Length: 22.5 km (14.0 mi) [shorter walks possible,
see below]
Ascent/Descent: 313/330m
Net Walking Time: 5 hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10
Take the 09.24 Alton train from Waterloo (CJ
09.31, Surbiton 09.42), arrives Farnham 10.25.
Return trains: xx.19
and xx.43 (change at Guildford).
The walk crosses Farnham Park to Upper Hale then
enters remote MOD land (careful navigation needed) including a steep climb to
Caesar’s Camp and equally demanding descent from Beacon Hill, overlooking a
network of water channels and reservoirs. After lunch at The Foresters you
follow Gelvert Stream to Fleet Pond, get your feet wet in Foxlease Meadows, dry
out over a cuppa watching cricket at the Crown and Cushion and view the boats
from the sandy shores of Hawley Lake, before crossing Hawley Common to
Blackwater station.
After Upper Hale the walk is largely within or
close to MOD land until the outskirts of Blackwater. The area is designated on
the OS maps by clear rather than red triangles, signifying managed access
subject to the displayed by-laws, as opposed to danger areas. In practice this
means that you are free to roam and the paths are clear on the ground, but
there are no footpath or bridleway signs. The section through Foxlease Meadows
is also not marked and is usually ‘spongy’ underfoot, so a drier alternative is
given in the text.
Walk Options: Plenty. See the webpage or pdf for details.
Lunch and Tea: See the webpage or pdf for details.
For summary, route map, height profile, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.160
2 comments:
In paragraph 13 the walk route crosses MoD land which was fenced off in 2018. There's a pedestrian gate on Bourley Road where the route enters this land, but if it's locked you'll have to skirt around the training area by heading north-west on the road and going round the edge of Tweseldown Racecourse. The OS map or a GPS device will be helpful.
As told to me today on a walk:
n=6 on the walk, 2 of those immediately disappearing into Farmham to buy something and they were not seen again, 2 finished in Fleet, 2 followed the gpx (but without the text) to the end. They encountered several padlocked gates along the stretch before and after the motorway (where the route seems to leave right-of-ways). Fine walk, despite that.
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