Walk 16th February 2016 Young St - The Gallops via Leatherhead - Norbury Park

Start :- TQ151548

Distance 15.8 km; 9.82 miles

Time 3 hours 13 minutes

Route:-

Young St CP (Top) - Bocketts Farm - Hawks Hill - Downside Manor - Leatherhead Downs - Mill Way (Nower) - The Gallops -  Mickleham Downs - Mickleham Church - Sawmill - Crabtree Cottages - Bookham Wood - Admirals Road (Track) - The Hazels - CP This is an extension of the walk completed on 11th February 2016, with plenty of scope to extend the walk to Headley and also to Boxhill. The path from Nower Wood back to White Downs is often muddy and so it was today. However the route overall is not too bad. There are areas which will display bluebells - this will include the path towards The Gallops. The history around Whitehill / TheGallops extends back 3,000 years. (further information to be added) This map shows the location of swallow holes on the River Mole

Walk 11th February 2016 Young St - Mickleham Downs via Leatherhead

Start point:- TQ151548

Distance:- 14.25km, 8.86 miles

Time taken 2 hours 57 minutes.

Route:- 

Young St CP (Top) - Bocketts Farm - Hawks Hill - Downside Manor - Leatherhead Downs - Mickleham Downs - Mickleham Church - Sawmill - Crabtree Cottages - Bookham Wood - Admirals Road (Track) - The Hazels - CP This walk is an extension of the one taken on the 2nd February 2016. It covers more of the boundaries of the golf course development at Cherkley Court. This development caused a stir locally, going to appeal several times with the case eventually lost. The end result there are now two golf courses side by side, field with masses of cowslips have been destroyed and areas of chalk being removed and dumped in the surrounding boundaries of the development. Footpaths are being closed and signs erected warning people not to trespass on private land. There are supportive messages welcoming the development. http://www.cherkleycourt.com/support.php Mickleham church has been on its site since Saxon times. http://www.micklehamchurch.org.uk/history.htm There is a pub opposite - the Running Horses. My walk then crosses over the A road into Norbury Park and follows the route from the 2nd February 2016 with a slight different route in Bookham Wood. The weather being sunny so good views looking towards Leatherhead, back across to Cherkley Court, Ranmore Common church and Bookham village from Admirals track. This walk can be extended towards Headley, High Ashurst and White Down so there are plenty of opportunities to get similar length walks or longer using this as a basis.

Walk 10th February 2016 Boxhill - High Ashurst

Start point:- TQ179513

Distance :- 8.34 km; 5.15 miles

Time taken:- 2 hours 41 minutes

Route :- 

Boxhill NT CP - viewpoint - Brockham Warren - High Ashurst - Juniper Top - Flint Hill - CP

Today's walk was lead by a member of the Mole Valley Ramblers. Starting from Boxhill NT CP (where some work is being done, the entrance point being relocated further towards the viewpoint).

Walk 8th February 2016 Young St - Norbury Park viewpoint

Start point:- TQ151548

Distance:-  9.98 km; 6.20 miles

Time taken :- 2 hours 14 minutes

Route :- 

Young St CP (Top) - Fetcham Woods - Updown Wood - Druids Grove - Viewpoint - Crabtree Cottages - Bookham Wood - Hazels - CP

Weather conditions - the tail end of Storm Imogen, gusts to 50 mph, and remained dry throughout the walk duration.

The walk is a variation on previous walks in Norbury Park, after leaving the car park head down the hill to the farm and follow in part the stony track which leads to the sawmill, before reaching it there is a footpath taking you to Fetcham Downs - again a viewpoint, working your way to the sawmill via the path which passes the wood sculptures of which 2 are now rotten and have fallen down or been knocked over. This path you will find the Roman snails later in the year. Take the path leading over the railway tunnel and follow and here standing water and mud covered the path just beyond a small foot path leading up past the house perimeter to the viewpoint which overlooks Mickleham and Cherkley Court. Then on to Crabtree lane car park to the cottages with a view of Ranmore Common church. Into Bookham woods and back along Admirals track taking a path earlier to enter the The Hazels (where you will find primroses)

Cherkley Court, at the extreme south-east of Leatherhead, Surrey, in England, is a late Victorian neo-classical mansion and estate of 370 acres (1.5 km²), once the home of Canadian-born press baron Lord Beaverbrook. The main house is a Grade II listed building. Currently being converted to a golf course complex and hotel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherkley_Court

Walk 3rd February 2016 Silent Pool - NDW - Shere - Albury

Start point:- TQ060485
Distance 10.8km; 6.71 miles
Time 2 hours 59 minutes
Route:-

Silent Pool CP - Fox Way - Hollister Farm - Netley Heath - Gravelhill Gate - Hawkhurst Downs - Beggars Lane - Southbrook Farm - Towerhill Farm - Gomshall - Cycle Route 22 - Shere Church - Silver Wood - Albury Church - CP

Today's walk is using the same route as that on the 25th January 2016 for Mole Valley Ramblers. The start point - Silent Pool was probably an old chalk quarry fed by underground springs and would have been a precious source of pure water in days gone by. The pool and nearby Sherbourne Pond became home to many different species of aquatic life and one can often glimpse the blue flash of a kingfisher as it darts across the water.

More recently the pool has had a tendency to dry out due to the springs feeding the Pool suffering from the lower than average annual rainfall.

Silent Pool has always been a popular place to visit and many feel an eerie stillness looking out over the still water surrounded by the evergreen box trees.

Legend has it that this is due to the fate of a woodcutter's daughter who was surprised by a nobleman on a horse as she bathed in the pool. Having failed to lure her to the bank, he rode his horse into the water and caused the girl to move out to deeper water where she drowned. When the woodcutter returned and found her body, he also found the nobleman's hat floating on the water. It bore the crest of none other than Prince John!

Additional detail about Silent Pool can be found at this website:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Pool
From Cycle route 22 you can see Netley Park and house, but they are not open to public access. They are owned by the National trust.

Walk 2nd February 2016 Young St - Mickleham via Leatherhead

Start point :- TQ141548
Distance 13.1 km, 8.14 miles
Time 2 hours 42 minutes
Route:-

Young St CP (Top) - Bocketts Farm - Hawks Hill - Downside Manor - Givons Grove - Mickleham - Sawmill - Crabtree Cottages - Bookham Wood - Admirals Road (Track) - The Hazels - CP

The morning started out with light drizzle but by the time I re-entered Norbury Park from Mickleham the sun was full out. the bridge over the River Mole is Victorian, the river gets its name from the fact that at times it disappears into sinkholes in the chalk and on one occasion an oak tree was seen to disappear down one. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickleham,_Surrey ) PC Middleton in the 1950s.

1822 Henry Piper Sperling bought Norbury House and was responsible for building the Weir Bridge over the River Mole. The bridge is now a grade 2 listed building.

Walk 1st February 2016 Dorking Road - Mogador

Start:- TQ 227544
Distance 11.3 km, 7.02 miles
Route:-

Walton-on-the-Hill - Chussex Plain - Thistle Hill - Mogador - Banstead Heath - CP

A walk from Walton-on-the hill (Dorking Road CP) to Mogador with views from the hills looking south, returning back to Banstead Heath. There were two areas of deep standing water, which could not be avoided. The locations being TQ231526; and TQ244535.
Along the walk route you will find white metal posts - these are Coal Tax posts - now listed buildings. There is a ring of these posts around London. The purpose of the posts was to give notice of where the boundary ran so that no-one could claim ignorance of liability to pay the duties. However, in general, duties were not actually collected on the boundary. Full details can be found at the following web site.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal-tax_post