elizabeth Line has made some journeys really easy and quick, getting to East Croydon before it opened would have involved 2 train journeys, separated by a trip on the underground and would have taken a lot longer. Having grown up around the area I was familiar with the it but it seems to be in a permanent decline, the train station looks sad and badly maintained, I headed off quickly to get something from a small supermarket and headed off on the route, it was a cold morning so I was warmly wrapped up.

I could not find any official start to the route but I didn’t look too hard either, but I set off South from the station walking along some busy roads. The GPX file that I had downloaded from the LDWA, showed the route incorrectly, missing the correct route along a footpath, which I took, heading past a school, though various residential areas until reaching Lloyd Park. I remembered going to this place as a child, they had what I remembered to be a huge slide set into a bank but that was many decades ago. The park was busy with dog walkers and runners, heading across the park to another road which I followed Eastwards for a bit before reaching another smaller park that I also visited as a child. The route headed away from the road at this point heading South West. I passed another walker doing the route but didn’t say anything as I was too caught up reminiscing about my childhood. I headed into the smaller park for a quick trip down memory lane before heading on, the route passed though some woodlands at the base of a steep escarpment, following it for a while during which the direction of travel changed to the South East heading along a track passing along the back of some houses. There was no one about apart from the other walker in the distance though I was passed by a group of mountain bikers at one point.

The walker I’d seen previously was ahead of me but after reaching a road, I stopped to have a drink from my flask before heading along some roads to Littleheath Woods, where another walker came up behind me and quickly overtook me with a grunt. A little way further on the Vanguard Way met up with and continued along the London Loop, which I’d done a few years ago, though I had no memory of this part. One piece of woodland looks very much like a another piece of woodland on many walks, though on reaching another road, I came to a stretch I did remember. It was one of those section of the London Loop that passes though a section of housing on a small path between the backs of gardens. This didn’t last long and soon I was heading uphill steeply through woodlands meeting another path called the Tanbridge Border Path. Somewhere along here I met up with the first walker I’d seen near Lloyd Park and made the effort to say hello to him. He was taking a break but did confirm that he was walking the same route as me, he didn't seem interested in talking.

After reaching a road, the route separated from the London Loop heading on through some pleasant woods, the day had got a lot warmer by now, and after emerging from the woods I sat down outside the expensive looking Farleigh Court Golf Course, had some more coffee and took off my jumper. Heading off through a muddy path, before heading on to the small village of Chelsham, passing The Bull and heading off along the a road and then south through Henley Wood, and then along side some fields, before crossing a fairly busy road to a lovely looking wood called Slines Oak. It was full of trees and covered with a blanket of leaves and was quietly peaceful, I had another break sitting down on a log. It has clouded over by now and was getting cold and checking the map I decided to finish for the day at Oxted, which was still some distance away.

Leaving the wood I entered a field of cows, they seemed to take an interest me and started to follow me, though when I turned round they stopped, it was like a game of blinds man’s bluff. I was getting a bit nervous but after a while they got bored and gave up, but by then I had other things to think about as it had started to hail. I quickly put on my waterproof jacket and gloves I was pretty cold by now but the hail did not last very long. Reaching the field boundary the route took a sharp turn to right and headed off down a steep slope toward a stable and a road which led Southward to a track and a slow ascent up to a ridge. The track continued on though some woods for a kilometre or so before reaching the chalk escarpment, which I descended steeply to reach the North Downs Way which I had finished about a year ago, though I was only back on it for a few minutes before heading South towards Otxed, along yet another path The Greensand Way which passed though the town. It was a short walk though some fields and woods to the town, where I reached the train station to discover that the train had been replaced by the dreaded rail bus replacement service. Luckily there was a bus ready to go and I jumped on it and headed home.