THURSLEY NATURE RESERVE SU900398 (Ex: 145 & 133)

THURSLEY NATURE RESERVE SU900398 (Ex: 145 & 133)

The walk is covered by Maps 145 &133. Thursley is a turning off the A3, which can be approached from the A31 (Hog's Back) by taking the turning for Godalming and then joining the south-going A3 (Petersfield). After driving through the village, there's free parking on the recreation ground just below the road.

Thursley Common Nature Reserve

This is a great place for walking and very popular with dogs, although the last time I walked here (Nov 2012) there wasn't a soul, let alone a dog. Take a compass if you have one but it's not essential.

1. Walk east, to the right of the children's playground. Go over two public BW crossing tracks and at a third turn left on the very wide sandy track going north. On a clear day, there are good views ahead as you go gently downhill. Go through a wooden pedestrian gate on the right and exit through another wooden gate, covered in lichen.

2. After a few metres, you come to a crossing track where you turn left and then left again on the wide sandy track, actually doubling back, along the line of overhead cables. Turn right at the "Natural England" green post, which is part of the Heath Nature Trail. Follow round to the left but ignore the board walk and go ahead through the muddy section. Where the path forks, go left and then turn right at the T-junction, along the minor track. At the main sandy path, turn left, now going south, and then bear right to re-join the main track.

3. Go past the information board and then through the gate. Immediately turn hard left and left again on the main path, now going south-east with fields over to the right. Ignore the gate on the right and, at the T-junction, turn right on the BW going south. At the next BW sign, take the left-hand fork along the sunken woodland path, with fields over to the right. At the junction of paths, go directly ahead on the narrow woodland path which rises gently to reach a BW crossing track where you turn right and re-trace your steps back to the car park.

Thursley Common

Thursley is notable for its common, a National Nature Reserve and SSSI which is one of the few surviving areas of lowland peat bog in southern Britain providing a particularly rich habitat for dragonflies and damselflies along with many other species including the endangered woodlark and Dartford warbler. In July 2006 during a heat wave that affected southern England, 60% of the common was seriously damaged by fire, fortunately there is little sign of that today (Nov 2012).