Weekend Walk: Farnham to Crondall (9 miles)

This is an easy, relatively flat walk which offers some interesting views and pleasant countryside. The walk was provided by Guildford Rambling Club (guildfordramblingclub.org.uk).

Duck back into the park at the back of the car park and go right. Then take the path right, between the cricket pitch and the moat of the castle. (The castle dates from 1138.) At the road turn left and walk about 150 yards until you can cross right (caution, dangerous blind bend) and enter Old Park Lane. Walk along here for about 300 yards to the point at which the road ahead becomes a wide track. Take a footpath left, next to No 3 Old Park Lane. The track swings right and across a field with views down over Farnham, to the left.

At a sharp left bend in the track continue straight ahead on a narrow path towards trees. At a three way signpost go left and immediately, at another three way signpost, go right. Walk along a corridor for a long way, ignoring lefts. Cross the dead end of a road and continue straight ahead. At the next road, turn left and walk along until, by a phone box, you can cross and turn right, into Byworth Road. Go down here and look for a footpath right, along a track signed to ‘Blackbirds’. By the car port at the back of ‘Blackbirds’ fork right, off the track and along a path into trees. Follow this down over a little footbridge and across a crossing track into a field. Stay on its left-hand side for 100 yards than go up, left, through a hedge into a field.

Follow the path right, across the wide, open field until, about 150 yards before a barn, following a yellow arrow right and down to a road. Cross and enter a track opposite. Follow this, ignoring lefts and rights and running parallel to a concrete track (over the hedge on the left). At the entrance to ‘Burles House’, the path branches off right and reaches a road. Turn right and wind up the hill to pass ‘Lower Old Park’. Look, on the left 50 yards further on, for a white gate. There is a footpath and kissing-gate next to it, taking you into a field. Head out half-left across it to go through another kissing-gate into a wood. The path takes you down, across a footbridge in a more open area and up into a large field. Go straight across to Dora’s Green Lane. Turn right and walk about 200 yards to take a track left, signposted to ‘Meadow Cottage’ (see later).

Just before the house at the end of the track, fork right and into a field. Immediately, at a three way signpost, turn left and walk along the left-hand edge of the field. Stay in the field, do not fork left into a new wood. At the far end take the narrow path out of the corner of the field into and along the edge of trees. This path brushes the edge of a golf course and then enters another field. Head out half-right to go through a wide gap, left, and then straight ahead along the right-hand side of the next field to a road. Turn right and walk a quarter of a mile, into the edge of Crondall. Turn into the first road right, Heath Lane. After some 250 yards and immediately beyond ‘Doules Mead’, take a footpath left. This takes you alongside a stream on the left-hand edge of a golf course and then exits into a field (where you could picnic). On the other side of the field is a road and there is a pub, the Hampshire Arms, a couple of hundred yards along on the right.

After lunch, walk on past the pub and turn right into a narrow lane. Pass a few houses and then, by ‘Crondall New Surgery’, take a narrow path just inside the hedge on the right-hand side of the lane. Follow this for almost half a mile, paralleling and then swinging away from the lane and just on the edge of the golf course. Eventually, reach the club house and its car park. Look for a gap in the hedge in the left-hand corner and go through, down onto a road. Turn left and walk 200 yards to take a footpath right, immediately before some houses. The path runs along in the edge of trees and then out onto the golf course. Turn right and follow the right-hand edge until taking a wide track off right. Immediately turn left and follow the track under power lines and between fairways. When you reach Tee 14 and a bench, turn right and walk around behind the bench and the other side of the Tee. A little way further on is a two way signpost and you go left and through a kissing gate into a field.

Quickly reach a gate and a footbridge, right, into another field. Now, walk half-left up a slight slope and then left along the tree line at the top of the slope. Reach a kissing gate, right, into another field and head out half-left. You will reach the gate by ‘Meadow Cottage’ (noted earlier). Retrace your outward route to reach the road by ‘Lower Old Park’. Now, turn left and walk along the road until, just beyond ‘Middle Old Park’, where the road turns sharp left, continuing straight ahead on St Swithun’s Way, a wide track. At a junction by a house, turn right. At a three way signpost, turn right. Keep going to reach No 3 Old Park Lane and retrace your initial route back to the start.

