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Haslemere Outer Orbital Path Walk

Orbital route around Haslemere from a rural bus stop, but with plenty of options for connecting routes from the station

Long Surrey Tough

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 02-Nov-24 Autumnal Feelings - Haslemere Outer Orbital Route (Long and Short options) 2 dry with misty start
Sat, 01-Jul-23 Haslemere Outer Orbital Path - legs 1-5 Haslemere/Marley Common to Hindhead 9 warm and sunny
Sat, 12-Nov-22 A Haslemere Extravaganza - The Outer Orbital Path, with short and long options 7 sunny
Sat, 12-Jun-21 Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (HOOP) [New Walk] 15 sunny and warm

Saturday 02-Nov-24

Thomas G
Length : HOOP Route – from 10.3 km to 26.8 km
Ascent/Descent : from 215/169m to 623m
Net Walking Time : from ca. 2 ½ hours to ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness : 8 out of 10 (full route)
Sunset in Haslemere will be at 16.34, so there will be light for walking until about 17.10.
Longer versions possible by walking to and/or from the Orbital Route along one of the spoke routes (see below for more details).
Walk only parts of the HOOP and take a bus back to Haslemere or walk back along one of the spoke routes (see below for more details).
A later start (09.30 train/10.30 bus) would be enough to beat darkness on the shorter walks).
Take the 08.30 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (08.55 Woking), arrives Haslemere at 09.21.
Then take Bus 70 , hourly from opposite the station (direction Midhurst) at 09.30, arrives Kiln Meadow, Kingsley Green 09.41.
Return buses : xx.19 to 17.19, then 18.24 and 19.29. Return trains: xx.02, xx.14, xx.30.
This is an interesting circular route orbiting around Haslemere, covering plenty of areas and sights familiar from other SWC walks, but also lots of new ground, for example Bramshott Common, the Waggoner’s Wells ponds, Whitmore Vale, Grayswood, Ansteadbrook and the woods west of Black Down. The Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (HOOP) was originally conceived by Neil Hook and is featured – with written directions – on his website.

The route starts at a bus stop in Kingsley Green served by an hourly service (Mon-Sat), 3 km outside of Haslemere, but additional start or finish points can usefully be accessed either by other bus lines or on foot, along spoke routes from Haslemere Station, using some of the existing SWC walks. For details see below. Fully written directions for the spoke routes are available in the walk directions pdf linked on the SWC webpage.

Walk Options : four bus lines and six fully written up spoke routes enable you to:
- walk just parts of the HOOP,
- avoid the bus journeys at start or finish by walking from/to Haslemere Station.
For details see the webpage and study the route map.
Lunch and Tea : The Prince of Wales, Hammer Vale, 4.6 km into the route; The Fox & Pelican, Grayshott, 10.3 km into the route; Café Twenty5, Hindhead, 12.6 km into the route; The Devil’s Punch Bowl, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The National Trust Café, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The Wheatsheaf Inn , Grayswood, 16.7 km into the route (currently closed); Harper’s Steakhouse & Bar, Haslemere Station.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.377
  • Fri, 01-Nov-24

    Contrary to my walk post, The Wheatsheaf Inn seems to be open again, and - I quote - "now fully refurbished to a high standard".

    I do like their spiel on children in the pub restaurant: "We welcome well-behaved children to The Wheatsheaf Inn but the rest will be made into pies!"

  • Sat, 02-Nov-24

    Just 2 up for this early start on a dry with misty start day.

    We got going at a quick pace and held that, not really much slowed down by modest amounts of mud. Admiring the orgy of green, brown and yellow leaves (on the tree, falling, or on the ground), while observing the plentiful mushrooms and fungi, we reached Grayshott before noon, ie too early for The Fox & Pelican.

    We therefore called The Wheatsheaf Inn in Grayswood to book a table for 13.00 hours and marched on. We got there on time and found it indeed "fully refurbished to a high standard". The interior, the roof, the wet rooms...all brand-new. And a very generous outdoor area added as well. Service and food were good although food delivery was somewhat slow, which eventually would cost us the 16.19 bus back to H'mere.

