Frensham and Spreakley

Frensham Great Pond is well known for its variety of wildlife, particularly birds. Some years ago, Dartford warblers started nesting on the nearby common, and stonechats are a regular sighting. In most years an osprey will visit the area, and other unusual birds are regularly spotted. The pond was first dug in around 1200 as a fish pond for the Bishop of Winchester, and stocked with bream, pike and carp. While it was managed as a fish farm it was drained every five years to collect the fish. It was also drained during World War II to prevent it being used as a landmark by enemy aircraft. Some years before that it was the location for testing Britain’s first seaplane.

King's Ridge

At the start of the walk and looking to the east, a ridge can be seen running parallel with the road. This is known as the King’s Ridge because King Edward VII reviewed the troops from here. It is a very ancient site, however, and there are Bronze Age burial mounds on the top. As you leave the pond you pass the pond outfall, which was a mill in the time of Edward VI (1537–1553).

The walk weaves round to visit the village of Frensham. There has been a settlement in this area since Mesolithic times. It was a popular hunting area for the kings of England in the Middle Ages, and the church dates from 1239, although there was an earlier building on the site. A curiosity to be found in the church is a large cauldron, said to have belonged to a local witch, Mother Ludlum. The legend goes that when the cauldron was stolen by the Devil, Mother Ludlum gave chase. The Devil eventually dropped the cauldron, and Mother Ludlum then moved it to Frensham Church for safe keeping. A more prosaic explanation is that the pot is typical of those used in the Middle Ages for preparing food for weddings and other village events. In any event, the church at Frensham is very beautiful and well worth exploring.

From the car park, face Frensham Great Pond and take the sandy path in the bottom right corner, close to the pond. Keep left, following the fence. Walk alongside the pond until you reach Bacon Lane. Turn left and continue until you meet some metal railings on the right. Turn right along a public bridleway that follows the overflow to the pond and leads to the north branch of the River Wey. At a fork, keep to the higher right-hand path. Pass a bridge on the left, and follow the path to a gravel drive and The Mill House on the left.

Continue to Mill Lane and turn left, passing over a bridge. Walk down Mill Lane to Pitt Lane and turn left. Before reaching Mill Cottage, turn right up a public bridleway and follow this round between fields towards houses. Just before reaching them, turn right and cross a stile onto a public footpath. This leads up a field towards a small wood and a stile. Cross it and enter the wood, following the footpath up a hill. At a cross-track keep going straight ahead, and at a waymarker turn right.

At the next track crossing, turn left. Follow this path along the ridge, with fine views to the left and right. As you reach a field, follow the path along the right-hand side until it descends into woodland. Leave the wood by a stile and turn left, with a hedge on the left. At the far end keep straight on and go over a stile to enter a wood. Continue along the footpath, crossing over a stile into a field and following the path, with the wood on your right-hand side. It leads to a stile on the right and, after crossing it, to a path with a high wooden fence on the right. Go through a wooden gate and continue straight ahead as the path descends to a tarmac driveway. When the driveway meets Pitt Lane, continue ahead into Hammondswood Road.

Walk down Hammondswood Road, passing a house, St Austins, and then take the public footpath to the right. This leads to a wooden bridge crossing the River Wey. Follow the path until you reach the churchyard of St Mary’s Church, Frensham. Walk through the churchyard, visit the church, and reach The Street. Turn left, then right into Lovers Lane. The public footpath continues to meet Bacon Lane. Turn left and then shortly right up a public footpath and onto the common. At a cross-tracks, turn right and at the next fork keep right, walking through an area of heather. The path drops down and, on reaching a sandy track, turn right and follow it back to the car park.