Farnham Park
Children will enjoy the innovative adventure play area, the scooter and bike friendly paths and the castle on this walk.
The Basics
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 3.8 km
Terrain: Paved paths on our chosen route, a couple of steady hills
Pushchair: Yes
Dogs: Yes - there are some cattle grazing but you do not need to enter this section on our walk. They should be on leads around the play area and won’t be allowed into the castle keep (unless assistance).
Refreshments: There is a café at the golf club which is open to the general public or Farnham town centre is a couple of minutes walk away and has an extensive range of cafes and restaurants
Toilets: At the golf club café
Parking: Free car park off Folly Hill by the ranger’s office (Postcode: GU9 0AU - W3W: bathtubs/playback/spoil). There is additional parking further along Folly Hill if this is full or park in the pay and display car parks in town and walk up.
Farnham park is so much more than just a park. Despite being a moments walk from the town centre, you have have a real feeling of being in the countryside as you walk around this 600 year old deer park. Find streams, ponds, woodland, grassland, avenues, adventure play and even a free-to-enter castle keep.
The Route
Farnham Park covers 320 acres and is crisscrossed with a variety of paths. Some areas have short grass and appear like a typical town park and others are wilder with rough grass, wooded areas, grazed land and ponds. You could easily use the map to find your own route depending on your taste. We chose a circular walk that is paved in almost its entirety and cuts through a variety of the different landscapes on offer. If you follow the loop in a clockwise direction from the car park, you will save the castle and adventure playground until the end. We give this advice because on our first attempt at this walk, we didn’t actually make it further than the play area and we ended up spending the whole afternoon there instead!
Head into the park from the car park and walk with the golf club to your left and the football pitches to your right. Soon, you will see a paved path and a gap in the hedge to your left, after the cafe and just after the brick changing block. Go through the gap and follow the paved path.
The path will cut across the middle of the whole park, crossing streams and passing woodland, ponds and grassland.
As you approach the houses lining the far edge of the park, follow the paved path to the right. Stay on the paved path with houses to your left and the park to your right. You will eventually come to a crossing over Nadder Stream which makes a great place for a play.
Continue after the stream, passing the grazing area to your right. When you come to the avenue of trees, keep going straight if you are interested in visiting the play areas. When you reach the corner of the park, turn right and follow the path with houses on your left.
Along this section of the path you will first come to a more typical play area with a slide and play equipment well suited to smaller children. Continue along the path for the adventure play area. This is made up of a series of imaginatively carved wooden structures including bridges, tunnels and a castle. It even has a trim trail suitable for adults.
From this point you can turn right up the hill to return to the car park or turn left and head out of the park into the attractive town centre. You can also visit the castle, which overlooks the park. You can do this by walking past the cricket club next to the car park, turning left at the park entrance and following the path beside the road. Farnham Castle is a private venue, but the original keep is managed by English Heritage and is free to enter. You will need to enter the castle forecourt entrance and look out for English Heritage signs to the keep.
Did you know?
Farnham Park is a medieval deer park that once was the hunting ground of the nobility residing in the adjacent castle. It has a boundary that has remained unchanged for over 600 years.
