Seale
Farnham
Children will enjoy the courtyard tea room and craft shop on this walk.
Daffodils flood the side of the footpath in March
The Basics
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 3 km
Terrain: Some quiet country lanes with no pavement and a busier road with a path on a verge, one stile, one steep ascent, paths not always even.
Pushchairs: This walk is not suitable for pushchairs.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk but should be on leads or close control through private property and on the Elizabeth Wood diversion.
Refreshments: Manor Farm Tea Room with indoor seating and some seating in a yard where you will also find a craft shop.
Toilets: There are no public toilets on this walk other than if using the tea room.
Public Transport: There is no public transport to this location.
Parking: There is a small amount of parking at the tearoom, but if you are planning on doing the walk it is best to leave those for customers and park at the side of Seale Lane or in the layby on Wood Lane (Postcode: GU10 1HR - W3W:///launch.worker.defeat)
Manor Farm makes a perfect end to this walk
This relatively short walk loops around the attractive village of Seale, with its rustic tea room and picturesque church. You will pass through woodland and banks of daffodils and bluebells in spring. An optional extension will take you to a viewpoint on the Hog’s Back that stretches to the Devil’s Punchbowl and beyond.
The Route
The walk starts from Manor Farm Tea Room, from where you should walk towards the church and into the graveyard. Walk up the path with the church to your left and exit to the road on the other side. Cross the road and walk up School Hill. Just after the old school house, turn right and walk alongside Elstead Road, where there is a verge to follow on the right-hand side. Ignore the path where the North Downs Way goes off to your right, but keep going until the verge ends. Just a few metres beyond this, you will see the North Downs Way heading to your left on the opposite side of the road. Cross over and take this path into the woodland.
Children should look out for a magical door on a tree trunk just at the entrance to the woodland. When you see a wooden barrier with Hampton Riding Scheme written on it, turn left, following the sign for the North Downs Way. Walk with the trees to your right and a long garden fence to your left. At the end of this section, go through the gate and turn right.
Continue following the North Downs Way along the top right edge of the open field. After you go through the gate into Waggoners Campsite, turn left and walk down the permissive path with the fence to your left and the campsite to your right. Go though the gate at the bottom into woodland and then follow the footpath sign, taking you to the right and then down to the road.
Cross the road and hit the footpath directly opposite, bearing left to go through a tall wooden gate. This section of footpath travels around the perimeter of a large private garden. From the right of way, you can enjoy views of their ponds and in spring carpets of daffodils and then bluebells. Follow the path over the little bridge and then upwards before curving left. Go down the steps and then through the second tall wooden gate to exit the garden area.
Veer left with the path and then go over a stile (space for dogs). The path will veer right and then rise quite steeply before a meeting of various paths at the top*. Turn left to take the tarmacked Wood Lane back down to the village.
* If you fancy a there and back diversion of about 2km total, then turn right here to enter Elizabeth Wood. There isn’t actually any woodland here as it is yet to grow, but the idea is that the planted trees and scrub will provide a sound buffer for the A31 as well as a ‘bee superhighway’ allowing them to feed and travel between habitats. It is, however, worth taking the diversion for the views. At the end of the path, you will find two huge benches from which to enjoy them.
Did you know?
On your way back down Wood Lane to the village, you will pass the remains of Seale Chalkpit, now a private nature reserve managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust. The old chalk quarry is a site of special scientific interest due to its interesting geology and chalkland flora.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at Chiddingfold where there is also a tea room and bluebells in spring.
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