Section 42
Bentley to Farnham
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
FOLKESTONE TO FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE
Section 42 Out FINAL SECTION !
Bentley to Farnham
Map: OS Explorer 144 Basingstoke, Alton & Whitchurch 145 Guildford & Farnham
Distance/Time: 4.5 miles/2.5m hours
Start: The Star Inn, Bentley
Comments: A walk which meanders along, sandwiched between the River Wey, the A31 main road and the railway. There are farms, fields and woods with plenty of views. The route constantly switches from footpath, to track then short road sections. There are stiles; also bracken so do a tick check afterwards. There is a relatively swift emergence into the heart of historic Farnham.
With The Star on your left, go forward along the main road, past the village shop and industrial units on your right. Just past these, turn right, up a roadway between brick walls (Rectory Lane).
Walk down, past houses, to reach and cross, a footbridge over the A31 dual carriageway. At the far side, turn left, over a stile, and follow a fence along by the side of the main road.
Keep with the fence as it bears away from the road and reaches a stile, in front of a farm. Cross stile and turn left, up towards the road again.
Soon turn right, through a metal fieldgate, into a pasture. Cross to a stile, and emerge, by gates and a cattle grid, onto a road.
Cross over to a stile by a metal fieldgate and enter a field. Bear diagonally right, across the field, to a corner of woodland. Cross a stile by a wooden fieldgate, onto a farm track, enclosed between woods and a wire fence. Follow this down to the bottom.
Here, cross another stile, and bear diagonally left, across to the far left corner of the field. There is a feint, raised track to follow.
In the corner, cross a footbridge over the River Wey, onto an enclosed, grassy track. Soon emerge onto a road. Turn left on this for ¼ mile.
Pass a house on your left, then on, past a footpath off right, followed by a second house, where the road bends sharply left. Turn right, off the road, over a stile into a meadow, with the river on your left.
Follow this path by the river, often through trees, for ½ mile. Finally, on reaching a footbridge down on your left, turn right, by a stile, to go through a bridge under the railway.
Immediately turn left, through a metal kissing gate, onto an enclosed path, alongside the railway (now on your left).
Keep along for ¾ mile, ignoring a track off left, under the railway, halfway along.
At the end the path turns, by a substantial footbridge, over a works access road. Turn right, over this footbridge, and follow the path around to a metal kissing gate.
Go through, to an enclosed track. Keep forward as the track becomes a vehicle road, passing rugby pitches on the right (ignore a footpath off right).
Where the roadway turns right, by a pavilion, go straight ahead, through a gap, into a playing field. Continue straight across, to leave the field by wooden gates, onto a road.
Turn left on the road, and follow it around, ignoring side turnings, to eventually meet a main road, by the 13th. Century Wrecclesham House.
Turn left on the main road, then soon first left again, on a side road, going under the railway, and down towards the river.
Just before the river bridge, turn right along a lane called River Row. Eventually this emerges suddenly – and dangerously – onto a main road.
Cross the road carefully, to a lane opposite, and follow this a good way. Where the vehicle lane ends, go forward on a footpath, by the river. Emerge onto the A31.
THERE IS A DANGEROUS FLAT CROSSING HERE. LUCKILY THERE IS A WIDE GRASSY CENTRE RESERVATION.
Cross with great care, to regain the path, now very narrow, alongside the river.
After some distance, pass a bungalow on your left called Weddon Mill. Immediately turn left, down an enclosed footpath, to reach a footbridge over the river.
In the meadow at the far side are three footpaths. Take the one on the right, towards distant Farnham Church. Follow this asphalt path for a good distance, ignoring paths going off. Eventually the path becomes an enclosed alley, between walls, and emerges into the churchyard.
Turn left and pass the church on your right. Keep forward, between buildings, to emerge into the main street in Farnham.
Turn right along the road, past a turning on the right, to keep forward to the arcaded Town Hall and Castle Street, in the centre of Farnham.
YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE FOLKESTONE FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE. CONGRATULATIONS !
