- Overall Rating: 5
- Location: Shackleford, Surrey.
- OS Explorer Map 145, 'Guildford & Farnham, Godalming & Farnborough'.
- Starting OS Grid Reference: SU911473
- Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 21' 80" W000 69' 70"
- Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU923475
- Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 21' 90" W000 68' 00"
- To see: an Iron-Age hill fort, south of the start of the lane at Totford Hatch.
- ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!
Update 22/05/15: Apparently this byway has become too overgrown to drive. Avoid until it's cleared.
This great lane, of a perfect length, begins in the car park for Puttenham Common, all that remains of what was once a vast area of lowland heath. Guildford and the other surrounding towns destroyed part of it, with agriculture and the MoD claiming the rest, but rest assured this area just south of the Hog's Back (A31) is particularly beautiful. Just south of the car park lies an Iron Age hill fort, but little of it remains except for some traces of it's embankments.
On a sandy surface interspersed with a natural rock surface that in places looks surprisingly like cobbles, this lane is almost always dry even in the depths of winter. The only drawback it has is that it is pretty tight with regards to overgrown bordering vegetation. That said, for the most part it is just ferns and in only a couple of places birch, rosehips and holly will leave their mark on paintwork. It is also part of the North Downs Way which runs from Dover to Farnham, and so is popular with walkers so use caution.
Climbing out from the car park, the lane heads along a pretty straight track uphill along the northern edge of Puttenham Common, offering some grand views to the south. On entering Little Commn, which lies to the north of the byway, it jinks left around a large oak tree (so avoid it!) and begins a gentle turn to the right until it becomes tarmac where a driveway merges from the north west.
A brilliant green lane, and this is what greenlaning is all about.
4 comments:
Ran 27/12/2013. Good but too muddy. Feeling guilty that I did it close to rain. The 110 on muds was having to work too hard to be friendly to the lane. Consider not doing this if it's going to be wet to avoid damaging such a splendid route. I'm not doing it again until things dry out.
That's a good rule of thumb for all green lanes, and one we take seriously: if it looks like it's wet enough for damage to be cause it is best to avoid it. Thanks for pointing it out! Oodlums of mud is for off road centres, not byways.
Tried this greenlane today, unfortunately from lascombe lane end, its has become overgrown and the mud has built up making the entrance to narrow to fit down, will keep others updated as i try them. (sorry if this repeat posts not sure if my other comment went through)
Hi Oliver, and thanks for the feedback. I have annotated this post with your findings. I suppost it is, ultimately, a positive thing, as the less uss the better this habitat will be!
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