LIGHTWATER COUNTRY PARK SU918620 (Ex160)

LIGHTWATER COUNTRY PARK SU918620 (Ex160)

The car park is at the very top of Lightwater Country Park. After leaving the M3 at exit 3, you take the A322 (Guildford) and, at once, look out for the brown sign to the Park. OS map 160 shows the exact location of the Country Park.

High Curley walk

1. Pick up the yellow/purple marker posts (MPs) at the top end of the car park, heading into the woodland with a fitness trail over to the right. Keep left for about 100m and then bear right uphill past the orange MP. At the top of the rise go past the seat and bear right to the T-junction and then turn left. Follow the path as it bears hard left on the uphill section. Go up the steps and turn right; to reach High Curley turn left, instead, to the viewing point. On a good day, there are views of the London Skyline and it's possible to pick out the London Eye and the Post Office Tower.

2. Continue on the level path which soon passes the Site Safety Notice. Where the path opens up, keep to the left-hand side but stay on the level. Just before the metal barrier, take the public FP on the left. The path descends through a junction of paths until it levels out and goes over a crossing track.

3. At the main path, where there's a Site Safety Notice, turn hard left with private woodland to your right. If you've strayed over to the right, easily done, then you'll come out higher up the main track, so turn left and bear left at the junction by the Site Safety Notice. At the foot of the hill, turn right at the crossing track - but don't miss it! You are continuing along the boundary of the private woodland on your right. Enter woodland directly ahead and take the second path on the right which soon bears left going gently downhill.

4. Turn left at a wide track which is essentially a T-junction, but if you continue ahead then you meet Robin Cottage and you've gone too far. The path goes uphill and you bear right. Go ahead at the purple MP to reach a point on the outward route. Turn right on this main path and follow it all the way back to the car park.

www.spanglefish.com/localwalks

LIGHTWATER COUNTRY PARK SU918620(Ex160)

The car park is at the very top of Lightwater Country Park. After leaving the M3 at exit 3, you take the A322 (Guildford) and, at once, look out for the brown sign to the Park. OS map 160 shows the exact location of the Country Park. There are picnic facilities as well as toilets, and a visitor centre which is open in Spring and Summer.

Nature trail

1. Pick up the yellow/purple marker posts (MPs) at the top end of the car park, heading into the woodland with a fitness trail over to the right. Keep left for about 100m and then bear right uphill past the orange MP. At the top of the rise go past the seat and bear right to the T-junction and then turn left. Follow the path round to the right and walk behind the seat. At the bend (there's a purple MP here), turn left into the woodland, which in the November 2011 was devastated by fire, and in a few metres bear left down the stony path.

2. At the next junction, bear right. The narrow overgrown path briefly ascends and then levels out as it doubles back with the M3 over to the left. After the boards, bear left and then ignore the turning uphill.

3. When you arrive at the main path, turn left. Take the first bearing on the right and follow the purple MPs. A turning on the left is marked by a purple/orange MP where you turn down and go past an information board. You then go past the playing fields, and the car park, and then follow the orange MPs. Turn right at the crossing track and go over the stream, then you bear left and, at the Y-junction, bear left again to reach a pond.

4. Walk along one side of the pond and then turn right. You'll pass a seat before yet another pond comes up, which you follow clockwise. Immediately after the planks, bear left through the picnic site to reach the main drive. Turn right and then bear left across the grass to join the Nature Trail and arrive back at the car park.

Lightwater Country Park

The Park is a dry heathland dominated by low growing heather interspersed with trees and scattered gorse. It is a valuable habitat for our rarest species of reptiles, insects and birds. Ponds are the homes to unique wild life; many plants occur here from the yellow flag iris growing in the shallows to larger beds of lily pads in the deeper water. The two lower ponds were excavated to improve the drainage of an area which was previously part of Lightwater Bog. A one meter high shrub called Bog Myrtle (a plant unique to acid bogs) can be seen on the far side of the middle pond.

www.spanglefish.com/localwalks

LIGHTWATER COUNTRY PARK SU904612 (Ex 160)

Parking is on the grass verge of The Maultway (B3015), Camberley. When approached from the A30, you'll pass a designated car park and then go over the M3 to reach a point opposite Copped Hall Drive where you can park on the grass verge, without difficulty and without fear of committing an offence.

Country Park walk

The start is the only time you will have site of a road until the end of the walk, so ideal for dog walkers. Very detailed instructions are given because there are usually few people around to ask for help, and it's a large area with many tracks.

1. Find the "MoD Training Area" sign and there's a footpath sign nearby, which you follow and soon arrive at the main path. Bear left and immediately left again at the T-junction; in a few metres turn right on the BW as indicated by the white bands on the trees. Go over a wide track and bear left along the BW. Go past a large cairn and soon come to a crossing track where you turn left along the BW. Go over a wide track, still following the white bands. Go past a small cairn and continue ahead.

2. Cross an open area and take the right-hand branch then, just after the Site Safety Notices, turn down the slope on the right; it curves round to the left with good views ahead. When the path levels out, bear right on an unmarked, descending path through the woodland and, in 20 metres, bear off onto another path on the right. At the wire fence, go over a main path to join the minor path directly opposite and bear left.

3. Go over a crossing track and maintain the same direction. When the path drops down, bear left. After ignoring a branch off to the left, you immediately come to another junction where you take the left-hand branch. Soon you join a path which comes in from the right, and it levels out. Stay on this BW which drops down to a junction of paths at the Site Safety Notice. Now turn hard right and follow this wide track as it goes up and down. You will see a parallel track on the left which we join when our path runs out.

4. Notice the WWII OP up to the right. Later, where the path bears uphill, drop down to the left and join the path below. Turn right on this main track in sight of the pylons over to the left. Keep to this main track which later passes in front of a metal barrier and the track bears left, do not go through the barrier.

5. Notice a car compound over to the left before you pass in front of the no-entry signs and then follow the arrow along Alpine Way which runs parallel to "The Maultway". Continue until you spot a track leading back to your car.

www.spanglefish.com/localwalks