DISTANCE: 9 miles
OS MAPS: Explorer 145 Guildford & Farnham, Godalming & Farnborough and Explore146 Dorking, Box Hill & Reigate, Leatherhead & Caterham
STARTING POINT: The car park by the Golf Club and the Castle (GU9 0AG) on Castle Hill in Farnham
GRID REFERENCE: 4 840 1 479
REFRESHMENTS: The Hampshire Arms, Crondall, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5QU (01252 850418)

Image above: Fields in Crondall Lane by Colin Smith

Best Practices and Cyber Security Tips for Working Remotely

Shaped by COVID-19 policies and concerns, the UK workforce is becoming gradually more remote. The number of businesses committing to a remote workforce is growing in number just as alternatives to the traditional office setting become a key talking point. But, for many, careers have been developed and nurtured in an office, surrounded by peers, and where routines can help keep productivity and efficiency grounded.

Yet, with changes afoot, learn these valuable tips from leading cybersecurity experts ramsac on how to stay secure and protect your devices and data whilst your for workforce is remote.

Staying Cybersecure during COVID
Thinking about cybersecurity in times of transition can be a helpful first step in guiding the kinds of safety policies your business might adopt.

Consider the following:

How are you planning on staying connected?
Where is your team connecting from?
Is their home (or alternative) connection safe and secure?

Remote users connecting to your system can tempt risk. The security of your internal systems is only as safe as the other devices connecting to it. Whenever access is granted to your internal system, it’s worth reflecting on the security measures that prevent costly and damaging breaches.

Cybercriminals treat vulnerabilities in your system as opportunities to compromise potentially confidential and sensitive information that could upset your business’ operational success. During COVID-19, your cybersecurity should be a high priority as scams have seemingly multiplied. With those connecting remotely, using private devices, and potentially unsecure connections, could trouble your operation. Best practices are designed to mitigate the risks of managing a remote workforce, ensuring that your business is safeguarded against harmful breaches.

Remote Access
Technology has, for the most part, enabled many to remain connected. Many applications are now cloud-based, too. This makes remote working easier and more convenient because employees can access their work from remote locations, such as their home offices. Yet, this presents a risk to the safety of your internal systems.

Ensure that access is monitored and permission is strict, where remote employees should be connecting securely to work systems.

Connectivity
With many remote workers all connecting into your central, on-site system, this could place undue strain on connectivity, resulting in slow-downs and an inefficient operation. You’ll need to consider the kinds of equipment on-site and how well it can handle outside use, ensuring that connectivity isn’t compromising the working experience for those who are remote.

Anti-virus for remote workers
For most, a quality anti-virus policy is the first step in ensuring appropriate and sensible security for all devices and users. Yet, working from home can be risky without layering your devices behind adequate walls of protection. Consider a licensing agreement whereby remote workers can access a strong anti-virus product away from the office, too. Free anti-virus software isn’t always a suitable alternative, as your level of security may be uncertain. Provide all devices – those in the office, and those remote – with an anti-virus product to ensure compliance with best practice.

Data protection
From their home offices, it’s worth considering the kinds of data your staff is generating and where and how it’s being stored. The solution, if possible, would be better suited to using a cloud service. If not, consider local backup on external hard drives. In all scenarios, the safety and security of data is paramount.

Insurance considerations
As your remote workforce uses their homes to fulfil working duties and responsibilities, you may need to consider insurance implications. In particular, your staff will still need to be complaint with health and safety regulation.

Businesses large and small are rethinking the role of the office in their everyday operations. COVID-19 has created a world of concern, including economic and social panic. But, with all the concern, businesses may miss the crucial step of remaining cybersecure. Keeping abreast of cybersecurity as it changes and shapes around new threats during COVID-19 is a high priority.

You can find out more about cybersecurity from our resources at ramsac.

Weekend Walk: Dunsfold to Cranleigh or vice versa (9.75 miles)

This is a flat walk through attractive countryside which offers some splendid views. The walk was submitted by Guildford Rambling Club (see guildfordramblingclub.org.uk).

From Dunsfold – from the parking, go along the far side of the road, right, until reaching a lane going left, along the side of a tiny Dunsfold Free Baptist Church. (If Dunsfold was your lunch stop, the Sun pub is more or less opposite.) This lane begins as a tarred drive running along the right-hand side of the church. Follow it around by an old barn and past the picturesque Pound Farm. At the corner of the farm buildings, turn right onto a track between two fields, as indicated by another bridleway sign. It’s in a reasonable, if bumpy, state, but could be slippery in wet weather, particularly on the slope down into the woods. Cross the footbridge over the stream at the bottom of the slope.

The track now runs beside the airfield fence (there is an annual air and motor show here, typically held in late August, but this is no longer a regular aerodrome. It gets more use from Top Gear) until it comes to a deserted lane, one of the old roads blocked off when the airfield was built. In spring the profusion and variety of wildflowers along the side of this road is delightful. Turn left along the lane until, about 100 yards past the turning to High Billinghurst Farm, going through the gate on the right, by the bridleway sign. This leads into a field from which there are views towards Hascombe Hill, away to the left. Stay on the right-hand side of the field until, towards the far side, the path swings half-left to a gate into the woods about 100 yards in from the right-hand edge of the field. Go through the gate and turn right onto the concrete track on the other side.

After a very short distance, the concrete track turns away to the left but you continue straight ahead up a path through the pine trees. This area was once part of the airfield and old concrete manholes and other remains are scattered along the way, so take care. At the edge of the woods the path comes out into another field. Keep to the right-hand edge and then go through a gate and past a pond to the yard of High Stovold Farm. From there the concrete farm road running straight ahead will take you down to the original Guildford-Horsham road which was bypassed when the airfield was built. Cross this road, heading slightly to the right, and turn left into the drive of Hall Place (another bridleway). Follow the drive to pass various properties and Hall Place Farm. Continue to a road (the A281) and cross into the drive to Mill Farm. Go up to the farm and between two barns and then turn right at the back. Immediately go through a metal gate onto a wide grassy track and, again immediately, left through a wooden gate. You now walk along the towpath of the (very dry) Wey and Arun Canal.

Walk along here looking for a footbridge on your right. It is about 20 yards away from the towpath, across in the corner of a field. On the other side of the footbridge, turn left to walk clockwise around the field edge until reaching some buildings and a gate out onto the drive of Utworth Manor (a Grade 2 listed building). Walk, right, along the drive to a road where you turn left. Now walk about a ¼ mile until, just before warehouses and greenhouses (on your left) taking a footpath right, into a field. Stay on the right-hand side of this and the next two fields and reach a road. Cross and go through a gap into the edge of a park. Turn left and walk along parallel to the road and continue into the field beyond. Emerge onto the road (you could turn right on the road and walk 100 yards up to Cranleigh’s High Street) opposite a gap allowing you through onto a path that runs parallel to the High Street. Reach a gap, right, into Stocklund car park. You can then walk through to the shops, pubs, cafes etc:, emerging by Sainsbury’s, and you could picnic on the green opposite the shops.

From Cranleigh – start from Stocklund car park. Go out of the back onto the path running parallel to the High Street. Turn right and walk for over ¾ mile, passing under a road bridge and, at a 3 way finger-post, going left (the only direction with no ‘finger’). Climb over a stile and follow the path through a field and trees heading towards and then passing (on your left) a telecomms tower. Pass a sewage farm (also on your left). Look for a footbridge left, over a stream. On the other side, after about 100 yards, the path swings sharp left. After another 100 yards break off right, along a track that then becomes a path running along a corridor. After about ½ mile, emerge from the corridor into a field and head half-right to its far corner. Cross a tiny footbridge and follow another corridor through to emerge on a busy road by some houses. (The map shows a non-existent pub.)

Turn left and walk down the road to ‘Tillings’. Here, cross and take a bridleway heading south-south-west to join Nore Drive. If this is closed, either:
a) cross and walk along a footpath at right-angles to the road. Follow this past the buildings and along a track, continuing straight ahead along the edge of a field when the track swings right. At the far side of the field, if you can, turn into the next field. The footpath continues half-left across it to the far left corner and there emerges on Nore Drive, where you turn right. However, if the second field is in crop, instead turn left and walk along the far edge of the first field to reach Nore Drive and turn right. Or,
b) continue down the road until, just beyond the Smithbrook Kiln and the Smithbrook Barns, crossing to go right, along a lane (Nore Drive) signposted to Nore. Continue along here for under ¾ mile.

Continue along Nore Drive until, just past ‘The Pheasantry’, you fork right, up a wide dirt track. Reach a bend where you swing sharp left. Ignore two paths off right and continue on with a tennis court on your right. The path later emerges from trees onto a wide grassy slope and gives you excellent views to your left. You pass (on your left) a stone circle – a modern folly. Keep going and, just beyond it, reach a barn. Go through a gate onto a drive (Lodge House is up on the right). Turn left and head down the drive.

At a T junction go right for 20 yards and then left over a stile into a field. Head straight out, keeping three ponds to your left. Go over a stile onto Godalming Road and cross straight over into another field. The path heads slightly left (south) straight across a very large field, crosses a farm drive and reaches Dunsfold Road. On the road, turn right to walk down about ¾ mile to the cars and, beyond them, the Sun Inn public house.

DISTANCE: 9.75 miles
OS MAPS: Explorer 134 Crawley & Horsham, Cranleigh & Billingshurst
STARTING POINT: Either the green at Dunsfold (free) or the Stocklund car park (charges) – the first car park on entering Cranleigh from the west – turn right just before Sainsbury’s
GRID REFERENCE: 5 006 1 363 if starting from Dunsfold. 5 054 1 392 if starting from Cranleigh
REFRESHMENTS: The Sun Inn, Dunsfold or a wide selection in Cranleigh

Image above: Dunsfold Green by Colin Smith

Weekend Walk: Holmbury Hill from Peaslake (3 miles)

The majority of the route for this walk is along woodland paths and tracks. The walk can be strenuous in places, with a steep descent at one point to reach Holmbury St Mary and a steady climb after the pubs. The scenery is stunning with the finale being Holmbury Hill Fort, the second highest, after Leith Hill, of the range once known as Little Switzerland. The view has to be one of the finest in the South East and is well worth the effort! This walk is from Friends of the Hurtwood, a registered charity which has the responsibility to raise the funding required to manage public access and protect the Hurtwood environment. For more information and other walks, please visit www.foth.co.uk.

1. To start, from the car park with your back to the road, leave the car park by the main exit past the barrier. Leaving the pond on the right, continue along the broad and sandy path for 100 metres or so. Take small path branching off on left. The banks here are covered with gorse and heather, which puts up a fine show in August. Cross the next two rides (horse riding paths), pass a large pine with a hanging branch (good seat), and just before the path enters a wood, take the countersunk path on right.

2. At the next ride, turn left. Carry on here, past electricity poles, until a small path intersects the ride. Take the right hand arm of this path, through a wooden barrier. Go down a steep wooded bank. Near the bottom, go over a wide crossing path continuing your descent, and you will soon come out onto a driveway to a house on your right. Follow the drive ahead to reach a lane in front of some pretty cottages.

The cottages are part of Holmbury St Mary which, despite its ancient appearance, is essentially a Victorian village. The village church, which you meet further on, was built in 1873 and was designed by GE Street who lived at Holmbury, whose most famous work is the London Law Courts.

3. Carry on down the lane (The Glade) into Holmbury St Mary. You will come into the green and a pub – the Royal Oak (good food – walking parties and dogs on leads welcome). Continue on round the green to the right. Either walk along the road past the Holly Bush, take the right hand fork uphill and reach the Kings Head (beer garden and home cooked meals); or take the right lane up to the church. Turn left at a small parking area and tarmac lane, going up some steps, and fork left following a holly hedge to soon enter a churchyard.

Once in the churchyard, fork right taking the higher path which runs along the top of the churchyard and exit the other side via a wooden gate. After this, follow a narrow path behind some houses and fork left when you meet a pair of electricity poles supporting a mini generator, to shortly meet a lane. Turn right along the lane which will soon lead you to the Kings Head.

4. From the pub, take the higher lane, Holmbury Hill Road, which runs alongside the green and at the end of the green, turn right (still Holmbury Road). A few paces after, turn right onto a track, signposted to Holmbury St Mary cricket club and follow this uphill past the cricket pitch to its end at a large junction of tracks. Deer are often seen here.

5. Take the first turning on your left, a track marked by a blue GW arrow (the Greensand Way). Sometime later, fork right passing to the right of a wooden footpath post and follow a promising path and where applicable the GW arrows, to eventually reach the top of Holmbury Hill. Holmbury Hill Fort dates from the Iron Age and is one of several along the Greensand ridge. Take time to look at the Toposcope (the panoramic guide to the view), which gives further details about the fort, and other useful information. Rest for a while at the memorial to Reginald Bray (and his brother Jocelyn) who made the public access to Hurtwood possible.

6. On leaving Holmbury Hill, with one’s back to the memorial seat, take the left hand path over a little switchback (part of the iron age fortifications) and follow this path around the edge of the escarpment. There are excellent views, following extensive clearance, of Pitch Hill and the Weald. Pass pond on right, go over little gully to reach car park No 1 our starting point.

DISTANCE: 3 miles
MAP: OS Explorer 145 Guildford & Farnham and OS Explorer 146 Dorking, Box Hill & Reigate
START: Car park 1 in Peaslake. Leave Peaslake on the Radnor Road – the car park is about a mile along on the left hand side. Occasionally the gates to the car park are locked but there is plenty of alternative car parking along the road.

Weekend Walk: Ripley and the Wey Navigation (5 plus 5 miles)

This is an easy, flat, figure of 8 walk, running past a lake and alongside the historic Wey Navigation. The walk description is provided by Guildford Rambling Club (guildfordramblingclub.org.uk).

