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
