Thursley Common
Children will love following the boardwalk and looking for dragonflies.
The Basics
Time: 35 minutes
Distance: 1.9 km
Terrain: Mostly boardwalks with small sections along flat, sandy heathland
Pushchair: Yes
Dogs: Yes, but they should be on short leads due to wildlife and should not enter the water
Refreshments: None, but The Three Horseshoes in Thursley village is a short drive away
Toilets: None
Parking: Free car park at The Moat Pond (Postcode: GU8 6LW - W3W: depending/coherent/swim)
Like a phoenix from the ashes, the boardwalk across Thursley Common Nature Reserve has risen again. Snaking its way from Moat Pond to Pudmore Pond across the lowland heath and marshes, this beautiful wooden structure appears to actually enhance the already spectacular natural scenery. This is a famed habitat for dragonflies, so look out for them in summer as well as plenty of other wetland wildlife.
The Route
This is a very easy route to follow:
From the car park, head off onto the common with the pond to your right. You will soon see the boardwalk snaking its way off ahead of you. There are a few different marked trails that you can take from here. The most child friendly one which we will describe below is the Dragonfly Trail. There is a slightly longer walk, The Heath Trail, which follows the boardwalk and then heads further out onto the common. We found The Dragonfly Trail was not as clearly marked as The Heath Trail but there are some posts in place, so perhaps this is work in progress.
For The Dragonfly Trail, stick with the boardwalk until it comes to a junction and a spur of boardwalk heads off to the right. If, like us, you would be disappointed to exit here and not enjoy the boardwalk in its entirety, then we recommend continuing to enjoy the rest of the boardwalk for a few more minutes and then doubling back on yourself once you reach the end, returning to the spur.
The spur will soon spit you out onto a rough path. As you follow this through a clump of trees and round the corner, you will be greeted by the pleasant sight of more boardwalk. Follow this and along this section there is a boardwalk ‘cul-de-sac’ you can walk down to really get a feel of being atop the wetland.
After this section of boardwalk, fork right where the path splits at a bench. Look out for the beautiful dragonfly sculpture on an old pylon and then take the right turn opposite, on boardwalk again. Follow it in the direction of the pond/road.
As you approach Moat Pond and the boardwalk ends, there is a choice of two paths on which to return. Either go immediately right along the wide sandy path or cross this path and enter the pine woodland opposite. You should then soon turn right on the smaller path with the pond to your left.
Did you know?
Over 20 species of dragonfly and damselfly can be found in the nature reserve.
Thursley Common has been the victim of two devastating wildfires in recent years and the scars of this can be seen across the reserve. In 2006 60% of the common was burned and then in 2020, during a long hot summer, another wildfire burnt around a third of the reserve. Despite this destruction, it is incredible to see the resilience of nature and just how much regeneration has already taken place. The much loved boardwalk has also risen from the ashes, with the beautiful new structure being completed at the end of 2022.