Planes, Racing Cars and Spaceships

This is a circular afternoon walk from Woking train station in Surrey – just half an hour from London Waterloo. It takes in a large section of Horsell Common, including the sandpits made famous in H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, passes through McLaren Park which is home to McLaren’s Formula One Technology Centre, and on through Fairoaks airport. It returns on the bridleway that runs alongside the many streams which feed the River Bourne. There will also be a refreshment stop at Heather Farm Café located on Horsell Common which serves hot and cold drinks, light bites and a selection of cakes. Heather Farm Café - Heather Farm Café - Heather Farm Café

Horsell Common is one of only a handful of privately owned areas of common land in England with public access. It covers 880 acres, and the Sandpit area was the location of the first Martian landing in H.G. Wells novel. It is a mixture of heathy/woodland paths, and bridleways. We pass by the impressive McLaren Technology Centre which is surrounded by artificial ‘ecology’ lakes - the water from the lakes is pumped through a series of heat exchangers to cool the building. Fairoaks is used by light aircraft and the site has two resident training schools.

At the end of the walk there may (weather permitting) be the opportunity for a drink in the leader's back garden, or else we shall stop off at one of the town centre pubs.  

Don't waste that space!

Please only book if you know you can make it. If your plans change please free up the space for someone else.

Is it dog friendly? Dogs are welcome on this walk, and Heather Farm is particularly dog friendly! Please note and abide by the Countryside Code (https://tinyurl.com/rlqvp3h) and remember not everyone loves dogs as much as you do so please be mindful of other members.

New Members

Please feel free to join this as your first OutdoorLads event. If you have any questions then feel free to message me, or go to the "My First Event" section under "About Us".

Image / photo credits:  All leader's own images with permission for OutdoorLads to use and reuse

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend.