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Ash Vale to Worplesdon walk

The Basingstoke Canal, Ash Ranges (Remote, hilly MOD land with unrestricted access), Cobbett Hill and Whitmoor Common.

Surrey

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 14-Oct-23 Ash Vale to Worplesdon - Surrey heaths, woods and commons 8 golden October sun
Sat, 02-Feb-19 Saturday walk - Ash Vale to Worplesdon - Canals, Heathland and three pubs 13 beautiful day with snow underfoot
Sat, 09-Dec-17 Ash Vale to Worplesdon -- The Basingstoke Canal, Ash Ranges, Cobbit Hill and Whitmoor Common 7
Sat, 03-Jun-17 Ash Vale to Worplesdon
Sat, 03-Oct-15 Saturday Second Walk - Wooded Surrey heaths and easy fields 18
Mon, 26-Aug-13 ? Ash to Worplesdon
Sat, 03-Mar-12 Ash Vale to Worplesdon
Walker
Length: 19.8km (12.2 miles) T=SWC.136
9.24 train from Waterloo (9.31 Clapham Junction) to Ash Vale, arriving 10.14.
If you just miss this, get the 9.30 train to Woking, arriving 9.54, to connect to the above train departing 10.00.
Buy a day return to Ash Vale.
For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here.
This walk has not had an outing since February 2019. It is even longer since I did it, but I remember a mix of scenery - a canal stretch to start, some heaths, woods, fields: classic Surrey in other words.
For a pub lunch the choice seems to be the Royal Oak in Pirbright after 7.2 miles, which does food all afternoon. It is described in the walk notes as popular, but many such pubs have been less busy recently. Otherwise the White Lyon and Dragon, 9.6 miles into the walk has now closed, and I can’t tell from its website if the nearby Worplesdon Place Hotel is a pub or all posh and high falutin’.
The main walk route has no tea stop, but a recommended short (0.5km) diversion is provided - in the walk directions at least: I am not sure it is included on the GPX - to the pleasantly rural Jolly Farmer pub, situated in the middle of nowhere on the edge of Whitmoor Common. The slight downside is that the 1 mile or so walk to the station from the pub includes a stretch along a modestly busy road. Allow 25 minutes to get to the station to be on the safe side. If aiming for the 6.40 train or later a torch is recommended.
Trains back from Worplesdon are at 40 past the hour
  • 14-Oct-23

    Despite having posted this walk, I was not sure what to expect. It is a long while since I did it and then, I think, it was in winter. But autumn really suits this walk, the golden October sun slanting through the trees, flecks of leaf colours, and - particularly in the afternoon - lots of fungi of diverse types, which I wish I could identify. (Fly agaric, puffballs…but what were the others?)

    We were 8 at the station and no one joined us later or popped up en route, so 8 it was. Five of us ate in the garden of the Royal Oak pub - it was warm enough when the sun shone, though there were a few clouds and one disobliging sprinkle of raindrops. The food met with general approval and came pretty quickly. Like so many pubs with a former reputation for being popular, it was not busy at all in these straitened times.

    After lunch a nice variety of scenery - fungi-filled woods, some fields, a strange deserted complex on the edge of Worplesdon village which we eventually decided was a college of some kind. Just before this we had a sit down in the sun for a while - a forgotten tradition of SWC walks that could do with a revival.

    There is supposedly a hotel in Worplesdon village where we might have tried to get tea if we had ever managed to find it. But we were out the other side before we realised we had not done so. Given this, all but one of us opted to do the diversion to the Jolly Farmer pub for tea (only one had beer) in its charming garden.

    Two then braved the road on the direct route to the station. The rest of us returned to the main walk route - which involved an almost identical stretch down an identically busy road. I would have thought that it would make sense to make the diversion to the Jolly Farmer the standard ending. Certainly that is what I will do in future. (Note to anyone planning to do this walk in June or July: Whitmoor Common and its woods is a good place for butterflies at that time of year).

    The last bit down a quiet lane to the station was very pleasant and we were in good time for the 5.40pm train. All in all a satisfactory way to fill a Saturday and a walk that should be done more often.

Walker
Length: 19.8km (12.3 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

Catch the 9.23 train from Waterloo to Ash Vale, arriving 10.14.

If you miss this, catch the 9.28 Weymouth train and change at Woking, arriving 9.54, departing 10.00. This is also the Clapham Junction option, departing at 9.35.

