consult the sheets from which they are taken to gain a wider appreciation of the surrounding countryside, and to locate overnight accommodation or important landmarks which may not appear on the limited map samples published here. Six separate Landranger maps cover the length of the NDW, but for greater detail the eight sheets of the Explorer series at 1:25,000 (2½ inches to 1 mile) may be preferred. Details of specific map sheets are listed at the heading to each stage of the walk described and are as follows:
Puttenham Camping Barn stands just a few paces from the NDW
Landranger: 178, 179, 186, 187, 188, 189
Explorer: 137, 138, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
The map booklet which accompanies this guidebook covers the whole route at 1:25,000 scale.
Also available are the two Harveys Waterproof Map sheets which cover the route at a scale of 1:40,000 (a little over 1½ inches to 1 mile): North Downs Way West (Farnham to the Medway), and North Downs Way East (Dover to the Medway).
Points of interest
Key points in the route that appear on the OS map extracts are highlighted in the text with bold type to help you follow the route on the map. Local points of historical, geological or other interest are described along the way. Where the route passes near a source of accommodation, refreshment or other facilities, this is usually highlighted in the margin.
Along the way
Whether this be your first or umpteenth long-distance walk, try not to be drawn into a race from start to finish, but allow plenty of time to contemplate the intricacies of the landscape, its life, its fragrance, its subtle hues, sounds and flavours. Walking through the countryside can be an education and an entertainment, an uplift of the spirits, a way of coming to terms with the essence of living. If you open your eyes, heart and mind to the splendours of the world around you, you'll grow richer by the mile. As an antidote to the single-minded attitude of getting from A to B as quickly as possible, this guide has been written with a more relaxed outlook in mind, and I've attempted to bring out the flavour of the walk by including a few anecdotal snippets from my own journeys along it.
Walking the footpaths of Surrey and Kent does not lend itself to epic adventures, but each time I step along the North Downs Way I experience the wonders of a countryside that has been tended, cared for and fought over for thousands of years. That countryside reveals the remarkable nature of the ordinary common scenes and pleasures that all may witness (and have witnessed over the centuries) by remaining alert when wandering the footpaths. It is my sincere hope that all who follow this route will absorb as much as possible of the landscape and the creatures that inhabit it, and gain a similar bounty of happiness to that which I have experienced along the way.
The NDW angles across Mill Hill above Cuxton (Stage 6)
But should you find the route has been altered in any significant way, and the descriptions in this guide no longer apply, I'd very much appreciate a note to this effect. As explained at the beginning of this guide, an email or letter sent in to Cicerone ([email protected] or 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY) will be gratefully received, and details checked in advance of any new printing or revised edition of this book.
The Countryside Code
And finally, as you journey along the North Downs Way, please treat the countryside with the care and respect it deserves and needs, and follow the Countryside Code:
be safe, plan ahead and follow any signs
leave gates and property as you find them
protect plants and animals and take your litter home
keep dogs under close control
consider other people.
The Countryside Code started life in the 1950s as the Country Code. It still adheres to the principles set out by Octavia Hill, a champion of the countryside and a co-founder of the National Trust, who wrote in the early years of the 20th century:
‘Let the grass growing for hay be respected, let the primrose roots be left in their loveliness in the hedges, the birds unmolested and the gates shut. If those who frequented country places would consider those who live there, they would better deserve, and more often retain, the rights and privileges they enjoy.’
STAGE 1
Farnham to Guildford
| Start | Farnham |
| Finish | Guildford |
| Distance | 11 miles (17.5km) |
| Maps | Harveys North Downs Way West 1:40,000 OS Landranger 186 Aldershot & Guildford 1:50,000 OS Explorer 145 Guildford & Farnham 1:25,000 |
| Refreshments | Farnham, Compton, Guildford |
| Accommodation | Farnham, Puttenham, Guildford |
‘The soil is good; the houses are neat; the people are neat; the hills, the woods, the meadows all are beautiful.’ So said the much-travelled William Cobbett of the area covered by this stage of the North Downs Way. Cobbett (1763–1835) was born in Farnham in what is now the pub named after him, and although he walked nowhere unless it was impossible to ride, he had an unchallenged intimacy with the Downs and the Weald that adds weight to his words. Nearly two centuries on they remain largely true.
This initial stage of the long walk gives no real flavour of the Downs, but it makes a fine introduction with an abundance of wild flowers in the meadows, banks and hedgerows, and plenty of wildlife too. The walking is not too demanding, with no major ascents or descents to tackle – these will come later – and the way is mostly very well defined. In the place of open downland, this western end of the route offers a series of gentle agricultural landscapes, punctuated by woodland and one or two sandy heaths. The route passes through only one village and for long stretches there will be little habitation visible. However, study of the map will show that you are never very far from a farm, road or a group of houses, even if these are not visible from the footpath.
Close to the Surrey/Hampshire border, Farnham marks the official start of the North Downs Way with a large steel structure set beside a busy junction on the A31 a little west of the town's railway station. From the station walk downhill to the traffic lights (SU 844 466) and turn right. A tarmac footpath soon brings you to a narrow lane where you bear right. The lane is flanked by trees, and at a T-junction you turn right again on another metalled lane which becomes a pitted drive running alongside the River Wey, here a reedy, rather unimposing – but nonetheless pleasant – stream. At the entrance to The Kiln turn right to pass through a brick railway arch, where a footpath continues ahead between woodland and meadows. Across the meadows to the left High Mill House can be seen.
FARNHAM
Farnham is overlooked by a 12th-century castle built by Henri de Blois. Besieged by Cromwell, it belonged to the Bishops of Winchester until 1927, then the Bishop of Guildford held it until 1956. It is now a training centre, but the Norman keep is open to the public. North of the castle stretch the 300 acres of Farnham Park, while to the south, between the castle and