15th March 2017 Horsley Diamond jubilee trail (part)

Start point:- TQ088526

Distance:- 11.7 km; 7.27 miles

Time taken:- 2 hours 56 minutes

Route:-

St Mary's Church CP - Parkrow Copse - Horsley Stn - Old London Road - Dirtham Road - Oldlands Wood - Stoney Dene Bridge - Viewpoint - Crocknorth Farm - Coles Copse - Beech - Angel Clump - Sheepleas Viewpoint - Weston Wood - CP

Start from St Mary's church car park at Horsley. The church dates from the 12th century, the walk route crosses the main A road to Guildford and passes by West Horsley Place which is to your right. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp353-357

The walk leads north and follows the railway line back to Horsley station, you would turn left and head towards the golf course to continue to follow the jubilee trail. This walk takes a short cut across to the Old London Road (an old drove road from East Horsley to Effingham) and then joins Dirtham Lane before crossing the A road again and you will then pass 6 sites of some of the Lovelace bridges.

Some historical background - these Victorian bridges were funded by Lord Lovelace to make the journeys easier for the horse-drawn carts with their timber loads for the Epsom Road sawmill. William King, the first Earl of Lovelace, was a Victorian entrepreneur who bought Horsley Towers in 1840 then had it eye-catchingly remodelled.  In the late 19th century, Lord Lovelace also had the look of East Horsley village dramatically changed as many buildings were built or covered in very decorative brick and flint-work.

The bridge sites
http://exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Lovelace_Bridges_Trail.pdf
are Pinecroft (site), Stony Dene, Oak Hangar (site) Briary Hill East, Briary Hill West, and Raven Arch. After which the walk crosses a minor road and leads up into Sheepleas and past the Viewpoint on to the car park.

    Briary Hill East

Raven Arch

The walk then rejoins Sheepleas and takes you to a viewpoint overlooking parts of London. Sheepleas was settled as early as the Bronze age, evidence of  Roman occupation exists as Roman coins have been found at the site. the Black death was known to have hit this area hard. Sheepleas was used as grazing land in the past, with the individual enclosures known as "Leas". Spring and early summer is a good time to visit Sheepleas as there is an abundance of wildflowers and butterflies. You may also see deer in this locality.

The walk I led for Mole Valley Ramblers with 40 people exploring the route. The time taken to complete the route reflects the numbers of walkers. There are no stiles.

Sheepleas viewpoint information