Rail to Trail - Aldershot to Farnham

River Wey in Farnham

Details

The walk is 4.7 miles and a few short hills up and down with starting at Aldershot seeming a definite advantage. There are proper footpaths all the way although some are not surfaced.

Public transport and parking

Trains are frequent between these two stations and a single ticket is currently £2.90. (August 2022)

Regular bus services run between the two stations.

Parking is best at the cheap Aldershot High Street Multi-storey car park, a short walk from the station

This walk is not what you might expect! The first thoughts are of rather busy roads and pavement walking but you're going to see nice quiet and pleasant spots on the way.

Leave Aldershot station at platform one, turn right and right again up and over the footbridge. At the bottom of the footbridge turn left, cross the first road and at the second turn left. Turn right into St Georges Road East.
Follow this around to the left and at the end turn right into Manor Park. Follow the path directly in front of you up through the trees with the grassy areas to either side. (After about 100m and about 20 m to the left is a huge northern red oak tree, should be a lovely red colour in autumn). Continue on this path all the way to the road at the top and exit the park.
Turn left and immediately right. Continue straight on into the very narrow road from which cars and motorcycles are banned. Where the path splits take the left option going down the hill. Cross the first road onto the footpath opposite and keep going crossing another road until you meet a main road and roundabout. Cross with the shops on your right into Badshot Lea Road.
Continue on the right-hand side crossing over tiny Pea bridge over the river Blackwater. (Tice’s Meadow nature reserve is on your left.) Continue around the bend and take the footpath on the right just before the garage. Keep going over a small road crossing the footpath then crossing a wider gravelled road. Keep on the footpath. You soon emerge onto Weybourne Lane. Continue the same way passing under the railway bridge. Then turn second left into Green Lane.
Continue straight along Green Lane, ignoring the turning to your right into new housing joining a rough surface that soon turns to tarmac and eventually reaches a T-junction with Badshot Lea Road.
Cross to the opposite side and walk into Monkton Park, Farnham Trading Estate. Follow this road to the end. With Sainsbury’s on your right continue into the footpath next to SafeStore. Drop down the steps and turn right along the cycle way/footpath. Cross the junction carefully at Water Lane and turn left on the path on the other side. Then cross the A325 carefully.
Turn left and cross Farnham Mill Lane staying on the footpath /cycle path. Follow the path around to your right into Guildford Road. Just after Bourne Mill look for the footpath on your right up a steep hill follow this, It soon flattens out.
On reaching the Six Bells Pub take the footpath immediately after it on the left. Keep going and you soon reach the edge of Farnham Park. Continue in the same direction along the path at the edge of this beautiful park. (The website has two great walks involving this park.) Some way after the children’s play park you will see on your left a number of suspended metal objects fishes, butterflies, glass balls at the end of the road.
Just after this follow some steps on the left leading down into a footpath between house gardens and follow the footpath. At the bottom turn right and immediately left where you see the postbox. At the bottom of this road look to your right and see the sign ‘Lower South View’. Use the footpath next to this passing to the left of the houses down to the road.
Keep left and then cross the road to the road with the no entry signs (Lidl is on the left behind the fence). Follow the road around to the left until you see the Leisure Centre on your right. Go down the steps, follow the brick wall around to the right and the path will take you around the side of the building. Continue on this path all the way to a T-junction with another footpath.
Turn right. Cross the bridge over the pretty stream and continue in the same direction under the new Road Bridge. Continue along the streambank in the same direction until you reach the main road.
Turn left across the main road at the traffic lights continue up the hill to Farnham station.