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Footpath
near
Peper Harow - heavenly! |
RIGHTS
OF WAY - 'OFF ROAD'
Surrey is particularly fortunate to have a
large network of public Rights
of Way meandering through its glorious countryside, often presenting
spectacular views. In
fact there are about two thousand miles of public footpaths and bridleways
which criss-cross the county through its varied scenery of
woodland,
downland and heathland. It is noticeable and not surprising that
activities which take advantage of these routes are particularly popular
in Surrey such as horse riding, rambling and mountain biking. The
three longest such routes in Surrey are the North Downs Way, The
Greensand Way and the Downs Link.
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Look
for typical
footpath symbols |
The
North Downs Way
 This
historic path has been used since the Stone Age by travellers for
pilgrimages or for trade. In Surrey it begins near the banks of the River
Wey passing the villages of Compton and Puttenham to Guildford, then through woodland along the southern edge of the downs by
way of Hackhurst Downs, White Downs and Ranmore Common.
After crossing the River Mole it climbs steeply up the western face of Box
Hill keeping to the escarpment above Brockham and Betchworth.
It follows the crest of Reigate Hill, climbs past Arthur's Seat, an
Iron Age camp, on to Gravelly Hill and then Botley Hill, at
867 feet the highest point on the North Downs above Limpsfield.
South of Tatsfield it crosses the county boundary into Kent. Marked
by an 'Acorn' symbol, it is a total of 141 miles long from Farnham to
Dover. The route in Surrey alone covers 45 miles, however unlike the
South Downs Way, not all of it is a public path.
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Leith
Hill Tower
on the Greensand Way
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The
Greensand Way
A
route 105 miles long, of which the 55 miles in Surrey is marked by the
letters 'GW'. As its name suggests, it follows the greensand hills
from Haslemere to Hamstreet in Kent. It crosses the highest
point in south east England on its path at Leith Hill, which is a
well known local viewing spot, about 1000 feet above sea level.
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Many
tracks are official bridleways too, so everyone
needs to be careful walking mountain biking and
riding |
Downs
Link
A
33 mile long bridleway which mostly follows the route of a disused
railway. At its northern end it starts at St. Martha's Hill and connects
the North Downs to the South Downs at Steyning in West Sussex.
Recommended reference:
There are many rights of way to enjoy and the Pathfinder series of
maps produced by the Ordnance Survey at a scale of 1:25,000 are
particularly recommended.
The third group of
buttons in the margin show this subject's linked pages - so click, read on
and enjoy!
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