Frensham Ponds and Kettlebury Hill Surrey Explorer - 16 miles (26 kilometres)

Today’s Love To Hike starts and finishes in Farnham, a town on the western edge of Surrey about 35 miles (56 kilometres) south west of London. The circular route is 16 miles (26 kilometres) and explores the beautiful woods, commons, and heathlands on the Surrey Hampshire border south of Farnham. The highlights of the day are the Frensham Ponds and surrounding purple heathlands along with the glorious views from Kettlebury Hill. There are 405m of climbing.

Lunch: Picnic

Drivers: Large car park at Farnham station.

Toilets: There are toilets at Farnham station and Frensham Great Pond.

Price: £12.00 per person for a full day’s hike guided by Giles Brokensha.

Mobile for the day: 07916 336702.

Note: The price of the hike excludes transport, parking and lunch.

Facebook: Please join Love To Hike’s Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/527954508076020/

ROUTE

From the station, we almost immediately join the North Downs Way, a long distance path of 156 miles (251 kilometres) that begins at Farnham and ends in Dover, Kent. We follow the North Downs Way heading east until we reach a spur of the Greensand Way, a long distance path of 108 miles (174 kilometres) which starts at Haslemere, Surrey and ends at Hamstreet, Kent. We follow the spur heading south through a mix of woods and open countryside until we reach Tilford, a quintessential English village.

At Tilford, shortly after crossing the bridge where two branches of the River Wey merge, we turn west along the Greensand Way to reach Stockbridge Pond.

We remain on the Greensand Way to cross Hankley Common. At Lion's Mouth, we leave the Greensand Way heading for Kettlebury Hill which has glorious seemingly wilderness views towards Guildford and beyond.

When we leave Kettlebury Hill, we head west to cross Churt Common heading for Frensham Ponds. Frensham Great Pond and Fresham Little Pond were created in the 13th century to supply fish for the Bishop of Winchester and his court when visiting Farnham Castle. The heathland that surrounds both ponds is a colourful mosaic of purple heathers.

The first pond we reach is Frensham Great Pond where there are toilets. We then cross Frensham Common to reach the banks of Fresham Little Pond.

From the Ponds, we head north through the woods of Tankersford Common as we make our way to Bourne Wood, part of Alice Holt Forest.

It is then less than two kilometres to return to Farnham station.

LUNCH

Lunch will be a picnic at a suitable spot between 1230-1300.

TRAINS

Depart: Leaves London Waterloo at 0854 and arrives in Farnham at 0955. You can also join this train at Clapham Junction (0901), Surbiton (0912), and Woking (0930).


Return: Return trains to London Waterloo leave Farnham at 28 and 58 minutes past the hour arriving back at London Waterloo 60 minutes later.


Train fare: The off-peak return fare from London Waterloo to Farnham is £23.30. With GroupSave, the price per person for a group of 3 to 9 is reduced by 34% to only £15.38.

GroupSave: If you would like to form a group, please post a comment on this site and arrange to meet under the clock at London Waterloo by 0840.

DRIVERS

Farnham station is just off the A31 on the southern side of Farnham.

WHAT TO BRING

· Hand sanitiser.

· Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots that have been broken-in, ideally with ankle support. No trainers.

· Waterproof jacket: whatever the weather, we hike.

· Water: 2 litres minimum.

· Pre-packed picnic lunch and snacks: it’s a long hike.

· Day pack.

· Long trousers: zip-offs are perfect for hot days.

· Sunglasses if sunny.

· Hat and gloves if cold.

· Gaiters or waterproof over trousers if rain is expected.

· Dry base layer for the journey home.

PRICE

£12.00 per person payable in advance upon booking for a full day’s hike guided by Giles Brokensha.

BOOKING

To book, click on the ‘Yes’ button just below ‘Are you going?’ in the top right hand corner. You can pay from either your PayPal account or with your debit or credit card.

CANCELLATIONS

If you cancel seven or more days in advance, you will receive a £12 credit towards any future Love To Hike event.

DISCLAIMER

When participating in any outdoor activity, there is always the risk of injury and death. When hiking with Love To Hike, you acknowledge that:

1. You are fully aware of all of the risks involved and accept full responsibility for whatever may happen to you during or after the hike.
2. You are in good health, ‘fit to hike’ and capable of keeping the pace for the duration of the hike.
3. You shall wear sturdy hiking boots that have been broken-in, are in good condition (not brand new), and clothing that is appropriate for the time of year and any weather conditions that may arise during the hike.
4. You shall not hold responsible, nor pursue any legal, injury or financial compensation claim against Love To Hike and or the hike leader for anything that may happen to you during or after the hike.