Intermittent rain this morning delay a decision about venue etc. however it
was not heavy enough to put things off too long and I settled on going up to
Devil's Punchbowl and looping around on some paths I had not been on,
including dropping down into the bowl itself.
Parking in the NT car park (thanks to the membership free ride), and we headed
across the grass to the viewpoint getting blasted by some snow flurries in the
wind. We picked up a small path through the trees initially parallel to the main
drag, before taking a side track straight down the slope.
The steep descent brought us to a bridleway contouring along the side of the
valley. we did a little zigzag before continuing to descend to the stream at the
bottom of the "bowl". By now the rain was just an occasional drizzle.
Up the other side and into some open scrubland, climbing then contouring along
the opposite side to the one we started on.
Continuing along north until we arrived at a junction where we climbed up to
arrive at the old road - now a track. We followed this up tot eh big bend over
the tunnels, where we diverted to climb up to Gibbet Hill.
From the top of the hill we picked a track going in our general desired
direction and set off down it, only to find it a cycle track, and we left it
onto a more pleasant byway.
Arriving at the foundations of the temple of four winds looking north.
We dropped down behind the temple, however we somehow migrated from the
bridleway onto another cycle descent - this time we just followed it and
re-joined the track where it mutated into a driveway.
This driveway evolved into a back road and we followed it around in a half
circle. Turning onto a footpath through a series of grass fields heading towards
Witley Farm
The path followed a fenced off swath beside the fields up to the skyline.
The field path ended as we entered some woods that were hiding a Moat and small
island. I suspect the restoration of this monument was in return for redirecting
the foot path away from South Park Farm, and we curved around it on the new
track.
We now followed a path alongside the main railway line heading towards Keffolds
farm in the general direction of Haslemere. It started to rain a bit more now - probably something to do with getting closer to the Punchbowl again.
We now entered beech woods around the large properties surrounding Haslemere.
Through Weydown Common, then along a private lane climbing up to Coombswell
Copse. A loose curve to cross the valley passing a number of "private"
enclosures. This brought us above Polecat Valley, and we picked our way down on
faint tracks.
The track in the bottom of polecat valley was a drive rather than a bridleway.
We followed it to its junction with a back road, and crossing into the woods
beyond, where there were numerous huge redwoods.
A short sharp bordering on vicious climb brought us up to the A287, and across
into Nutcombe Down. We missed the track we wanted and freewheeled down to a
second track going in the right direction.
We followed the bottom of Nutcombe valley , until another steep uphill climb
brought us back to the A287. Across and up what looked like a driveway to get
into the woods beyond. A bridleway brought us back to Hindhead common and the
Greensand way.
Back at the car park and into the snow flurries once again. Climbing into the van for lunch before returning home.
