The next BOC retirees walk was arranged to Meet in the Surrey Hills above Cranleigh. We would meet at car park #4 then walk along the ridge to car park #6, then across to Farley Heath, before turning towards Shere. A stop at Little London for lunch then back along Ponds lane followed around Winterfold wood, hence back to the start.
I arrived early at the car park, not really knowing how long it would take to get through Cranleigh. In the end it was fairly smooth and I found a good spot under the trees. Being early gave me time to look around - usually i am walking through here and just keep going.
I did not equate the Winterfold house (bottom of the hill towards Cranleigh) was the WWII initial training centre for the SOE agents dropped into Europe.
After everyone else arrived (we were 8 to start - picking one more up on the way), we set off up the Greensand way to the view point - here we had good views down to the south Downs.
Along the Greensand way that followed the edge of the ridge winding aroudn next to Winterfold Heath road. At car park #6 we were joined by one more person and followed Row Lane lookign for the footpath beside it - totally overgrown so we found a different one that led to a track going in the right direction. Down to some buildings (residential now).
Next down into more woods zigzagging across to Farley Heath. The closer we got the more sandy the track.
Across Farley Heath road and into the car park. Several DofE groups were setting off from here, and we bypassed them, going deeper into the plantations. At a major junction we turned along a track to some houses where we cut across through more woods and overgrown tracks to the edge of some horse fields.
Looking over the fields towards the North Downs, following the path to the main stables fand farm in the bottom of the valley. From here we followed the back road to Little London, as it dipped under the railway line. The William IV pub was at the edge of the houses on the left. We were on several benches out the front and by some strange coincidence we had 8 burgers - with only one person eating something different.
After lunch we continued up the back road and into Shere Heath. Here the rail crossing had been closed by the installation of a new bridge a bit further up the track so we had to divert up to it and back on the far side.
Here we picked up Ponds land to the farm of the same name and onward to Lockhurst hatch farm on a mix of gravel and metalled road. This lane ended at a back road, over this and along the side of Winterfold wood on a dirt and gravel track. This climbed gradually up as it wound aroudn the side of the private woodland. At a junction of tracks our path took us through the woodland (with signs to each side) and out beside some gravel tracks. Our path continued to climb gently eventually reaching Winterfold heath road opposite our car park.
