Horsell Walks
Guided
If you would like to join our weekly walks, meet us on Wednesday mornings on the green in front of The Cricketers pub, Horsell Birch at 9:50am. You can choose to join the "Shorter" walk which lasts 1 - 1.5 hours or the "Longer" walk which lasts 2 - 2.5 hours. The walks are all designed to return to the starting point. If you have the time, join us at one of the village pubs or coffee shops for a chat afterwards. We all enjoy the exercise and fresh air, the friendly company and the lovely local scenery, whether walking on the common or the canal. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge. This is a voluntary group and you walk at your own risk as you would with a group of friends. For further information email Caroline (carolinehughes523@gmail.com)
Self-guided
Here below are descriptions of walks developed by Second Thursday Club for the "Wednesday Walks". They are all designed to take no more than two hours. All the walks are designed as round tours which begin and end in Horsell Village.
There are many variations and possible extensions especially to the walks on Horsell Common.
Browse the descriptions and download any of interest.
A1: Goldsworth park - Round the lake
Walk along quiet footpaths to Goldsworth Park, take a tour round the lake and return via Horsell High Street.
- Time
- Approx 1 hour
- Distance
- 2.5 miles
A2: Goldsworth Park and Basingstoke Canal
Walk along quiet footpaths to Goldsworth Park. Pass by the lake and continue past Waitrose to the Basingstoke canal. Turn left along the canal tow path in the direction of Woking and return via Broomhall Common footpath, Wilson Way and the High Street.
- Time
- 90 minutes
- Distance
- 3.5 miles
A3: Goldsworth Park and Littlewick Common
Walk along quiet footpaths to Goldsworth Park. Pass by the lake and continue past Waitrose to the Basingstoke canal. Turn left along the canal tow path in the direction of Woking and return via Broomhall Common footpath, Wilson Way and the High Street.
- Time
- 90 minutes
- Distance
- 3.5 miles
A4: Goldsworth Park, St Johns and Hook Heath
Walk along quiet footpaths to Goldsworth Park. Pass by the lake and continue past Waitrose to the Basingstoke canal. Turn right along the tow path in the direction of St Johns. Cross St Johns Lye following the path which goes over the railway to Hook Heath Golf Club. A circuit is made using public footpaths that cross the golf course. Lovely views, easy walking and great for buggies.
- Time
- 2hrs - 2hrs 15mins
- Distance
- 5 - 6 miles
B1: Horsell Birch to The Triangle
Walk along the High Street to Horsell Birch. Take quiet footpath to Littlewick Road going past Warren Pond. Cross over Littlewick Road to area known as the "The Grasslands" and follow paths which cross Horsell Common Road to area known as "The Triangle". Cross back over Littlewick Road and return via Forge Common, Grobars Avenue and Hammond Road to the High Street.
- Time
- 1hr
- Distance
- 2.5 miles
B2: Horsell Birch to Heather Farm and The Meadows
Walk along the High Street to Horsell Birch. Take quiet footpath to Littlewick Road going past Warren Pond. Cross over Littlewick Road to area known as the "The Grasslands" and follow paths which cross Horsell Common Road to area known as "The Triangle". From there the walk takes you to Heather Farm, the boardwalks across The Meadows and returns via Horsell Common and Cheapside.
- Time
- 90 mins
- Distance
- 3.5 miles
B3: Horsell Birch to Deep Pool and The Meadows
Alternative to B2 via Deep Pool
Walk along the High Street to Horsell Birch. Take quiet footpath to Littlewick Road going past Warren Pond.
Cross over Littlewick Road to area known as the "The Grasslands" and follow path which takes you across the common, over the River Bourne to Deep Pool.
Follow footpath 120 from Deep Pool to Mimbridge where you cross over Chobham Road to The Meadows. A grassy track eventually joins the boardwalks across The Meadows. Return via Horsell Common and Cheapside.
