Planes, Racing Cars and Spaceships
17 people attending
3 places left
This is a circular afternoon walk from Woking train station in Surrey – just half an hour from London Waterloo. It takes in a large section of Horsell Common, including the sandpits made famous in H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, passes through McLaren Park which is home to McLaren’s Formula One Technology Centre, and on through Fairoaks airport. It returns on the bridleway that runs alongside the many streams which feed the River Bourne. There will also be a refreshment stop at Heather Farm Café located on Horsell Common which serves hot and cold drinks, light bites and a selection of cakes. Heather Farm Café - Heather Farm Café - Heather Farm Café
Horsell Common is one of only a handful of privately owned areas of common land in England with public access. It covers 880 acres, and the Sandpit area was the location of the first Martian landing in H.G. Wells novel. It is a mixture of heathy/woodland paths, and bridleways. We pass by the impressive McLaren Technology Centre which is surrounded by artificial ‘ecology’ lakes - the water from the lakes is pumped through a series of heat exchangers to cool the building. Fairoaks is used by light aircraft and the site has two resident training schools.
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What to bring
Hand sanitiser and a face covering: whilst we are living with Covid-19, please bring your own to events to help keep everyone safe
Water: bring at least a litre
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Rucksack: or any other bag
Footwear: hiking boots, sturdy trainers or wellies
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally not jeans which become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch unless otherwise stated
Food & drink
We shall be stopping at a cafe which serves light refreshments. It is recommended to bring a bottle of water for the walk.