Kingsley Common
Bordon
Children will enjoy the natural sand pits, the ducks on the pond and a nearby play area on this walk.
The sandy heath of Kingsley Common
The Basics
Time: 45 minutes
Distance: 2.4 km / 1.5 miles
Terrain: Mostly flat and well drained sandy paths with one short up hill.
Pushchair: A pushchair should make it around this route with just one short uphill section that might be tricky.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk.
Refreshments: The Cricketers is beside the car park and has a large beer garden with play equipment and football goal or just across the road is the coffee shop at The Kingsley Centre.
Toilets: Although we didn’t go inside, there may be toilets in The Kingsley Centre.
Public Transport: Stagecoach service 13 from Whitehill to Basingstoke, service 113 from Alton to Liphook and service 123 from Haslemere and Bordon all stop at The Cricketers Inn, next to the car park.
Parking: Free car park opposite the Kingsley Centre and beside The Cricketers (Postcode: GU35 9PQ - W3W: ///argue.newsreel.neon)
The magnificent village pond in Kingsley
Kingsley boasts a rather large and beautiful village pond. Beyond this is a sandy common dotted with gnarly oaks and coated in purple heather. It is an easy place to walk around with plenty of paths to explore.
The Route
Standing in the car park with you back to the road, take the footpath on the far left of the car park. The footpath passes parallel to the pond, but trees obscure the view. You can cut through to see the pond, but should come back to this path to continue the walk.
Keep walking in a straight line, and as you leave the side of the pond, you will walk under some power cables that will then veer off to your right. Keep left here and continue straight. In a few metres you will come to a sandy cross paths with a house away to your left. Continue straight once again. As you walk under some trees you will come to another split in the path where one path leads off behind you to your left and the path ahead splits in two. Take the right hand path of this split. Keep straight at another small cross paths, heading towards a post with a yellow arrow ahead of you.
When you reach some little wooden posts and a sandy access track for vehicles, turn right. At the T-junction with Riverside Cottage, turn right again. Follow this path, now coming back along the other edge of the common. Ignore any turns to the left or right and keep straight until you come to an open sandy area.
Cross the sandy area and continue straight with the footpath. The landscape will turn to woodland populated with old oak trees. Keep going forward until you cannot go forward anymore.
Turn right at this boundary and walk up the hill. The ground is less sandy and more muddy/stony in this small section which will be the most challenging area for pushchairs. The path will soon level off and you should walk around the metal pole barrier. This access track will lead you back to the pond and car park.
As you return to the car park, you will spot the large garden of The Cricketers on your left with a climbing frame, a couple of swings and a football goal. The entrance is up on the road.
Opposite the car park is The Kingsley Centre with shop and coffee shop.
If you turn right at the road and walk past the Church as far as the sign for Forge Road, you will see a little crossing and the village play area and green down to the side of the road.
Scroll down to find out how to connect Kingsley Common to Shortheath Common for a longer walk.
Did you know?
All the profits from the village shop go towards the Kinglsey Centre, an organisation which provides realistic retail training for disabled people.
Kingsley derives from ‘Kings Lea’, a lea being a meadow. The area was once a clearing between two of the King’s hunting forests at Alice Holt and Woolmer.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try and make it longer by joining it to this walk at Shortheath Common
To make this a longer walk by joining it to our walk at Shortheath Common and Oakhanger:
When you pass the information board about military training after the pole barrier in section 5, turn left and pass the garages on your right and Prospect Cottage. At Yew Tree House, turn left and walk as far as the sign for Birch Cottage. Turn right here.
Walk along a grassy path between a number of pony paddocks. When you come to a T-junction with a wooden garden fence straight ahead of you, turn right and then shortly turn left over a stone bridge and onto an access track.
Cross the track and enter the orchard directly opposite. Cross the orchard to the gate on the other side and then shortly go over the stile into a meadow.
Cross the meadow, heading towards a line of tall poplars. Go over the stile and turn left. After a few metres, go down over the next stile. Walk along a narrow path that borders a quarry. Stick with this until you exit at Shortheath Common.
Just before the barn of Chestnut Farm, turn right with the yellow footpath marker and cross the grassy common, forking right just as the farmhouse comes into view to your left. Turn left at the access track.
Ignore all tracks to the left and right until you reach a T-junction with an entrance way with a lion, gnome and black post box on your left. When you arrive at a bungalow called Garlenette, you can join our Shortheath walk at section 3.
Return the way you came when you reach this point again.
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