Colin W Bridge 20/11/07 and 31/3/21
FOLKESTONE TO FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE
Section 42 Return
Farnham to Bentley
Map: OS Explorer 144 Basingstoke, Alton & Whitchurch 145 Guildford & Farnham
Distance/Time: 4.5 miles/2.5m hours
Start: Castle Street, Farnham
Comments: … the return uses the St. Swithun’s Trail which goes from Farnham to Winchester. This section is easy to follow and waymarked, but disappointing in that it is mostly on roads and hard surfaces. The views would be good but, true to character, it rained all the way back on this return….completed on a grey, wet November day at 3.30pm, just as the light was failing. An excellent long distant adventure !
Colin Bridge 20/11/2007 (just turned 65 !)(rewalked some years later)
From the centre of Farnham, go up Castle Street. After a turning on your right, pass the Nelson Arms pub and cross road to a narrow alley, going between houses.
At the end, turn left a few paces, then right, along another alley, to emerge into a car park.
Continue a little, then turn right, up the first access road, to the top of the car park, and an enclosed footpath going steeply uphill.
Near the top, where the wire fence turns left, turn left on a path alongside the wire fence, with buildings down on your left.
In a short distance, reach steps, on your right, opposite a college entrance on the left. Go up the steps, into a field, then straight on, up the field.
Enter a second field, and at the top of this, bear right, on an enclosed path, between a hedge and a wooden fence.
This soon reaches a road. Turn left on this and follow it for ½ mile. Ignore a footpath off left, and keep steadily uphill. In ¼ mile pass a stable entrance on your left.
On reaching Old Park Stables, turn left, on a made-up bridleway, and follow this for ¼ mile.
Where it reaches two cottages, on your left, go forward onto a broad, gravelled track, down through trees.
This begins to rise after a while and becomes a private road at Middle Old Park. Keep on this roadway for ½ mile, turning sharp left at Lower Old Park (ignoring footpath off right).
Wind down, then up again and around, to eventually reach a junction with a public road.
Turn left, with care, and follow it down to a T-junction. Here, bear left a few paces, then turn right, up a side road. After some way, this reaches a junction with another road.
Go across to a gravel track, and keep forward on this for ½ mile, ignoring all turnings into fields.
Eventually, this reaches yet another road. Cross, at last onto a field edge path (although very stoney), and go along with a hedge on your right.
This soon becomes an enclosed and muddy bridleway, and reaches another road. Turn left on this road for a short distance, then, turn right, across a field, to enter a further field.
Where the trees on your right stop, go straight ahead, down an open field, to the corner of a hedge in the valley below, with a wood beyond.
On reaching the hedge corner, go forwards towards the wood. At the wood edge cross a footbridge, and immediately wiggle right, then left, to follow the track into the wood.
Stay on this track, even where it turns left, by a stile (ignore this).
Eventually emerge onto a road. Turn left, for a short distance, then right, down an access road, towards two cottages.
Pass the cottages and stay on the road as it bears right (ignoring a footpath off left), and keep forward to a road junction.
Cross to an entrance drive, but immediately turn right, over a stile, into a pasture. Go across the centre of this paddock to a gate into a further paddock, and keep on in the same direction, along a fence, on your right, to a further gate.
Go through and straight on, to the worst stile in Hampshire.
Cross the next field to a stile and gap, in the hedge ahead. There are two paths here. Bear right, steeply downhill, to a corner, then steeply up the other side, to a stile in the hedge at the top.
Go forward, over the corner of a field, to trees and hedge on the far side.
Keep on along the field edge, with the hedge on your right, and in a short distance, reach a road.
Turn left on the road for 100 metres, looking for a stile and footpath on your left. Cross into a field, and go forward, along a field edge, to a corner ahead.
Cross a stile and footbridge, into a playing field. Keep by a fence and wall on your right, and pass through a narrow way, at the back of a pavilion. Keep forward, through a car park and gates onto a road.
Turn right a few paces, then left, on an asphalt path, passing houses on your right, and common land on the left, with a pond and seats. Soon emerge onto a main road. Turn right to reach the village shop and The Star in Bentley at the start of this last section.
