Sheets Heath via Basingstoke Canal

Page contents

About
Gallery
Parking
Poo bins?
Self-guided walk

About

There’s not much to be said about Sheets Heath and online research threw up very little as well. Its Wikipedia page says the common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Anyway, it’s a nice little bit of land nestled away in a residential area and it strikes me as the kind of place that you only know about if you live nearby.

While there are many ways onto and off of Sheets Heath, it’s most commonly accessed via the Basingstoke Canal. Regarded as one of the most beautiful waterways in Britain (although not clear who by), this canal was built between 1788 and 1794 to allow boats to travel from the docks in East London to Basingstoke. Its eastern end is at Byfleet, where it connects to the Wey Navigation, which in turn leads to the River Thames at Weybridge.

It was never a commercial success and, from 1950, lack of maintenance allowed the canal to become increasingly derelict. The first five miles (8km) of route (from Basingstoke centre) have been completely “lost”, having fallen into disuse following the closure of the Greywell Tunnel in 1913 (or 1914, jury is out on which), due to a lack of boat traffic, general neglect and a lack of water.

After many years of neglect, restoration commenced in 1977 and, on 10 May 1991, the canal was reopened as a fully navigable waterway from the River Wey to almost as far as the Greywell Tunnel. However its usage is currently still limited by low water supply and conservation issues.

Gallery: What’s it like here?

Parking

Park in the little free car park for Brookwood Farm Playground.

Poo bins?

There’s a bin by the sports hall right next to the path that heads away from the car park.

Self-guided walk

Here is a Footpath app route from the car park at Brookwood Farm Playground. Also on AllTrails. It takes you through a small (fairly scrubby) grassland nature reserve to Basingstoke Canal, as it runs alongside the gardens of a residential area of Brookwood. Then you turn off and loop around Sheets Heath, before returning the way you came.

Length: approximately 2.6 miles/4.2 km
Terrain: Largely flat. Surface path through the grassland, dry mud path along the canal, and then mud paths to and around Sheets Heath, where you’ll have a real mix of wet versus dry underfoot. Some areas are springy and heathy and bone dry, other bits can be boggy and muddy in the colder months so decent walking shoes or boots/wellies are a good idea.
Stiles/kissing gates? No stiles, one kissing gate (that you go through twice – on the way out and on the way back)

From the car park at Brookwood Farm playground, take the surfaced path down the side of the sports building (and alongside green railings).

*Car park (looking back from surfaced path)*

Take surfaced path away from car park — *Car park (looking back from surfaced path)*

Follow the path through the grassland and over a stream then round a few more bends and then sharp left through a gap in brambles and over the stream again. Continue ahead and you’ll be brought down to the canal. Turn right and walk along the tow path. (Out if interest, if you look the other way, you can see a couple of locks).

Walk along the tow path and under the green bridge. Pass the tree on the right with a memorial to someone (local I imagine) named Robert McGarry.

Local memorial — *Under the green bridge*

There’s a lane running parallel to your right here for a little way. Stay on the tow path as it goes round to the left when the lane splits off to the right. Turn right at the little path opposite the last house on the left and follow it straight ahead and over a bridge across a stream. This often muddy path has logs across it.

*Small path off to the right opposite this final house*

Little path over a bridge — *Small path off to the right opposite this final house*

Pass though the kissing gate and take the path ahead/slightly left. At the post where the fence goes off to the left, continue straight ahead and up the slope.

*Where the fence turns off to the left, continue straight ahead and up the slope*

This brings you to a junction with a main path, where you turn left. This path brings you down to a poo bin and a main track. You ‘dogleg’ this bit: go between the little posts and to your right, you’ll see three paths. The first has a metal vehicle barrier across it. You want to take the next path to the left of that, which heads off from the main track at a right angle, over a small open patch and then into silver birch trees.

Take the path immediately to the left of the path with the metal vehicle barrier across it — *Take the middle path here – the one immediately to the left of the path with the metal barrier across it*

Just after you enter the tree line, you’ll come to a path crossing your way, turn right here. Pass a gate on the left.

Keep straight ahead and the trees will give away to heathland. It can be pretty boggy as you head down this path. When you get to the clearing in the heather, take the path that forks off to the right. It leads to the pond.

Pass a gate on the left - continue straight ahead here — *Pass a gate on the left – continue straight ahead here*

Heathland can be boggy underfoot — *Pass a gate on the left – continue straight ahead here*

At the pond turn right. After a few paces, you’ll come to a junction with a main path, where you turn left and pass a large gorse bush and walk along the side of the pond. The area to the right is often waterlogged but the path here is higher and largely dry.

Path here is higher and largely dry — *The path here is higher and largely dry*

Presently you’ll see in the distance a metal animal drinking trough. You don’t want to get that far so keep an eye out for a path off to the right just by a lone silver birch tree. This little path can be a bit wet and muddy but it cuts off a corner that is much, much worse. At the end of this path, turn right next to the electricity pylon and before the gate. This path skirts the edge of the heath and has multiple gated exits.

Follow the fence line, which is on your left. You’re going to stick with this now until you get back to the kissing gate through which you came earlier to get onto the heath. With the fence on your left all the while, cross straight over the access road and it’s straight over again at the double gated animal enclosure. Pass another kissing gate on the left, again keeping straight along the fence line, and go down the slope.

Pass the double-gated animal enclosure — *Straight over the access road*

Presently the fence is replaced with a well-pruned holly bush, which has a gate to a private garden set into it.

*The fence on the left is replaced by a holly bush*

Just after the gate in the holly bush, the path bends to the right and goes back into the trees. It’s boggy again underfoot. Keep looking out to the left for the kissing gate you came through to enter the heath. Go through this and take the path back to the canal.

At the canal, turn left onto the tow path. Follow it straight, under the bridge and turn left at the path before the locks (there’s a wooden bollard in the middle). Follow this surfaced path back to the car park.