    Knowing we'd miss that bus by about 20 minutes, we improvised a longer ending to a bus stop nearer to H'mere and caught the 17.19, which - in contrast to most other times I tried the changeover - DID connect to the (fast) 17.32 train.

Saturday 01-Jul-23

Margaret
Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (sections 1-5 Marley Common to Hindhead)

Length: Length: ~18 km (~11 miles). The route can be shortened using bus stops from/to Haslemere station at the start and end or along the way - see the SWC walk page for details. If you want a longer walk, you could complete the full orbital path, although I plan to post sections 6-9 as a separate walk over the summer.

10:00 train from London Waterloo, arriving Haslemere at 10:53

Buy a return to Haslemere.

Return trains at xx:01, xx.10, xx.30

Cooper's Stream/Waggoner's Wells Ponds The Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (HOOP) was originally conceived by Neil Hook. It passes through plenty of woodland, some picturesque areas not passed on other SWC walks, as well as some familiar areas.

Bring a packed lunch or choose from the eateries along the route: The Prince of Wales, Hammer Vale (01428 652600) 6.6 km into the route from Haslemere station. The Fox & Pelican, Grayshott (01428 604757) 12.8 km into the route. The walk notes also mention Molly's Cottage, Artisan Bakery, Grayshott (pre-order for pickup from a box on the route), 9.2 km into the route

There are places for tea in Hindhead: Café Twenty5, The Devil’s Punch Bowl Hotel, National Trust Café and a selection of pubs and cafes at the end of the walk in Haslemere.

These walks don't have a leader so you'll need to download your copy of the directions:-

If using GPS, you only need to download the GPS route from L=swc.377 page.

Note: the main written directions are on the "Relaxed Walking in the UK and Abroad" website. So, for full written instructions, you'll need to download BOTH these spoke route directions from the SWC page (for the bit between Haslemere station and the Orbital Path) AND these written directions from Neil Hook's webpage (for the Orbital Path itself).

T=swc.377

  • Sun, 02-Jul-23

    9, warm and sunny , Five met at Haslemere, two more caught up at the first pub and two more at the second pub. There was a pre christening gathering at the first pub and no food for us fortunately they were still serving at the second where we arrived hungry at 2.00 pm. This is an interesting walk around Haslemere mostly in woodland so ideal for a hot summer's day. It may also be less muddy is winter than some of the other Haslemere walks. Two of us had tea at the NT punchbowl cafe and took motorised transport to the station. The radial spokes of this walk will be familiar to those who know the SWC walks but the orbital part was new to me.

