Walking Gently From Bentley and Swimming Quite Incidentally

This is another attempt at swimming in Frensham Great Pond, this time starting at Bentley in Hampshire rather than Farnham in Surrey, walking through downland and woodland rather than heathland and suburbia, doing so in late-June rather than late-July, and experiencing sunshine and clear water rather than heavy rain and tainted water!

As the swim is entirely optional and supplementary to the walk you could just laze on the Great Pond's sandy beach instead. If we do get to swim it'll be as part of an extended lunch break occurring just over halfway round. The route itself passes through charming villages such as Binsted and Spreakley, rolling downland in the South Downs National Park and enchanting forest, namely Alice Holt.

These are the points of interest on the walk:

Binsted: Timbered and brick buildings curving around a winding lane. 12th to 14th century Holy Cross Church, Grade-I listed, has well-sculpted Norman arcades. Field Marshal Montgomery is buried in the churchyard.

Alice Holt Forest: A royal forest, once predominantly ancient oak and noted for the timber it supplied to the Royal Navy for shipbuilding. It is now mixed but planted mainly with conifers and managed by the Forestry Commission. 'Alice' is most likely derived from Ælfsige, Saxon Bishop of Winchester whose Diocese had rights over the forest. 'Holt' is Old English for a wood or thicket. 

Dockenfield: Mostly small houses apart from The Old House, a late 17th century refacing of an older Tudor house. Good Shepherd Chapel is Arts and Crafts from 1910.

Spreakley: A hamlet of large houses in the Arts and Crafts tradition. Hall's Place is a 17th century house in the Dutch style with an impressive gate of 1620 relocated in 1910 from another house. 

Frensham: Mostly estate cottages in a pleasant setting near the River Wey. St Mary's Church dates from 1239 and contains many original features despite restoration. There is also a large cauldron which allegedly either belonged to the local witch Mother Ludlam, or the fairies. 

Frensham Great Pond: Along with Frensham Little Pond, these are 12th-century fishponds created for the Bishop of Winchester. The surrounding heath is an SSSI, home to Dartford warblers, sand lizards and nightjars. In World War II the ponds were drained for tank practice, but were later restored and became a popular spot for London daytrippers and film and TV production. Waverley District Council run a cafe and toilets next to the Great Pond where the swimming takes place. Swimming is prohibited if warm weather and agricultural run-off cause an algal bloom, but going earlier in the season should avoid this and the water quality has been deemed by the Environment Agency 'good' to 'excellent' on most occasions. Dogs are not permitted on the beach but are fine near the cafe.