I did the short-cut version of this walk (book 2 walk 1) with SWC on a cold, bright winter Sunday. This is a pretty good walk, with fine views in the second half. The Russell Arms near the end of the walk, was full, so we had to sit outside, which seemed OK at first, but we started to get a bit cold.
It's then just a short stretch back to the station but two fields had been ploughed up, making for a slog and a lot of mud! Luckily there is a pub by the station.