Riverside Walk

3.9 kms (2.25 miles) parts very wet in winter. Waymarked with yellow paint on trees.

Start from outside the Plough. Cross South Road and walk down the track to Appletree Cottage take the path directly in front. After entering the Common turn left, keeping left until you reach the end house take the path on the right to Horsell Common Road.

Dog-leg left across the road to Viggory Lane, continue until the second lamp post and just after turn right by the telephone pole and take the footpath through the trees to Littlewick Road. Cross the road at the Viggory Ditch.

Enter Grasslands through the kissing gate. After the kissing gate move straight into the common and then turn right keeping the bulk of the open heath on your left hand side. Turn right at the main Grasslands perimeter track past a pair of houses. Through the "horse gates" and cross the drive onto the path running alongside the Viggory ditch to your left. Follow this path until it meets the Chobham Road proceed left towards Chobham, and cross the river and the road at Mimbridge.

Directly over the bridge enter Mimbridge Meadow via the kissing gate, down four steps to your right. Follow the path alongside the riverbank, note all dogs on a lead through this field please. After 600 metres cross the river by the wooden footbridge and turn left along the riverbank until you reach another small boardwalk bridge entering the Bourne Fields.

Walk alongside the Bourne over the first culvert until you come to the "corral" and a second culvert, turn sharp right away from the river and walk with trees on your right hand side until you reach the culvert exiting the Bourne Fields. Take the path between two horse paddocks and follow the track. At the "T" junction with the bridleway turn right and walk to Seven Acres house, turn left and walk down Seven Acres track to the Chobham Road.

Cross Chobham Road onto The Triangle and follow the path for approx 65 metres, turn left at the marker post and follow the new path to Littlewick Road, cross the road onto Forge Common. Move over the ditch and follow the tree lined path to South Road. At South Road cross and dog-leg to the right and take path that runs parallel to South Road until it divides, keep left and exit the common onto Cheapside just beyond Horsell Rise, The Plough is 50m to your right.

Grasslands

Grasslands is an area of common north of the Littlewick Road. It has been enclosed as part of an experiment with English Nature in heath-land regeneration. There is an ongoing programme of felling and scrub clearance. The heath includes the three main types of heather - ling, cross-leaved heath and bell heather. During the summer months the area is grazed by cattle. Some of the large pine trees have been winched over to expose their root plates; the bare earth provides basking sites for reptiles and nest sites for solitary bees and wasps. There are several large colonies of wood ants. Nightjars nest during the summer. Other birds include green woodpeckers, stonechats and kestrels which nest in a box provided in a large pine on the north of the site.

Mimbridge Meadow

The Society has recently purchased the 16 acre meadow, it is managed as organic pasture during the summer. In winter it forms part of the Addlestone Bourne flood plain. The seat by the footbridge was carved from a fallen oak. The new bridge allows access across the Bourne along the south bank of the river to the Bourne Fields. Bourne Fields

The fields comprise in total 24 acres and are managed as unimproved hay meadow. A late hay crop is taken in July/August. Culverts have been installed to replace the old railway sleeper bridges which tended to float away when the river flooded. Many typical river side plants grow along the river banks, including reedmace, toadflax and purple loosestrife. The meadow supports a range of wild flowers, red clover, meadow buttercup, speedwell, yarrow and wild iris in the wet areas. These provide habitat for a wide range of insects, including crickets, hoverflies, froghoppers, burnet moths and the increasingly rare Forester Moth. The meadows are a favourite hunting ground for kestrels which nest in a box provided in the one of the large oaks.

For details of membership contact Horsell Common Preservation Society - PO Box 53 Woking GU21 4YU