Saturday 12-Nov-22

Thomas G
DAC is away...
Length: HOOP Route – from 10.3 km to 26.8 km
Ascent/Descent: from 215/169m to 563m
Net Walking Time: from ca. 2 ½ hours to ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness: 8 out of 10 (full route)
Longer versions possible by walking to and/or from the Orbital Route along one of the spoke routes (see below).
Walk only parts of the HOOP and take a bus back to Haslemere or walk back along one of the spoke routes (see below for more details).
A later start (09.30 train/10.30 bus) would be enough to beat darkness on the shorter walks).
Take the 08.30 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (08.55 Woking), arrives Haslemere at 09.20.
Then take Bus 70 , hourly from opposite the station (direction Midhurst) at 09.30, arrives Kiln Meadow, Kingsley Green 09.41.
Return buses : xx.19 to 17.19, then 18.24 and 19.29. Return trains: xx.02, xx.14, xx.30.
This is an interesting circular route orbiting around Haslemere, covering plenty of areas and sights familiar from other SWC walks, but also lots of new ground, for example Bramshott Common, the Waggoner’s Wells ponds, Whitmore Vale, Grayswood, Ansteadbrook and the woods west of Black Down. The Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (HOOP) was originally conceived by Neil Hook and is featured – with written directions – on his website.
The route starts at a bus stop in Kingsley Green served by an hourly service (Mon-Sat), 3 km outside of Haslemere, but additional start or finish points can usefully be accessed either by other bus lines or on foot, along spoke routes from Haslemere Station, using some of the existing SWC walks. For details see below. Fully written directions for the spoke routes are available in the walk directions pdf linked on the SWC webpage.
Walk Options : four bus lines and six fully written up spoke routes enable you to:
- walk just parts of the HOOP,
- avoid the bus journeys at start or finish by walking from/to Haslemere Station.
For details see the webpage and study the route map.
Lunch and Tea : The Prince of Wales, Hammer Vale, 4.6 km into the route; Molly’s Cottage Artisan Bakery, Grayshott (pre-order for pickup from a box on the route), 9.2 km into the route; The Fox & Pelican, Grayshott, 10.3 km into the route; Café Twenty5, Hindhead, 12.6 km into the route; The Devil’s Punch Bowl, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The National Trust Café, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The Wheatsheaf Inn, Grayswood, 16.7 km into the route (currently closed); Harper’s Steakhouse & Bar, Haslemere Station.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.377
  • Sat, 12-Nov-22

    4 walkers off the train, plus 1 other off his car, 1 runner (more later), making 6. Some of those had spotted 1 other, a Saturday Long Walk regular of the Legal Fraternity, on the platform at W'loo walking towards the front carriage (as he does), but there was no sign of him in H'mere. Was it a power nap on the train, meaning he missed the stop? Or did we miss him in the melee that ensued caused by the 30+ members of a MeetUp Group of Young 'Uns?

    The runner set off to run up along the Serpent Trail on one of the spokes to link up with the route on the flanks of Black Down, while we awaited the bus.

    It was a marvellous day for any walk, but especially this, I'd say: sunny for most of it, after the initial mist and cloud had been burned off; some fine cows (many Belted Galloway, including a brown one, and some Highland Coos), partridges, lovely leaf colour, hardly any mud, fine sunny views, and a pacey group.

    We got to the Fox & Pelican just before it was due to open, and duly waited, seeing as it was the best food option en route. The runner joined us within 10 minutes of that and we spent an hour and a quarter there together.

    The runner then walked with us, almost to the end, running back to H'mere along the last spoke route from Ridden Corner (he totalled close to 40 km today). The sun was setting as we crossed Black Down, a fitting finale to a grand walk.

    We got back to the bus stop at 5 to 5, leaving 25 minutes to wait for the bus back to H'mere. Someone activated an app to identify the various stars on display, while others checked the football results...

    The bus of course is timetabled in a British Way, i.e. it misses the train connection by a minute every time. Unless the train is running late, which it did. But we did go to the pub by the station anyway, to meet the runner there. A marvellous day out (everyone said that).

    p.s.: the power napper did take the next train back to Haslemere and walked a substantial part of the route an hour behind... 7 sunny

Saturday 12-Jun-21

Thomas G
COVID 19
Track-and-Trace: please provide email address (preferred) or mobile phone number at the start
Rule of Thirty: up to June 21 (at least)

