Start point:- TQ083446
Distance:- 19.3 km; 11.99 miles
Time taken:- 5 hours 24 minutes
Route:-
| Walking Bottom CP - Hazel Hall - Jesses Lane - Drydown Farm - Ponds Farm - Ponds Lane - Shere Heath - Dark Lane - Cycle Route 22 - Towerhill Lane - Hazelhatch - Broadfield Road - Hoe Farm - Tenningshook Wood - YH - Holmbury St Mary church - Greensand Way - Somerset Hill - Holmbury Hill - Hurt Wood - Riding Copse - Peaslake church - CP |
I led this walk for Mole Valley Ramblers as part of their walking festival event. There were a total of 13 walkers with 3 breaks - mid morning, lunch and mid afternoon and the time taken will reflect these factors. It is possible to walk the route in just short of 4 hours. You can get a pub lunch in Peaslake at the Hurtwood Inn and at Holmbury St Mary
The walk differs as it takes the footpath towards Hazel Hall, where the actual trail passes rather than walk towards Lockhurst Hatch farm as on Monday 14th March 2016. The walk up towards Shere includes some interesting views.
There is an opportunity to do a shorter walk starting at Shere CP walking south to Broadfield Road and when reaching the road to Peaslake taking the first footpath on the right at the start of some cottages (Pursers farm will be on your left) as at that point you would be less than 500 metres from the return path to Shere (Jesses lane). Jesses lane is a single track road but whenever I have driven and walked down it is a very quiet road, the section to be walked on the road is short about 200 metres but again take care. Cotterells farm to Drydown Farm the road section is again about 200 metres and it is a busier road but with some pavements to walk.
The parish of Shere, which also includes Gomshall and Peaslake - were associated with the industries of weaving and tanning. Shown on a map of 1753 it says that Shere and Gomshall are famous for the weaving of fustain. (a coarse cloth, thick twilled) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fustian
Shere church - 1329 Christine Carpenter the Anchoress of Shere was imprisoned for several years in the 14th Century, according to a 12th century chronicler Father Michael Duval. St James church Shere built in 1190 built in the early English transitional style. The nave pews were originally numbered and people paid the church to rent them. http://www.sheredelight.com/history.html
More detail on Shere can be found here http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp111-121
Holmbury St Mary,s church is quite impressive designed built and paid for by George Edmund Street
http://holmburychurch.wixsite.com/stmarys/history
Holmbury St Mary is situated in Hurtwood the largest area of common land in England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmbury_St_Mary
The walk will take you towards and through a hill fort at Holmbury Hill. Holmbury is one of three hillforts located on the scarp edge of the greensand ridge between Guildford and Dorking.
http://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/content/holmbury-hillfort-survey-report
The fort dates from the Iron Age. https://friendsofthehurtwood.co.uk/holmbury-hill-walk
Excavation of the site in 1929 by indicated that it dated to the 1st Century AD and may have been constructed by Belgic tribes of Celts who were settling this part of Britain in the period prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. The hillfort was defended by double ramparts to the west and north with escarpments on the eastern and southern slopes. The outer ditches were originally about three metres deep and six metres wide. The inner ditches were considerably larger, some four metres deep and nine metres wide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmbury_Hill
Leaving the hill you will pass the Hurtwood Millennium Pinetum and the location of the different trees can be found
https://friendsofthehurtwood.co.uk/files/18/Forms%20/25/Hurtwood%20Pinetum%20Panel.pdf
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