UCR: Tipsall Lane

• Overall Rating: 1
• Location: Hill Brow, West Sussex.
• OS Explorer Map 133, 'Haslemere & Petersfield'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU792258
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 02' 70" W000 87' 10"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU784235
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 00' 60" W000 88' 30"
• To see: not much.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Talk about a disappointment!

This byway starts off so positively as a very pleasant drive on a sandy surface past Canada Cottages and on through forestry land. Starting from the northern end, one follows the instruction of the finger posts with 'Public Way' engraved upon them, and the track heads downhill though coppice and pine plantations.

BUT... immediately on exiting the forest (at the third junction with a bridleway), it becomes so overgrown as to be totally impassable to anything but pedestrians. Hugely frustratingly, it continues in this manner for no more than 200m or so where it opens out onto the wide-open driveway of Tipsall House. The greenlane enthusiast has been robbed of a lovely byway simply because of a lack of maintenance!

Further south, after the junction with Slade Lane, the UCR continues westwards for a fair distance again, but, in the same irritating vein, it is so overgrown as to be impassable for almost its entire length, until it emerges from the undergrowth onto the driveway of Durleighmarsh Farm. It's almost irrelevant to the enthusiast therefore!

Until this byway receives some much-needed maintenance, it is best avoided. Sigh.