Length: HOOP Route – from 10.3 km to 26.8 km
Ascent/Descent: from 215/169m to 563m
Net Walking Time: from ca. 2 ½ hours to ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness: 8 out of 10 (full route)
Longer versions possible by walking to and/or from the Orbital Route along one of the spoke routes (see below).
Walk only parts of the HOOP and take a bus back to Haslemere or walk back along one of the spoke routes (see below for more details).
Take the 09.30 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (09.55 Woking), arrives Haslemere at 10.20.
Then take Bus 70 from opposite the station (direction Midhurst) at 10.30, arrives Kiln Meadow, Kingsley Green 10.41.
Return buses : xx.18 to 18.18, then 19.23. Return trains : xx.02, xx.14, xx.30.
This is an interesting circular route orbiting around Haslemere, covering plenty of areas and sights familiar from other SWC walks, but also lots of new ground, for example Bramshott Common, the Waggoner’s Wells ponds, Whitmore Vale, Grayswood, Ansteadbrook and the woods west of Black Down. The Haslemere Outer Orbital Path (HOOP) was originally conceived by Neil Hook and is featured – with written directions – on his website.
The route starts at a bus stop in Kingsley Green served by an hourly service (Mon-Sat), 3 km outside of Haslemere, but additional start or finish points can usefully be accessed either by other bus lines or on foot, along spoke routes from Haslemere Station, using some of the existing SWC walks. For details see below. Fully written directions for the spoke routes are available in the walk directions pdf linked on the SWC webpage.
Walk Options : four bus lines and five fully written up spoke routes enable you to:
- walk just parts of the HOOP,
- avoid the bus journeys at start or finish by walking from/to Haslemere Station .
For details see the webpage and study the route map.
Lunch and Tea : The Prince of Wales, Hammer Vale, 4.6 km into the route; Molly’s Cottage Artisan Bakery, Grayshott (pre-order for pickup from a box on the route), 9.2 km into the route; The Fox & Pelican, Grayshott, 10.3 km into the route; Café Twenty5, Hindhead, 12.6 km into the route; The Devil’s Punch Bowl, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The National Trust Café, Hindhead, 12.8 km into the route; The Wheatsheaf Inn, Grayswood, 16.7 km into the route; Harper’s Steakhouse & Bar, Haslemere Station.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.377
  • Mon, 31-May-21

    The walk author has indicated he may be on the walk on the day, let's give him a warm welcome if so.

  • Sun, 13-Jun-21

    10 walkers off the bus, including the creator of the walk (up from Goring-by-Sea), plus 1 car driver waiting already, making for 11. There had been spottings of some other SWCers at Haslemere Station, but no one was quite sure whether they were doing their own thing, or were delayed Midhurst - Arundel walkers or indeed walking one of the spoke routes of this walk. It was the latter: those 4 stalwarts were initially behind the bus takers, overtook us while we were at the lunch pub, only to be overtaken again by us.

    It was a sunny and warm day, but as more than 80% of the route is shaded that didn't bother much. In contrast to autumn and winter when I did recce-walk the route, it was now a very green walk, so much so that at times I didn't recognise the next turning!

    It's a pretty faultless route without any bad or boring bits, I'd say, and I think everyone enjoyed it. Most of us lunched (or just drank) at The Fox & Pelican, and 4 (I think) took the bus home from there (or maybe they walked to the station?).

    My (eventual) group of 7 added the small loops to the Devil's Punch Bowl viewpoint and to Gibbet Hill, for superior - if a little hazy - far views.

    Back at Kingsley Green bus stop at 6, meaning a 18 minutes wait for the bus, and then a slick connection to the (slightly delayed) 18.30 train.

    The 4 spoke route starters also took a spoke route or a bus back to the station, I believe, so - all in - all kinds of lengths were walked.

    15

  • Margaret
    Sun, 13-Jun-21

    I thought this walk worked well on such a hot day with plenty of cool and shady woodlands. I was one of the 4 who followed the main directions, walking from Haslemere station up to Marley Common, from where we headed clockwise around the HOOP.

    We stopped for lunch in dappled sunlight in the woods, where some convenient logs served as seating and a deer was spotted.

    After a coffee stop at cafe Twenty5 in Hindhead, 2 left the HOOP to walk across Polecat Valley back to Haslemere and 2 carried on. At Imbhams Farm, 1 other left the HOOP to walk back to Haslemere and I strolled on alone at a gentle pace.

    I took the footpath back to Haslemere via Barfold Copse, which is about halfway between the official HOOP exit points of Imbhams Farm and Ridden Corner - this is is not listed as a "spoke route" on this walk but it was a nice return route and perhaps could be added. I've added the details to the comments section of this walk's webpage.