Witley to Liphook - Surrey(ish) (20 miles linear) - W2P S5
8 people attending
7 places left
Join me for a strenuous linear hike from Witley to Liphook - it'll be a long day out but rewarding as weave our way through three counties - Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire. Note that we will need to set a good pace (2.5 miles / hr) to finish at a decent time, so keep that in mind when signing up.
From the isolated (i.e. no pub / shop ...) station of Witley we head west following the Greensand Way. After passing briefly under the noisy A3 we return to the quiet countryside before turning south towards the Devil's Punchbowl, a large hollow created by erosion over the years. The deep enclosed valley and views from the surrounding ridge make this a beautiful little spot. The The A3 used to pass through here too ... but thankfully no longer since it was rerouted through Hindhead tunnel in 2011. (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hindhead-commons-and-the-devils-punch-bowl)
After soaking the views, we leave the Devil's Punchbowl behind and head west again, skirting around Grayshott and making our way to Waggoner's wells, (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ludshott-commons/features/waggoners-wells) a picturesque group of ponds set amongst some fine beeches.
The final leg takes us south again taking in Bramshott Comon, the er, A3, the River Wey ( as in Wey Navigation fame from previous walks) and Linchmere Common before arriving into Liphook.
Note the early start from London Waterloo (8:15am). The next train isn't until an hour later which would make for a bit of late start in Witley for a 20 mile walk.
What's the W2P S5 mean in the title? It stands for Waterloo to Portsmouth Stage 5 - This year I decided to lead a series of ~8 linear walks which will take us all the way from Waterloo to Portsmouth (W2P). Current plan is to finish up sometime in September. Each stage of the walk will pick up where the last one finished off. The walks will largely start/end at stations on the Waterloo to Portsmouth line, with most stages being 18-20 miles. If you haven't done any of the previous stages - or can't do any future ones - please still free to join. Each walk on its own should still be a great day out.
Proposed remaining legs (not set in stone yet ... and not yet posted)
- Stage 6 : Liphook -> Petersfield
- Stage 7 : Petersfield -> Rowlands Castle
- Stage 8 : Rowlands Castle -> Portsmouth Harbour
What to bring
Water: bring at least two litres of water - it's a long day out and might be warm this time of year.
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Rucksack: or any other bag
Footwear: hiking boots.
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.
Waterproof jacket: breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: you never know ....
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
Food & drink
bring a packed lunch and plenty of snacks (there is nowhere at Witley to buy anything, so do buy provisions beforehand)
bring plenty of water - at least 2L - it will be a long day and likely (hopefully?) be warm this time of year
there may be a brief pub stop depending on progress during the day