Outcrops, Outlines and Outposts - A Good Friday Sashay

Please note that following the announcement that organised outdoor sports activities are exempt from the 'rule of six', I have raised the potential number of participants on this event to 30.

This walk will really be more of a stride than a sashay, but you'll get a long weekend to recover and your efforts will be rewarded as you stand aloft and admiring on some of Surrey's secret summits nibbling hot cross buns. The walk is somewhat long, but the dry, sandy terrain should speed our progress. Outcrops: Three small hills that Old Nick is said to have kicked up, capped with crags of carstone. Outlines: The views with southwest Surrey and East Hampshire delineated in pine-topped ridges. Outposts: Foxholes, dug-outs, pill-boxes and a mock-up of the Atlantic Wall dot a landscape formerly dedicated to defending London and training troops but now dedicated to supporting wildlife. 

The sights: 

Crooksbury Hill: A nature reserve within Puttenham and Crooksbury Commons managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. Soldier's Ring on the north side of the hill is a Scheduled Monument. It is a hillfort dating to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age. At 163m, the hill gives extensive views over south-west Surrey and east Hampshire.

Tilford: A delightful village situated at the confluence of the north and south branches of the River Wey. It has a triangular plan outlined by tile-roofed cottages and some fine Georgian houses. Edwin Lutyens designed the Institute, and there are an attractive pair of medieval bridges crossing the streams. 

Hankley Common: A Site of Special Scientific Interest of birch, bracken, and common and bell heather. Seen on TV and film as: the Scottish Highlands and the setting for James Bond's ancestral home (Skyfall); the edge of the Caspian Sea (The World Is Not Enough); the Korean Demilitarised Zone (Die Another Day); Derbyshire (Doctor Who and the Silurians); and Indonesia (Tenko). In history it was used for training for Operation Overlord, where troops and tanks practised for their assault on the Atlantic Wall using a 100m-long, 3.5m-wide reinforced concrete replica; we'll see the substantial remains of this along with other relics and emplacements. 

The Devil's Jumps: Three small hills, more prominent than their heights (around 120m) suggest, topped by crags of hard ironstone (sandstone). Back in the Jurassic Period, when layers of iron-rich greensand were laid down on a river delta, periodic floodwaters disturbed the beds, contorting them. It was said that Mother Ludlam of Farnham (who was a witch) had her cauldron stolen by the Devil, who kicked up the hills as he made off with it.

Frensham Little Pond: Along with the Great Pond, C12 fishponds created for the Bishop of Winchester. In World War II they were drained, but were subsequently restored. Quieter than the Great Pond, the Little Pond is managed by the National Trust who run a small cafe by the water's edge.

Frensham Commons: The heathlands that surround the ponds are important SSSIs, home to Dartford warblers, sand lizards and nightjars, and managed are by the National Trust.

Bourne Wood: Silver birches and pines cloak a knoll next to a clearing affords lovely views over Farnham and surrounding woodland. Here, the Forestry Commission and RSPB have to balance the needs of nature, recreation and, notably, the UK film industry. Click this link for a list of films shot here which include Gladiator (2000) (where it stood in for the forests of Germania), various Harry Potters, War Horse (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013).

Dogs:

I love having dogs on my walks and this walk is suitable for them although there may be some stiles and country lanes to walk along and roads to cross. There shouldn't be any fields with livestock. Any dog off its lead must be under control.

The route (click the link in red to see this along with the elevation):

Plush suburban streets will carry us out of Farnham to the River Wey at Compton. We'll then follow an even plusher suburban street through the even plusher Moor Park area to take us to Crooksbury Hill where some walking along windy, enclosed and busy country lanes will make us concentrate. Bridleways and byways will take us to Tilford which we'll head south through befire heading east to Stockbridge Pond and Yagden Hill on Hankley Common. After passing around the edge of Rushmoor will reach the only accessible of the Devil's Jumps for lunch. Then, descending, we'll cross Frensham Common and The Flashes to pass the eastern shore of Frensham Little Pond. Crossing the South Branch of the River Wey we'll use a bridleway to cross Tankersford Common, then Farnham Common, then Bourne Woods. Using alleyways between fine houses we'll get back to Farnham Railway Station.

COVID-19 - IMPORTANT: Please read the following before you sign up to this event:

• Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who lives or is in a support bubble with someone showing symptoms, is asked not to attend. This is in line with the government’s coronavirus advice.
• You must also immediately self-isolate and not attend the event if you or someone in your household or support bubble shows coronavirus symptoms or tests positive. You can find the NHS self-isolation guidance here.
• The main symptoms of COVID-19 are a high temperature, a new continuous cough, and a loss or change to your sense of taste and/or smell.
• You may be subject to local lockdown restrictions, which you must fully comply with. Details of the location of these restrictions can be found here for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.   
• We do not encourage car sharing to events during the pandemic. Please comply with the safety travel guidance for England, Wales, and Scotland. Face coverings should be worn on public transport.
• OutdoorLads will support the tracing systems in place across the UK  and attendance at an OutdoorLads event is considered permission to use contact details for this purpose if requested by the appropriate authority.  
• All are required to practice social distancing – staying 2m (not 1m) apart at all times, including the lunch stop. Remember: Face, Hands, Space.
• Unfortunately, there won’t be any planned pub / café stops en route or at the end, and please don’t share sweets or snacks with others – we’re sorry!
• Please bring your own hand sanitising gel for your own use throughout the day. Use of face coverings is at your own choice, but please bring one with you just in case it's needed. Please bring any other PPE items required. Bring a disposable bag for any used PPE.
• Members are advised to bring their own small first aid kit for personal use..
• Be aware that opportunities for toilet stops may be minimal if facilities are closed.
• Please, please cancel at your earliest opportunity if you are unable to attend or are unwell, so that we can allow others to take up these valuable event spaces.
• Much as it's difficult - no handshakes or hugs!

COVID-19: Participation Statement

OutdoorLads draws your attention to the fact that travelling and being away from home increases the risk of receiving and transmitting Coronavirus, whilst it is present in the UK. You are likely to choose not to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst there is a risk of Coronavirus transmission. However, should you choose to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst the risk is present, you must be aware of and follow the law and government guidelines, both when travelling to and from events as well as when participating in events.

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(Picture credits: All images licensed for reuse under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 and are: View from Crooksbury Hill by Ainslie (left-hand edge of image trimmed); View to the Southeast from the Devil's Jumps by Peter S; Track near Sheephatch Farm by Don Cload; River Wey by Ben Gamble; Stockbridge Pond by Mark Percy; View from the Ridge by Alan Hunt; Hankley Common, the Atlantic Wall by Alan Hunt; Path up the Devil's Jumps by Peter S; On the Devil's Jumps by JD Smith; Sandy Beach by Oliver Dixon; and Bourne Wood by Ben Gamble.)