Walks around Headley … and over the borders
John Owen Smith

Also published in book form: ISBN: 978-1-873855-49-2; Updated 2010

General map of the walks in this book – see list below

Circular walks 1 to 6 start in Headley High Street, and 7 to 12 start at the NT car park in Pond Road, Headley (shown as black dots in the map above). Walk 13 is linear and completes the 'outer ring'. Walk 14 is the Flora Thompson Trail which forms a figure of eight between Grayshott & Griggs Green.

Ordnance Survey map OL33 recommended.

List of Walks

Walk 1 – Four Bridges – (6¼ miles/10km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends in Headley High Street, visiting Trottsford, Cradle Lane, Dockenfield, Huntingford Bridge, Saunders Green, and The Hanger – crosses the River Wey and the River Slea. Bluebells in the woods above Huntingford Bridge in season.

Walk 2 – To Frensham Great Pond and back – (8¾ miles/14km) – Access as PDF
An extension of Walk 1, taking in Dockenfield church, Frensham Mill, Frensham Great Pond, Wishanger and Hearn.

Walk 3 – Around Fuller's Vale – (2¾ miles/4.5km) – Access as PDF
This short walk starts and ends in Headley High Street, taking a tour past the old workhouse, through coppice woods behind Hilland, past the restored Fuller's Vale wildlife pond, over Headley Hill and along 'The Brae' footpath.

Walk 4 – Down by the Riverside – (5 miles/8km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends in Headley High Street, visiting Standford, following the River Wey upstream through Passfield to Waterside, then via High Hurlands and Ludshott Common to Fullers Vale where it rejoins Walk 3 in returning over Headley Hill to the High Street.

Walk 5 – To the Military railway – (7¾ miles/12.5km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends in Headley High Street, visiting Standford, Passfield Common, Woolmer Forest, the track of the Longmoor Military Railway, Walldown earthworks, the Deadwater Valley and Headley Mill.

Walk 6 – Right round Lindford – (5 miles/8km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends in Headley High Street, visiting Headley Mill, Bordon Inclosure, Broxhead Common and Headley Wood aqueduct. Blackberries on Broxhead Common in season.

Walk 7 – The Hampshire/Surrey border – (6½ miles/10.5km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends at the National Trust car park in Pond Road, visiting Openlands, Hammer Lane, Whitmore Vale, Barford Mills, Churt, Simmonstone, Wishanger, Hearn, Arford Common and Fullers Vale.

Walk 7a – shorter option of Walk 7 – (5½ miles/8.8km) – Access as PDF
A shorter route offered between Hammer Lane and Hearn, visiting Assisi, Plaster Hill Farm, Bacon Lane and Park Lane.

Walk 8 – To Grayshott and back – (6 miles/9.5km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends at the National Trust car park in Pond Road, visiting Ludshott Common, Waggoners Wells, Stoney Bottom, Grayshott and Whitmore Vale.

Walk 8a – shorter option of Walk 8 – (3½ miles/5.5km) – Access as PDF
A shorter return route offered from Waggoners Wells visiting Superior Camp on Ludshott Common.

Walk 9 – Three 'new' villages – (8½ miles/13.5km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends at the National Trust car park in Pond Road and is an extension of Walk 8, visiting the three villages of Grayshott, Beacon Hill and Churt. They are 'new' in so far as before the 1850s there was virtually nothing other than heathland where their centres now stand.

Walk 10 – Walk with the Devil – (13¾ miles/22km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends at the National Trust car park in Pond Road, visiting Whitmore Vale, Barford, Frensham Great Pond, the Devil's Jumps, the Devil's Punch Bowl, Hindhead, Nutcombe Valley, Miss James' Walk, Stoney Bottom, Waggoners Wells and Ludshott Common.

Walk 11 – Where Three Counties Meet – (8¼ miles/13km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends at the National Trust car park in Pond Road, visiting Waggoners Wells, Bramshott Chase, Hammer Vale, Bramshott, Gentles Lane and Gentles Copse.

Walk 12 – To Conford and back – (6 miles/9.5km) – Access as PDF
Starts and ends at the National Trust car park in Pond Road, visiting Ludshott Manor, Bramshott, Conford, Passfield and Waterside.

Walk 13 – The 'Missing Link' – (2 miles/3.2km - linear) – Access as PDF
Links Walks 10 and 11 between Hindhead & Hammer, passing through Nutcombe Valley and Critchmere, allowing a complete 'outer ring' walk.

Walk 14 – The Flora Thompson Trail – (10 miles/16km) – Access as PDF
Grayshott to Griggs Green [Heatherley to Peverel] and back again.

The Outer Ring – (21½ miles/34.5km) – Access as PDF
For the fit or foolhardy! Can start at several convenient points, and proceed in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction according to choice.

Guided Walks

If you would be interested in having the author join your group to guide and interpret one of these walks, please contact me for details of costs.

About the Author

John Owen Smith was born in 1942 and trained as a Chemical Engineer at London University, but spent most of his working life designing commercial Information Systems for the paper-making industry. Following redundancy, he 'fell' into researching and recording the local history of east Hampshire, where he now lives. His output of historical community plays, lectures, articles and books includes:—