This is a pretty, largely flat walk through some varied woods and fields. The walk was submitted by Guildford Rambling Club (see guildfordramblingclub.org.uk).
Start: A section of dead end road parallel to the A31 and running left from the Hen and Chicken. Go down the A31 to pass Bentley. Then look for the sign for a right turn to Upper Froyle and just beyond it a sign pointing right to the Hen and Chicken. Turn across the A31 to the Hen and Chicken and immediately turn left to cross in front of the pub and petrol station into the dead end road.
1. Carefully cross the A31 from the dead end and go into the side road opposite. Cross a railway bridge and then a river bridge and immediately turn left. Walk about a mile along the road to take the first turn right, Follow this to a T junction and turn right. Continue down to cross the main road through Binsted and continue forward in the road opposite to reach the church. Turn right here, into the churchyard. Continue along its right-hand side to exit into a field. (Just by the exit is the grave of Viscount Montgomery.)
2. Continue forward to a T junction with a track. Follow a yellow arrow right and, almost immediately, another left. Cross between fields to trees. The path dips down, crosses a tiny footbridge and then climbs up to a T junction with a path. Turn left. Follow this path through trees and past a pond and from field to field with fields right and a lake left. The path reaches a gate at the entrance to a wildlife conservation area. Go through it and walk parallel to the edge of a lake, staying up against the edge of trees.
3. Continue forward beyond the end of the lake to reach a soggy spur of vegetation reaching out from the left-hand side and then, by the third power line pole, turn left to cross a small footbridge in trees. Go straight across the field beyond it to the tree line and turn right to walk along its edge and up the slope to Stubbs Farm. Pass the farm house and follow the signposts to jink left and right around the barns and out, east, on a concrete track to South Hay Farm. Pass this and reach a road.
4. Go straight across to take a track passing Colesons Cottage and entering a field. Still heading east, cross two fields and then a very large one. Meet a crossing track on the far side at a post showing routes left and forward. A few yards beyond it, half hidden in the end of a hedge, is a 3 way signpost. At it, turn right. Walk close to the hedge until, just after a short dip down, taking a footpath left. At the first corner go right for a few yards to find a yellow arrow taking you left and steeply down steps through trees to emerge in another field.
5. Go straight across, through trees and into another field where you head for the far left-hand corner. Climb over a stile and immediately fork left to walk alongside a garden hedge. Quickly reach a tiny stile and, once over it, turn right and walk to a gate onto a drive by the side of a house. Go straight across and through a gate into a grassy corridor. Continue forward, south, for almost ¾ mile, down successive straight corridors (The Straits), at one point passing Llamas and Goats. Eventually reach houses and the main road, the B3004, through Kingsley. Emerge opposite the Cricketers. The village shop is 100 yards along to the left. Cross the road and take the track parallel to the road and running left, away from the Cricketers. There is a small car park and, behind it, a lake. You could picnic by the lake.
6. After lunch, walk along the road edge, passing the pub, ignoring a first footpath left but taking the second. This takes you into the car park by the golf club’s club house. Exit by the far right-hand corner. Follow a track which then swings sharp left. About 100 yards on, look for a stile and a yellow arrow on your right. Cross into a field and head forward down it into a line of trees. A little way in, reach a T junction with a crossing track. Ignore the footpath left immediately before it. Emerge on the crossing track and ignore the footpath forward which is immediately opposite. Instead, turn right and walk along the track to reach a road. Turn right and walk up to the B3004 again.
7. Cross, jink left and turn right to walk up the road signed to South Hay, passing a church. After another ¼ mile, find a footpath on the left, out into a large field. You are going to be heading roughly north-west (NW) now for over ¾ mile. In the first field, head out half-right to the edge and then left along the edge to find a gap. This has a large yellow disk next to it and an arrow pointing out half-left across the next field to a similar disc on the other side. At this second disk, slip left through a line of trees into another field and, there, head straight out and over a stile on the far side. In the next field continue forward to a T junction with a track and a 2 way signpost. Turn left and cross a small footbridge.
8. Beyond the footbridge there is a pond on the right-hand side. At its far end, a yellow arrow takes you right and, a few yards later, you break left to find a stile on the right. Climb over the stile to join a crossing path and turn right. Walk through trees and at a right-hand bend in the path, fork left and into a small field. Cross slightly left to reach the start of a rough stony track climbing up between trees. Reach a road and turn left along it to continue. Pass some houses and reach a sharp left bend. At this point continue forward on a gravel drive to pass the Old Stables. About 100 yards on, the track swings right but you continue straight ahead, north, on a grassy path.
9. You will now walk north for about a mile. At first, the path runs alongside a hedge, then through trees until you reach a gap, on the right, into a huge field. Jink right, into the field, then continue forward, north, along its left-hand edge. Reach a point where the hedge swings right. Here, jink right to go through a gap to continue on in another field. Walk north along its right-hand side to reach Malms Cottages and emerge between them onto a road. Continue forward to a T junction with another road. Go straight across this and up the bank to continue north. Pass under some National Grid power lines and quickly find a small gap, left. Go through and turn right to continue north. Eventually, reach the far side and drop down onto a road. Turn left and walk down to turn right and cross the Wey and the rail line and arrive back at the A31.
DISTANCE: 10 miles
MAP: Explorer 144 (Basingstoke)
Image: Fish Pond at Binsted (Colin Smith)
