Parametric data
- Route name:
- Brighton5
- Start point:
- Brighton.
- End point:
- Westminster.
- Synopsis:
- A long distance route suitable for all weather conditions, and offering easy walking surfaces and navigation. Its adherence to the A23 diminishes its attraction for those averse to an urban environment, or vehicle noise.[1]
- This route on OS maps:
- https://explore.osmaps.com/route/22351803/ ...
- OS Explorer sheet ref(s):
- OL11, OL34, 146, and 161.
- Distance:
- 52.7 miles walked, 46.6 miles flown.
- :
- 19.1 hours.[2]
- Ascent:
- 608 metres.
- Stiles:
- 0 (zero).
- Landmark of note:
- The statue of George IV.
- Feasible excursion:
- There are other routes through South London, such as Battersea, but they aren't much shorter, and are navigationally complex.[3]
- Waypoints:
- Round Hill, Preston, Withdean, Westdene, Patcham, Braypool, Pyecombe, Muddleswood, Albourne, Sayers Common, Hickstead, Bolney, Warninglid, Handcross, Pease Pottage, Tilgate, Crawley, Three Bridges, Manor Royal, Tinsley Green, Gatwick, Horley, The Acres, Salfords, Earlswood, Redhill, Merstham, Hooley, Coulsdon, Purley, Waddon, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Streatham, Brixton, Stockwell, South Lambeth and Vauxhall.
- Fuel:
- Breakfast from Starbucks. Lunch from Sainsburys.[4] I forget to pack energy bars. Dohh.
-
: -
14°C,[5] 🌥️
Until late in the day, it's cloudy, and I am rained on a
little at Pease Pottage. The breeze is welcome, and the
temperature is not much more than I care for. After Brixton
and nightfall it drops back.
-
Avoiding roads: -
Pedestrian friendly, practically all the way.[6]
-
Footpath construction: -
Tarmac all but 15 metres of the
way.[7]
-
Footpath condition: -
After Bolney, on the London Road between the filling station
and the 'new' A23, is a seriously neglected
stretch of footway. Come on, Sussex Highways, this is the main Brighton
to London route on foot. Oh, you want me to walk in the
road? Play with the traffic? Well, you take care, too.
-
Vistas: -
William Wordsworth never arrived in Brixton to conclude
that Earth had not anything to show more fair. This is the
A23, not the scenic route. At Sayers Common you can see
about seven miles further on towards the hills round
Handcross.
Blackberries:-
I do not stop for these today.[8]
Route map.
Walk notes.
Brighton at 04:00 is a strange place. I had heard that it was the same as London but with more seagulls. Can it be true? On my way to the walk start, I cut through the Pavillion Gardens, expecting not to see another soul. The party is still in full swing. More tequila sunrise than actual sunrise. A family of foxes is dashing round in circles, looking as completely out of it as Hooray Henrietta, riding her hire bike round in circles on the A23, until crashing into some railings - where she remains in a most undignified position until rescued by Henry.
What would George 4 have made of all this? I suspect that he would give it a big thumbs up, being a party animal himself.[10] However, his niece, at the other end of this walk, would most definitely have been not amused. Neither were her little legs called upon to traverse the entire A23. ☹️
To begin with, my day is a walk in the Preston Park. You can tell a lot about a place from the recycling it generates. I rest my case of River Ouse, if not my plates of meat. The remainder of the walk is non-eventful. Although I took the precaution of bringing extra water, I neglect it before Tilgate, and do not guzzle at the necessary rate until about Vauxhall and lower temperatures. This is despite stopping in Horley, Redhill, Hooley, Thornton Heath, and Lambeth to purchase additional bottles. The temptation is to sit down at the next bus-stop for a swig. Yup but, if I do, then getting up again is a challenge 🥵
The last half of the walk seems to pass quickly, perhaps because of the more frequent junctions and changes of scenery. Streatham goes on forever; all it has is vape kit shops. What I do like is the left fork at Brixton, freeing me at last from the roar of the A23.[1] The signs that I have reached that turn are unmissable and GPS remains off.
Well, here we are at Victoria Station, and it's still (comfortably) Tuesday. I can't really claim that the legs are good for another fifty miles, but there is certainly gas left in the tank. The feet are another matter. They aren't as bad as the shorter Brighton4 last year because I have bought daisy roots a size larger for today's ball of chalk. The extra 'wiggle room' gets taken up when the feet expand slightly after I get going in warm weather.[11]
Pop in the AirPods,[12] put something soothing on audio, and hop on a train back to Brighton now for dream-free slumber and the hotel's unlimited breakfast. Yay 🛌