Folly Pond Walk

Like many people, I am struggling with the 3rd lockdown and the inability to go to the locations I love to walk in. Strangely though, this time round I am finding it hard to motivate myself to put the boots on and get outside. I am finding myself making excuses such as ‘its raining’ or ‘its cold’ which is totally unlike me.

This is why the Ramblers #WalkInWinter campaign is so important and why I am proud to be an Ambassador for the campaign. In its original concept, it was designed to maintain the walking momentum and keep people walking through the depths of winter. However, I feel it has a more important role in helping our mental health and encouraging us to get outside and take some fresh air and exercise.

Obviously, we are restricted to local walks so I would not expect you to jump into the car and drive here to do this walk. But I am using it to highlight that any walk in your local area is as good as any other walk. Even if it is just around the streets of your town or city.

Start: Langley Wood SU 81341 28601
Finish: Langley Wood SU 81341 28601
Distance: 3.2 miles
Ascent: 208 feet
Duration: 1h 10m
OS Map Required: OL33 Haslemere & Petersfield

I have walked around this area many times and one of the great things about it is that I have never walked the same route twice. You will find that in many rural areas, that there is a myriad of footpaths so you can vary your walk. The other advantage is that you can change your mind halfway round and head off in a different direction. It is your walk – you decide!

From the start of the route, the walk follows a well-defined footpath for just over 0.75 miles where it picks up the Sussex Border Long Distance Path then passes under the railway bridge. Follow this path for a further 0.25 miles where a path to the right leads towards Folly Pond, part of the Champneys Forest Mere Estate.

This 14.6 hectare estate is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and consists of Folly Pond and surrounding woodland, heath and bog. It is notable for its assemblage of 17 species of dragonfly and 49 breeding bird species including the Stonechat, Wood Warbler and Tree Pipit.

Head through the Estate until you pick up the Foley Manor to Langley trackway where you turn left. Continue forward, re-joining the Sussex Border Path again until you reach the hamlet of Langley. Head over the railway bridge and along the metalled road and take the first left, through Langley Wood, to the finish.

This was a nice easy and relaxing walk, just perfect to lift your spirits on a cold winters morning. I am sure that there are many similar walks near you, so why not carry on walking and enjoy the winter air and maybe even the snow, though please take care.

So, if you want to find some new local walks then there are two brilliant ways to achieve this. Firstly, why not become a member of the Ramblers, Great Britain’s leading walking charity. Membership give you access to thousands of routes all over the Country and access to the Ramblers App with over 300 routes downloadable to your smart phone.

Join the Ramblers

Secondly, sign-up for the award winning OS Map App from the Ordnance Survey. This App gives you unlimited use of all 607 OS Explorer and OS Landranger maps for the whole of Great Britain. You can plan routes on a PC or Table then view, print, or download to your phone. This App will give you access to hundreds of thousands of routes.

Download – OS Map App