Thursley & Hankley Common
On this walk, children will enjoy the sandy paths, stream and village play area half way around.
The Basics
Time: 1 hr 40mins
Distance: 4.6km
Terrain: Open heathland with sandy paths, woodland and a few small sections on country lanes
Pushchair: No
Dogs: Yes
Refreshments: The Three Horseshoes, Thursley
Toilets: None
Parking: Hankley Lower Car Park for Hankley Common (Postcode: GU8 6QS - W3W: commoners/twirls/silently)
There is plenty of variation on this walk from pine woodland to open heathland. The pretty village of Thursley makes a good resting point halfway with its pub and park.
The Route
Leave the car park and head back down the tarmac lane you drove up. Turn right at telegraph pole 11 and walk between pine trees.
The sandy path will open up to the heathland of Hankley Common making this a good walk in late summer when the heather is blooming. There has been some damage to this area due to a series of summer wild fires. Stay on the same path, ignoring any to the left or right.
Continue straight for some distance and eventually you will come to a fork directly under power lines. Take the left fork and look out for pylon 23. Almost immediately after it, take the path to the left.
Pass through the tall pine trees and curve left. When you meet another track, turn right. When the path forks under powerlines, go left down a small and slightly overgrown path. Pass the barrier to meet with a tarmac track.
Turn right and take the bridle path beside Hounmere House. At the end of the bridle path, you will meet the road where you should turn left. Look out for the footpath on your right that appears quite soon.
Follow the footpath past paddocks and over a little bridge. You will shortly enter a grassy area where you cross a little stream. Follow the path to meet with the lane.
Turn left, and then right at the end when you get to a larger lane and a cottage straight ahead. As the road begins to curve to the left, take the path on your right that rises up into woodland.
The path will eventually come out between some cottages and you should continue straight to reach Thursley village green. This marks a good resting point on the walk. A few metres to the left of the main street will bring you to a lovely, quiet park that is backed by the common. A few metres to the right will take you to the country pub, The Three Horseshoes.
Complete the walk by taking the path on a gravel drive directly opposite where you met the green. At the time of writing the footpath finger post was missing.
The path will soon be sandy again. Stay straight on the path until a fork, where you should bear left. You will be walking at the very edge of Thursley Nature Reserve and should aim to keep the fields visible and directly to your left the whole way.
When you eventually hit the road, turn left and then turn up the road where you drove to park your car.
We recommend viewing the map as a Trails Map:
Did you know?
Hankley Common has often been used for the location in blockbuster movies including The World is Not Enough, Skyfall, Die Another Day and Black Widow.