- Time
- 100 mins
- Distance
- 4 miles
B4 Horsell Birch to Seven Acres farm
Walk along the High Street to Horsell Birch. Take quiet footpath to Littlewick Road going past Warren Pond. Cross over Littlewick Road to area known as the "The Grasslands" and follow paths which cross Horsell Common Road to area known as "The Triangle". From there the walk takes you to Heather Farm, the boardwalks across The Meadows and returns via Seven Acres farm to Heather Farm. From there cross Chobham Road and return via The Triangle, Forge Common, South Road and any convenient route back to the High Street.
- Time
- 100 mins
- Distance
- 4 miles
B5: Horsell Birch to The Wetlands
Walk along the High Street to Horsell Birch. Take quiet footpath to Littlewick Road going past Warren Pond. Cross over Littlewick Road to area known as the "The Grasslands" and follow paths which cross Horsell Common Road to area known as "The Triangle". From there the walk takes you to Heather Farm and the circuit around The Wetlands. Returning to Heather Farm, cross Chobham Road and return via The Triangle, Forge Common, South Road and any convenient route back to the High Street.
- Time
- 70 mins
- Distance
- 2 miles
C2: Cheapside to The Sandpit
This walk takes you to The Sandpit, the iconic Woking destination made famous by H.G Wells novel "War of the Worlds". Takes in some lesser known local footpaths in Horsell and takes an interesting diversion from the beaten track on Horsell Common.
- Time
- 90 mins
- Distance
- 3 miles
C3: Cheapside to McLaren Park
This is one of our longer walks but is well worth the effort. McLaren Park is a lovely open grassy area with "naturalistic" landscaping and many picnic sites. In spring-time there is an abundance of wild flowers to be seen. The route across Horsell Common takes you through areas of heather which have been greatly expanded in recent years due to the conservation efforts of Horsell Common Preservation Society. A feast for the senses when the heather blooms in August.
- Time
- 2 hours
- Distance
- 4.5 miles
D1: Wheatsheaf Common to Bedser Trail, Canal and Peace Garden
From the High Street we take the new path alongside Queen Elizabeth Gardens, passing the tennis courts and Pares Woodlands Garden. This is the highest point in Horsell and provides a lovely open view to the south. From there we go down to Wilson Way and at the end use the right hand footpath between the hedges towards Woking. In reaching Broomhall Common we turn left on another path which emerges on the Chobham Road opposite the Wheatsheaf recreation ground. Continuing across and beyond the goal posts we reach Wheatsheaf Common. From there we follow an all-weather path through the greenspace area, past the lakes, and eventually joining the Chertsey Road (A320) near the entrance to Carlton Road.
Crossing over the Chertsey Road at this point brings us straight on to the start of the Bedser Trail - a clear all weather path. Following the Bedser trail anti-clockwise we pass a bronze age burial mound. From here we take a path of convenience towards the bridge over the Basingstoke Canal at Monument Road. The historic Muslim Burial Ground (aka. Peace Garden) is visible from here across Monument Road. Well worth a 10-mimute detour to make a visit. From here we return along the canal towpath to Woking and return to Horsell via the Lightbox and the path alongside Broomhall Common.
- Time
- 90 mins
- Distance
- 3 miles
D2: Wheatsheaf Common to The Sandpit
From the High Street we take the new path alongside Queen Elizabeth Gardens, passing the tennis courts and Pares Woodlands Garden. This is the highest point in Horsell and provides a lovely open view to the south. From there we go down to Wilson Way and at the end use the right hand footpath between the hedges towards Woking. In reaching Broomhall Common we turn left on another path which emerges on the Chobham Road opposite the Wheatsheaf recreation ground. Continuing across and beyond the goal posts we reach Wheatsheaf Common.
From there we follow an all-weather path through the greenspace area, past the lakes, and eventually joining the Chertsey Road (A320) near the entrance to Carlton Road. We turn left up Carlton Road as far as a footpath to the right opposite the Fennies Day Nursery and follow this to Shores Rd Car Park. From there we follow the HG Wells trail to The Sandpit and return via The Gallops, Danewell Pond, Sandy Track and Cheapside.
- Time
- 1hr 45mins
- Distance
- 3.5 miles
This page last updated 21/02/2023