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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 15 September 2018

Saturday Walk - Wooded Ridges and Sandy Heathlands: Haslemere to Farnham

Length: 23.6 km (14.7 mi) [many longer and shorter options]
Ascent/Descent: 384/447m; Net Walking Time: 5 ½ hours
Toughness:  7/10                        

Take the 09.30 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (09.55 Woking, 10.03 G’ford), arrives Haslemere 10.22. From Clapham take the 09.27 Salisbury/Exeter St. David’s train to Woking (09.46).
Return trains from Farnham are hourly xx.27 to 20.27 (change at Woking). [Later in the evening a bus replacement service kicks in from Farnham.]
Buy a Haslemere return, you then may have to buy a separate Farnham – Woking single.


The route leads out of Haslemere in a northerly direction along the quietest and shortest possible route to ascend through Coombswell Copse and along the wooded Invall ridge up to Hurt Hill and the Temple of the Four Winds, the ruin of an early 20th century belvedere, and one of several viewpoints with striking vistas. Turn westerly up to Gibbet Hill (the second highest top in Surrey), with more far reaching views, out to the North Downs and London, as well as back to Black Down and to the South Downs.
Skirt around the Devil’s Punchbowl along the course of the old A3 and descend into the remote Highcomb Bottom, a stunning sandy heathland valley to re-join the Greensand Way to Thursley.
Its common (a NNR) is one of the largest heathlands as well as one of the last lowland peat bogs in southern Britain and an optional extension gives you prolonged exposure to it. Next up is Hankley Common, another large heathland, and mostly MOD terrain, for an exploration of a D-Day training site with a replica section of The Atlantic Wall and assorted other defensive structures. On to the picturesque village of Tilford with its pub and cricket pitch on the green, followed by quiet woodland paths and lanes along the River Wey’s North Branch into Farnham, with an optional extension past Waverley Abbey House to Waverley Abbey’s ruins along the way.

Lunch: The Three Horseshoes in Thursley (10.5 km/6.5 mi, food to 14.30), or The Duke of Cambridge in Tilford Common (15.9 km/9.9 mi, food to 15.30) or The Barley Mow in Tilford (17.5 km/10.9 mi, food to 15.00).
Tea: Tilford Village Shop, The Mulberry, The Lamb or The Waverley Arms.

For summary, map, height profile, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.144

3 comments:

Thomas G said...

Trains times amended with the Strike Timetable's Info. Clapham Junction options not yet clear. Will check again tomorrow.

Thomas G said...

Clapham option added as per the SWT Strike Timetable.

Thomas G said...

n=7 walkers (only) in w=sunny-with-a-breeze weather on this varied walk. The early woods felt quite autumnal in fact, despite the leaves not quite turning, but the mushrooms/fungi were out in force, in all shapes and colours (bright red!). The views from the various viewpoints from the wooded ridges, the Temple of the Four Winds, Gibbet Hill and Highcomb Bottom were clear and far (although not quite good enough to see London). The heather and gorse were colourful, the long-horned Highland Coos (if that's what they were) pretty and docile. In Thursley 3 went to the Three Horseshoes for very taste lunch in the large garden, joined there later by the picnickers. And on we strode: through Thursley Common (incl. the extension and the extension-within-the-extension were walked and much enjoyed by all), then on to The Atlantic Wall, which 3 had a close look at. 6 stopped at The Barley Mow for refreshments in the riverside garden and all those also walked the extension to the Waverley Abbey ruins. 18.27 train for all. Back in London b4 half seven. All journeys were on time as per the revised strike day schedule. A brilliant day.