A cloudy day after a night frost, with some rain forecast for the afternoon.
So for a relatively mud free, and not impacted by the cloud I planned to make
a circuit of Alice Holt Forest near Farnham. The idea was to park in the free
car park near Abbotts Wood Inclosure, across to Straits Inclosure, around it
and back to Abbotts Wood via Goose Green Inclosure. Crossing over into the
more commercial side of Alice Holt Forest and circle around Glenbervie
Inclosure, into the village of halt Pound, then into the Inclosure of the same
name. Across onto Lodge Inclosure, making a circuit via Bentley station and
Hall, before returning to the commercial section. Finally returning to the car
park via one of the multitude of trails.
We drove across via Haslemere and Frensham ponds before crossing over to the
forest on the back lanes. Parking in the forestry commission car park on the
south (non commercial) side of the forest as this did not require buying a
ticket. We left the circular parking area heading south on a gravel track, until
we met the Shipwrights Way (we would repeatedly use parts of this today) at one
of the sculptures.
The track continued south (via a couple of curves) - not much of a view with the
trees blocking each side. Following the SW until it turned away at the edge of
the forest.
At the edge of the forest we crossed the back road and crossed several fields to
reach Grooms farm, where we turned sharply back on ourselves and followed the
farm drive up to its junction with the A325.
From the crossroads, we followed a small lane into the Straits Inclosure, which
mutated into a path along the edge of the trees, and grass land.
Passing a small lake on to the end of the Inclosure, where we turned around the
end and started back along the northern side - this time slightly further within
the trees.
The tracks through the trees was much the same, as we serpented back through the
Inclosure, with the occasional break where some new planting had been done.
The final turn took us out of the woods here opposite a set of fishing lakes.
Across the back road and into Goose Green Inclosure, on a straight track through
the plantation.
Over the A325, to work across to the crossroads where we had first picked up the
SW. From the sculpture we continued crossing our original route.
The SW crossed another back road and entered into the commercial side of the
forest. Here the tracks all had marked trails along them, and were swept of the
leaves.
We continued on the SW until we crossed the "Family cycle trail", which proved
too big a temptation, so we turned off SW early to follow it. This trail wound
its way up the Eastern edge of the forest past the "Lonely Oak" - a
memorial to a long time Forestry person.
Up at the northern end of the forest we left the prepared trails and followed a
more muddy track up to the village of Holt Pound. Through a twitten to Old Kiln
farm - now horse stabling, and coming out opposite the village pub.
The path actually went through the pub garden before coming out in a field.
Across the field and into Holt Pound Inclosure. Another wide track led through
this plantation, which after a short while was heavily gravelled.
At the far end of the Inclosure we crossed over Gravel Hill Road passing two
parking spaces into Lodge Inclosure.
Inside this Inclosure we came to an arboretum nestling within it. Going through
it on one of the meandering paths we arrived back at the SW.
The SW at this point was tarmacked and we followed it out of the Inclosure up to
its end at Bentley rail station.
Turning around and walking back to the path through the station nature reserve.
This climbed up to Bentley Hall - more modern than I was expecting.
Back into the Inclosure at the Hall, we headed up towards the SW on gravelled
tracks. We met the SW at the edge of the arboretum
Turning onto the SW - still tarmacked - we followed it along past the Alice Holt
Research Station.
The SW continued across Lodge Inclosure until it left beside a section called
Plain Piece.
Back across the A325 and into the commercial part again - Still on the SW as it
curved around onto the continuation of the "family Cycle Trail".
We left the marked trails and cut through the trees to the "Lodge Pond Trail",
then the "Habitat Trail"
These trails took us down in a curve back towards the main reception area and
car parks via a number of play areas and some scattered wooden play sculptures.
Back to the visitors centre, past the Go Ape tree jungle and a smaller play
area.
We continued away from the visitor centre along the Willows Green trail, and
some more sculptures
Eventually this curved back to the visitors car park and we left along a
secondary track that crossed over the back road to the non commercial side and
hence to the van waiting in the car park there.
