- Overall Rating: 4
- Location: Ash Green, Surrey.
- OS Explorer Map 145, 'Guildford & Farnham, Godalming & Farnborough'.
- Starting OS Grid Reference: SU912418
- Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 24' 00" W000 69' 50"
- Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU902497
- Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 23' 90" W000 70' 90"
- To see: Ash Green Station.
- ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!
NB: Drovers Way is subject to a TRO between 30th September-1st May each year, and access is blocked by locked gates between these dates. Further, as of February 2013 a permanent TRO is proposed for Drovers Way, and soon it may well be closed to 4-wheeled motorised traffic. For more info, go here.
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| Ash Green Lane East |
There are a real concentration of byways in this area, but unfortunately not all of them are open to motor vehicles. These two, however, are most certainly worth a visit (the proviso above notwithstanding). Ash Green Lane East starts westwards from Pound Farm Lane at the imposing Pound Farm House, forming the driveway that serves it. A small duck pond (not necessarily affiliated with the
Conservative Party) lies opposite the house. The gravel surface of the drive soon ends and the earthy/gravel mixed surface of the byway proper begins where the lane plunges into woodland. The foliage never encroaches on the lane however: this green lane is well kept and wide in all places.
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| Drovers Way |
After a pleasant drive past Whitegate Copse, at about 3/4 of its total length shown on the Ordinance Survey map the surface changes back to asphalt and becomes a residential street. It's a pretty straight byway, and it continues on its course as far as White Lane, where it ends. Continuing over the crossroads is unfortunately pointless as
Ash Green Lane West is subject to a TRO and is closed to all motorised vehicles.
When the asphalt reclaims its crown, Drovers Way leaves Ash Green Lane East to the north. This lane looks initially like a gentle, curving lane on the map but is anything but! Twisting and turning its way through the trees and on a heavily rutted earth surface, this byway must be an ordeal to drive in wet weather. No wonder there is a seasonal TRO on it! Our Land Rover grounded out on the raised area in the middle of the ruts on a number of occasions, and the tight turns around mature trees occasionally offer a considerable obstacle, so if you choose to drive it take this lane dead slow and use care. On crossing the railway bridge the green lane presents a choice: left is a short metalled run back towards Ash Green Road, whilst right takes you back off the tarmac on a slightly longer stretch of earthen byway that follows a drainage ditch and again joins Ash Green Road. We recommend the eastern fork, for what its worth.
The now disused but incredibly quaint
Ash Green Halt on the dismantled Tongham to Aldershot Gas Works Railway can be found just to the north of the eastern end of the byway. It's a private residence so you can't gain access, but it is so well kept it's certainly worth a look at for those interested in railwayana. To Surrey County Council these are Byways 521 (Drovers Way) and Byway 518 (Ash Green Lane East). For the purposes of convenience these two conjoined byways are subject to one article.
A great greenlane, this one, even though it is pretty unremarkable in the scheme of things. Perhaps it's better for that, I don't know, but it doesn't detract from the experience all the same! It starts (at its northern end) in the car park of a pub called The Donkey. We've never been in as we've always been 'mid-session' whenever we've passed it, we've always wanted to since it looks pretty good. If anyone has any experience of it, let me know and I'll update this page.
Proceeding on a remarkably straight track, Tilford Common passes by on the south and lush equestrian pasture and dense woodland passes to the north. Otherwise unremarkable, but no worse for it, the lane eventually reaches a seasonal ford as the lane crosses a small tributary of the River Wey. As you can see from the video from the trail-biker I've embedded at the bottom of this post, he found it really quite tough! However in the middle of a heatwave in early October 2011 we found it bone dry. The ford has a hard enough surface for a base as someone has laid some bricks along it, but be warned: proceed slowly over it. We once hit the ford at a paltry 15mph and gave Prometheus' suspension such a jolt it actually hurt us, and I could have sworn I'd broken him!
A greenlane of two halves, the first is barely distinguishable from a normal country lane except for the plethora of pot holes that dot the metaled surface. On passing Crown Lane (which diverges to the right) the second half offers a surface of loose gravel and because of that the pot holes disappear. To highlight how wrong our perceptions were, a chav on a moped followed us all the way up the lane without any effort or evident discomfort on his part! This is not a problem, but since greenlaning is about getting away from the tarmac and enjoying the beautiful English countryside at the same time (nobody can really claim that Aldershot is 'beautiful' and actually mean it), this lane is not really what we are after. Move along.
The southern end of this short greenlane is approached by a very steep climb straight up a bank that can catch one unawares. It's very short however, and easy enough to climb if you're expecting it, and once you have done so the best part of this lane is already over!
For once a lane that has, apparently, not been named ironically! And it's a good one, and oh my word is it ever. Sandy Lane is an awesome greenlane that runs down the western bank of the National Trust-owned Frensham Little Pond. There is absolutely no vegetation of any import to ruin one's paintwork despite the widespread gorse on Frensham Common, principally because it seems to be subjected to a regular controlled burn. It's surface, being deep sand for it's almost entire length, is a little harder going than we'd have expected, but only because a different technique is required for driving these seldom-encountered sandy surfaces. Once you're used to it, it's a breeze!
Running south from Priory Lane, just south of Millbridge, Sandy Lane heads in a southerly direction from one of the car parks for Frensham Common up a steep but short incline through sparse coniferous woodland. On cresting the hill, the lane very gently descends and starts out to form a tangent with the western bank of Frensham Little Pond. After passing through open, gorse-dotted countryside for just over a kilometre, the lane re-enters woodland and where it hits Lowicks, the lane turns to the east and for good measure crosses a ford! Admittedly, it's nothing dramatic as it is merely the overflow stream from the pond, and has long had a hard concrete base, however, a ford is a ford! Shortly after the lane turns back into tarmac and continues into Rushmoor. Full marks for a wonderful lane that has it all.
Note: This lane appears to have undergone clearance work and an overhaul since we last drove it. See the picture, here, taken from exactly the same spot as our picture (right).
Old Guildford Road is technically a BOAT and a UCT spliced together. It runs through the central part of Pirbright Common, an immense military range for the training up new recruits from nearby Deepcut Barracks. The surface of the lane for the most part consists of long earthen stretches interspersed with large patches of compacted rubble. As such, although the lane is wide, well kept and therefore an easy drive, it's very hard-going on your suspension. Large bumps and water-filled holes are as common as they are regular. 
