Bunking West

WOKING TO PUTTENHAM VIA THE WEY, WORPLESDON, BROAD STREET COMMON, FLEXFORD AND WANBOROUGH 

This is the first of three walks linked on a whim and involving some spontaneous bunking and camping. What had begun as a reasonable excuse for a night away, sharing a tent, turned into a weekend adventure and a whole couple of days of teenage children stepping up to look after themselves. Remarkably, no-one was harmed in the making of this Surrey and Hampshire epic but my planned route was subject to alteration and minor delay.

Doing a multiple-dayer is a great way to stretch out time because events early on feel like so long ago already. Sadly, however, I cannot do this every week, even though the children pulled through very well, did not murder each other or burn the house down. Typically, my leisure calendar has simply clumped a few outings together and I fear, the rest of the year will seem a little sparse. I will therefore, try and recall now some of the joys, the memory of which are beginning to fade all too soon. The walk begins with clay we are so familiar with but this is the London sort. The route rises gently from the floodplain, stitches together commons and heaths, to triumph at a narrow chalk ridge before tipping into the Weald clay beyond.

Woking is commonly made via train to Clapham Junction. In the event, the heat meant a route via Waterloo. Return from Liphook was via Havant and directly on the train bound for London Victoria.

I had tried to begin at West Byfleet for a quicker start on the river Wey. As it turns out, a combination of heat and signalling meant trains cancelled and platforms shut. A quick alteration on the fly and in my haste to get going, I jumped out at Woking. The beginning was more urban but not exactly as frenetic as I might have imagined. Very soon I was on my way.

From Woking station, leave south via White Rose Lane and take the second of two footpaths that leave it on the right. This is at some distance but, thankfully, it being half-term, the route by the school was not thronging with people. You will walk through but not explore the White Rose Lane Nature Reserve, an area of meadow surrounding the Hoe Stream. Stick to the main path and you'll continue south on Farm Road and Manor Way. Turn left on the High Street and then go south on Broadmeads at what is known as Send Corner.

You will cross the Wey and take the footpath on the left into Broad Mead. Walk with the WWII command post survives on your left as you make your way to the water at Broad Mead Cut. Cross the cut on the wooden footbridge and now go south and right on the River Wey Navigation tow path. This 17th century construction was pleasant walking. A pair of shags were drying their wings on a dead tree. You are now on the Fox Way. I continued at a rate of knots to match a canal boat and to cross to the other bank via the Send Road at Cartbridge. Now going south, the navigation joins the main river.

After Triggs Lock, continue on the Fox Way and cross the water at Sutton Green. Join the main Sutton Green Road and turn left. Take the footpath after the Olive Tree on Frog Lane and then Pyle Hill. Once a modest 40s development, the green belt lane is one accommodating eye-wateringly expensive properties and as such, it felt a dreary and soulless walk. Less of a place and more one of ownership. I ducked into Maybourne Rise to cross the main Egley Road. At Prey Heath Road, take the path on the right side of the road and venture into the SSSI of Prey Heath. Take the footpath back to the road, under the railway and down to the Worplesdon Station, awash with commuters. Stay on the right of the car park to continue through the gate and bear right at the next junction. Burdenshot Hill will take you over Burdenshot Road and then Goose Rye Road.

You now take the Goose Rye Bridleway on the right to Whitmoor Common. There are numerous paths but I found myself on The Nightjar Trail and then part of the Dragonfly Trail as I navigated the houses and pond within the woodland. Finally on both, you head to the southern edge via boardwalks. The heath is more open and you backtrack via the Acorn to rejoin the Fox way heading west. This is one of a group of commons where rights allowed the grazing of geese, amongst other animals. Rye is an old english word that probably derives its meaning from the word for stream or brook. A large part of Whitmoor is watery meadows.

You pass through a meadow with a large plane tree. Turn right after St Mary's and left to cross the Worplesdon Road. Artist Sidney H Sime is buried here and had an interesting career in illustration. He was a Mancunian who spent the end of his life in Worplesdon. There is a gallery just north of here. Into Coombe Lane, continue to the Merrist Wood College but leave the Fox Way and turn left beside The Park. At Holly Lane, I headed to the Rokers animal feed store and the Farmhouse Cafe, for lunch.

After a stop, Rejoin Farm Close and follow the footpath to cross the Aldershot Road and enter Littlefield Common and through to Littlefield Manor. Now bear east towards Broad Street Common. There are some impressive badger sets on the path. Walk at the edge of a large meadow and turn south at the corner to cross Broad Street. The site of Sibthorpe's Villa is marked here and was discovered in 1829 as a place where the cows liked the dry spot. No sign of it is visible today but more remains were found in the 1980s, south of this and the other side of the stream. Now under houses, interpretation can be found in Roman Farm Road. Wind your way west to enter Backside Common via what seems to be the Christmas Pie Trail. The name derives from a family name and 'pightle', meaning small arable meadow. This was at the junction of a few commons in the area.

Cross the railway at Bushy Hill but continue roughly westward to leave the wooded Backside towards Homestead then West Flexford Farm. Take the first southward footpath after this, traverse the stepping stones and you will rejoin the Fox Way as it follows the stream to Wanborough. Now on the tree-lined road, your reward is to ascend into the Surrey Hills National Landscape, to the Hog's Back and go under the A31 at the narrowest part of the North Downs. Puttenham Hill descends to Puttenham on your right, leaving the Fox Way and switching on to the North Downs Way. The trail is shared with the Pilgrims Way.

How happy I was to arrive in good time. Having a little to spare, I checked out the 1970s discovered well at the church and potential for eating later at the Good Intent pub. Then it was a warm welcome at Puttenham Barn.