Buy a day return to Ash Vale. You also technically need a single from Worplesdon to Woking (one stop) on the return leg.

For walk directions click here. For GPX click here (and you also might find the walk's home page useful too). T=3.136

I apologise if the train journey to this walk seems like "deja vue all over again" for those who were on the Farnham to Godalming walk last week: you are indeed taking the same train from Waterloo. But you are getting off a stop earlier and the walk has quite a different character.

You start off along the Basingstoke Canal and then are out on heathland that is used as an army range - but not, the walk notes insist, having any restricted access if you follow the main walk route. On past outings of the walk there have been some issues following the directions on this section, but in this GPX era maybe that will be less of a problem. Stick to someone with a gizmo, is my advice.

If there is no firing at all on the army ranges, a shortcut across them is possible: how much this saves is not specified.

Otherwise, it is back to the canal and then into more normal rural territory to arrive at the lunch pub, the Royal Oak in Purbright. This is 7.2 miles into the walk, but it seems to do food all afternoon.

There is also a later lunch option in another 2.4 miles, the White Lyon and Dragon, which does Thai food. Alternatively this could act as your tea stop (it is open all afternoon), allowing you to go straight to Worplesdon station in another 2.7 miles. For a later tea stop there is the Jolly Farmer in Whitmoor Common: there is a 500 metre diversion to reach this.

At Worplesdon station itself there are no refreshments and trains are only hourly at 14 minutes past the hour. It is a lonely spot, so time your arrival there carefully.
  • 01-Feb-19

    I have just checked the train times for this and currently (as of Friday am) there are no issues showing for the trains for this walk due to snow.

  • Anonymous
    01-Feb-19

    was hoping to do Tonbridge walk but weather appear to be better for this walk. Any takers for ending at Brookwood Station (about 10 miles in total)

  • Anonymous
    01-Feb-19

    Weather forecast here is sunny. Plan to do Ash Vale to Brookwood but 9:53am start at Waterloo, everyone is welcome.

  • Sandy
    03-Feb-19

    There were 9 of us on the delayed 1014 and at least 3 on a later train,so let's say 12 on a beautiful day with snow underfoot especially along the canal and in the first woodland section. The Royal Oak only just fitted us in for lunch, those who dined seemed satisfied. Two of us returned to the canal and walked to Brookwood after lunch; I wasn't aware of the other comments till later so don't know if anyone else took a short cut. Anyway, great to have a wintry day out in the sunshine.

  • Anonymous
    03-Feb-19

    13 , as there were 4 on the later train. The remaining 11, walked to Worplesdon in separate groups and caught 4:14pm train. Lovely snow covered countryside and sunny all day make this an excellent outing. In the afternoon we saw Alpaca, Ostrich and Lama etc. The only disappointment of this walk (ie walk design) was no refreshment anywhere nearby at the end of the walk, all felt the earlier pub was too soon (just an hour after lunch).

Stargazer
SWC 136: A varied walk in Surrey skirting the edges of the Ash Ranges outside of the Danger Areas t=swc.136

Train: Take the 9:23 AM Alton train from London Waterloo to Ash Vale (this train does not apparently stop at Clapham Junction), arriving at 10:14 AM. Return trains from Worplesdon are at 40 minutes past the hour until 19:40, then they are at 44 minutes past the hour until 23:44. Buy a day return Ash Vale plus a single from Worplesdon to Woking.

Distance: 12.3 miles (19.8 in new money)

Difficulty: 4 out of 10

This varied walk explores the undulating terrain on the outskirts of the Ash Ranges in Surrey. It includes two short stretches along the Basingstoke Canal in the morning before passing through some woodland and various undulating bits of common land. With any luck this terrain should not be too muddy. Although this walk was posted in June, no report was submitted – so either no one went or those that did enjoyed it so much they wanted to keep it a secret – either way, seemed worthy of another outing. More information and the directions can be found here.

Lunch will be at the Royal Oak in Pirbright (01483 232 466), a village pub with a wide variety of food about 6.5 miles/11.6 km from the start of the walk.

The recommended tea stop is the Jolly Farmer in Whitmoor Common located 1.5 mile/2.5 km from the end of the walk on a 500 meter diversion. The area around Worplsedon Station itself seems a bit sparse in terms of amenities.

Enjoy the walk!
  • Anonymous
    06-Dec-17

    Yes there was a good turnout in June. I haven't got round to updating the directions, but not much had changed.

