Weaver’s Down
Liphook
Children will enjoy playing on the green while the grown ups enjoy a post walk drink at the pub!
The Deers Hut pub has a large outdoor frontage where children can play among the trees while the adults chill
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes or a shorter alternative of 1 hour
Distance: 6 km / 3.2 miles or a shorter alternative of 3.4 km / 2.1 miles
Terrain: Sandy heathland paths with a mixture of wide and narrow, the route can be overgrown in summer and muddy in winter.
Pushchair: This route is not suitable for pushchairs.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk.
Refreshments: The Deers Hut Pub
Toilets: There are no public toilets unless you are a customer of the pub.
Public Transport: There is no public transport to this location.
Parking: If you are visiting the pub, it has a large car park. If not, there is a layby on the left just after the Deers Hut pub and more parking further up the track if you veer left before the road forks to Old Thorns (Postcode: GU30 7PD - W3W: ///conqueror.nursery.speeded)
Folly Pond is private, but you still get a good view of it from the path.
The Deers Hut pub has a large open frontage where grown ups can relax with a drink while children play on the green among the old oak trees. The walk leaves straight from the pub through woodland and heathland. You can try a longer walk that goes all the way to Folly Pond, and in summer, a spectacular display of heather, or a shorter walk that stays closer to the pub.
The Route
Begin by walking up the access lane towards The Old Thorns Hotel and away from The Deers Hut. Shortly on your left you will see markers for The Shipwrights Way and Byway. Take this track as it forks to the left, away from the Old Thorns access lane.
Continue until you will reach Weaver’s Cottage and the service entrance to Old Thorns. The track turns to the left and then the right and you should continue on this wide, main track as it heads off into woodland.
At the end of this track, you will reach a metal gate which takes you into the Longmoor Military Training Area*. As long as the sign is white, it is safe to walk through. Along this section of path, during July and August, you will pass a splendid bank of heather to your right. At the first set of signs you come to, turn left and leave the area through a gate.
You will now be on a much narrower path through tall gorse bushes. Go straight ahead at a cross path with metals gates. At the junction where you can’t go forward any further, turn left and then immediately fork right.
The path will soon drop down through a small gully and can be a bit of a jungle with summer vegetation, but it does improve a few metres along. You will emerge from this path at Crouch House. Continue straight across, with the brick wall to your right and following the blue arrow.
When you hit the tarmac drive and the entrance to Home Park, turn left and walk down the tarmac. Just after a pair of gates at each side of the road, turn left onto the public bridleway. The path will soon spit you out onto the access road to Champney’s Forest Mere. Turn left and walk along the road with views of Folly Pond to your left. Just as the pond goes out of view with tall bushes to your left, look out for the path on your right going into rhododendrons.
Look out for a fork in the path and a finger post that is propped up against a tree. Fork right here on the public bridleway. There are a few skinny trees that have fallen on this path that you will need to step over. Fork right at the bridleway sign, passing a cottage to your right. When the path next forks, go right. This path looks impossibly overgrown in summer, but if you push through the first couple of metres, it is actually fine. Keep the boundary fence to your right, until it veers off to the right, when you should keep straight on. This area can be very muddy. The fence will soon appear back on your right again and you should continue forward until you reach a gravel access track.
Turn left at the track and continue until you find yourself back at Grigg’s Green and the pub.
*If you want to do the shorter walk, look out for a path on your left about twenty metres before the gate into Longmoor Ranges. At the time of writing, the finger post was propped up as it had fallen down. Follow the path downwards ignoring any minor paths until you come to a cross path marked with a bridleway and footpath. Turn left here and join the directions in step 7 above when you see the cottage mentioned in this step on your right.
Did you know?
Before it was a hotel, spa, golf course etc, Old Thorns Estate was the residence of Ken Wood of food processor fame!
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