Facing the back of the shops, head right, passing behind the houses until emerging on Newark Lane (the B367). Turn right and cross. Walk past the houses and keep going until passing a stile out left into a field. Further along the road, just beyond this stile, go through a gap in the hedge on the left to emerge next to a large lake, Papercourt Lake (used for angling and sailing). Head anti-clockwise around the lake. When forced to choose take the left fork, into trees. Keep going until emerging in an open area (you are now beyond the end of the lake) and turn right. The path brings you out onto a road opposite some houses.

Cross to take a footpath heading away from the road and passing some allotments. The path takes you along the left-hand edge of fields. At one point it jinks left then right, passing a footbridge and continuing forward. Keep going along the edge of the field until you reach a T junction. Here, turn right. Now, follow the path with a stream on your left until you see a footbridge on your left at a point where the path swings sharp right. Turn left to cross the footbridge and immediately turn right to walk with the stream now on your right. Pass a pond and eventually reach a point where you can see a lane, Tannery Lane, ahead of you. Do not go through onto the lane. Instead, follow the path as it swings left and runs parallel to the Lane but in trees, just off of its edge. Emerge in the Lane just short of some light industrial buildings, one of which is Tannery House. Go down the right-hand side of the buildings to cross a footbridge over the Wey Navigation.

On the far side turn right and walk along the towpath to Papercourt Lock. Here, cross the Navigation and continue along the towpath on the other side to reach a road bridge. Go up onto the bridge and cross it, left, then go down onto the towpath on the other side to continue forward. You will quickly pass (on your left) the remains of Newark Priory. (This, an Augustinian priory, was built at around 1189. It was partially demolished after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.) Continue on past Newark Lock to reach Walsham Gates (the last of the original turf sided locks, opened in 1653, that were common along the full length of the Navigation). Here, turn right to cross over the weir and then follow the path ahead to reach Ripley Green and the starting car park. You could lunch in a café or pub in Ripley or picnic on the Green.

Afterwards, walk north, away from the houses and shops, along the lane through the common, passing the play-park. Follow this path to reach the lock at Walsham Gates again. Turn right to walk along the towpath to Pyrford Lock. (Along the way, on the other side, you will see the brick-built “summer house” in which the poet and playwright John Donne lived for a while. You will also pass a medieval bridge, Pigeonhouse Bridge.) At Pyrford Lock, just before the Anchor public house, turn right, through a gate and into Wisley Golf Course. Follow the yellow arrow signs along the wide track which swings out right across the course and then curves left and reaches a T junction where they take you left until, close to a small pond, the path swings left and over a fairway and a footbridge. It then passes through scrub and trees and a scruffy work area and turns right to emerge close to the Club House.

A few yards along here, before reaching the Club House, take a footpath left and emerge in the churchyard of Wisley Church. (Wisley Church is well worth a look. It was originally built in 1150.) Go out onto the road (Wisley Lane) in front of the church and proceed right, alongside it. Walk past the golf club entrance then take a footpath right, to re-enter the course. Quickly reach a junction and turn left. Follow the path around the edge of the course to reach a footpath left. This takes you through bushes, over a small footbridge and, for a few yards alongside the River Wey, to reach the road again, by a bridge. Turn right and walk along the road until you see a lollipop post box across on your left.

Now, cross the road and go up the wide track opposite, passing the post box. Go up this track for 20 yards then take a footpath off right. It takes you between fields to the start of a wooded area. About 50 yards inside the wood, at a cross paths, take the footpath right and follow it straight ahead (ignoring lefts and ignoring a fork left) until you reach the small Wren’s Nest car park and Wisley Lane again. Cross and head left. Quickly fork right, off the Lane and along a concrete vehicle track. After about 20 yards pick up a footpath off right which takes you, in a fenced corridor, through the middle of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley Gardens and out behind the Glass Houses to reach a road. Cross this road and continue forward across a large field. The path brings you out on the access lane to Ockham Mill, just to the left of its buildings. (Ockham Mill is now a private residence. Ockham is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086.) Go straight across and continue in the same direction, along a footpath that takes you to Ripley Common and the start point.

DISTANCE: A figure of 8 of 5 plus 5 miles
OS MAPS: Explorer 145 – Guildford & Farnham
STARTING POINT: The car parking area by the play park on Ripley Green.
GRID REFERENCE:5 053 1 571
REFRESHMENTS: There are a number of pubs and eating places in Ripley itself. Also The Anchor, Pyrford Lock, Wisley, Surrey GU23 6QW (01932 342 507) which is on the route.

Image above: Walsham Gates and Lock Keeper’s Cottage by Colin Smith