    Paragraph 3 – I think the blue arrow has gone, but the turning is obvious enough.

    Paragraph 22 – the important thing here is to keep to the right of all the campus buildings, with a fence and field to your right.

  • 10-Dec-17

    7 set off under bright-clear-crisp-winter-skies for a varied and interesting walk which works very well in the winter. The route in the morning followed some very picturesque sections of the Basingstoke Canal -- portions of which were covered with a thin layer of ice. We then skirted through lightly forested sandy heathlands. Five enjoyed a warming lunch at the pub where the two sandwich eaters joined us to thaw out and eventually to continue together with the walk. Point 22 of the instructions generated some discussion and could benefit from some further refinement... After a slight exploratory detour to a local farm yard, however, we did ultimately continue on piste....It appears the GPX and the written instructions vary somewhat from time to time from this point onwards....After some discussion in the woods, we concluded timings were probably better suited for continuing on the main route by-passing the pub. On this section of the route, point 32 generated some further discussion with the group splitting into 2 for the final leg -- both arriving in good time for the 16:40.

Sat, 03-Jun-17 : Ash Vale to Worplesdon ?
HollieB
HollieB
Ash Vale to Worplesdon - SWC Walk 136
12.4 miles/19.8km

The Basingstoke Canal, Ash Ranges (remote, hilly MOD land with unrestricted access), Cobbett Hill and Whitmoor Common.

Trains: Take the 9:23 Alton train from London Waterloo, arriving at Ash Vale at 10:14. If you miss this train, catch the 9:30 Portsmouth Harbour train and change at Woking.
Return trains from Worplesdon are at xx40. Buy a return to Ash Vale, you may also need a single from Worplesdon to Woking at the end of the walk.

Lunch: The Royal Oak, Stanford Common, Pirbright, a popular village pub, reached after 11.6km, food served all day. Tel: 01483 232466.

Later stops at Perry Hill, Worplesdon (15.5km into the walk) are the White Lyon and Dragon, a pub and Thai restaurant, and the Worplesdon Place Pub and Rooms.

The Jolly Farmer, Whitmoor Common, Worplesdon is 17.5km into the walk and requires a small detour, but has a beautiful setting.
T=swc.136

Walker
SWC walk 136 - Ash Vale to Worplesdon
Length: 19.8 kilometres (12.3 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

9.23 train from Waterloo (no Clapham Junction stop) to Ash Vale, arrive 10.14

If you miss this, get the 9.30 Portsmouth Harbour train and change at Woking (arrive 9.54, depart 10.00) for the above train.

Buy a day return to Ash Vale, which our resident train guru assures me is valid for return from Worplesdon, contrary to what it says in the walk directions

For walk directions click here.

It is a full two years since this walk had an outing. I seem to remember it was well received at the time, so I am sure it deserves another. The morning up the Basingstoke Canal and then out across the wooded Surrey Heaths, which sometimes require careful navigation. This is MOD land but this walk is entirely out of restricted areas.

11.6km (7.2 miles) of this brings you to the Royal Oak, the lunch time pub, though if this is busy there is an alternative 3.8km (2.4 miles) further on which serves Thai food all afternoon (and a is very nice place, from memory). Its website talks about booking, however, so you might like to check it can accommodate you before relying on it.

The afternoon is different from the morning - more conventional woods and fields as far as I recall. Towards the end there is a short diversion to a possible tea pub. I remember sitting outside it in the sunshine and wondering how much longer the warm weather would last before autumn set in….

The walk ends at isolated Worplesdon station, from where trains go at 40 past the hour. You might like to time your arrival here carefully as there is nothing much in the vicinity if miss one. It is just one stop from this remote fastness to metropolitan Woking, however, and the fleshpots of London beyond.
  • Anonymous
    02-Oct-15

    Hard to print out more than a few pages of the document?

  • Anonymous
    02-Oct-15

    I had no problem! Walk looks good.

  • Anonymous
    05-Oct-15

    Around 18 on this walk in pleasant weather: the sun emerged in the afternoon. Warm enough to sit out in pub garden at lunch. Prompt service. Tricky walking instructions in places. Plenty of armed, but friendly, soldiers running about in the first half of the walk: a regiment competition, rather than a felt need to police the bandits hiking on army land. Most got the 3.40 back to Waterloo. Thanks for putting the walk on.

  • 27-Nov-17

    18