Whitmoor Common

About
Gallery
Parking
Poo bins?
Self-guided walk

About

Whitmoor Common is one of a group of eight commons that collectively make up Worplesdon commons. They are designated as a Local Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area, and boast some of the south’s finest heathland, a relatively rare habitat that we are spoilt to have so much of in this county. The heathland is fringed by woodland areas – these and the ponds are managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust to “create a mosaic of habitats to suit a variety of plants and animals.”

These commons were used for grazing for thousands of years and the ponds across them were created for the cattle and sheep to drink from. The land is now public leisure space and, while grazing animals no longer drink from them, the ponds now support a range of aquatic wildlife, including herons, water voles, tufted ducks and kingfishers. And thirsty dogs.

Like many other commons in the area, Whitmoor was used as a military training area during the Second World War, including for tank testing.

The Gallery: What’s it like here?

By the car park.

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Self-guided walk

Here is a Footpath app route from the car park of the Jolly Farmer pub at Worplesdon. Also on AllTrails. It takes you around the edge of Whitmoor Common, passing the interior pond, then back via the main boardwalk.

Length: approximately 2.3 miles/3.9 km
Terrain: Pretty flat walk but a little uneven underfoot in a few places. There are a few sections along very quiet lanes (never actually experienced a car on them). Some of the paths can be muddy in the wetter months of the year,
Stiles/kissing gates? No stiles or gates

Regardless of which car park you parked in, take the path from the rear of the Jolly Farmers car park – pass the wooden posts at the gap, cross the track and pass the poo bin on the left then walk straight ahead across the grassy area towards the two posts and vehicle gate under the oak tree over the other side.

Pass these two posts and turn left onto the lane, which curves around to the right and goes past Woodcorner Farm (on the right.) The path will continue towards the right at a gravel drive off to the left, with a black sign for Heather Court, which used to be owned by former Prime Minister Lloyd George. Follow the gravel driveway. The house that is Heather Court is ahead on the left, but keep to the right-hand side of the driveway and head towards four small posts.

Pass between the four small posts and turn right, then almost immediately turn left. Follow this path, bearing left at the fork by the electricity pylon, and it takes you down to the interior pond.

Continue past the water (on the right), going over the wooden plank bridge and taking the path to the left of the wooden information board and a holly bush. Follow this to the vehicle barrier, pass to the right of it and then turn right.

At the junction of paths where high up on the tree to your left there is a white sign for Brookpond cottage, continue straight ahead, passing a marker post on the left.

After a little way, look into the distance and you’ll see three barriers ahead that go across the path. BEFORE you reach these, and just by a very gnarly tree in the middle of the way, there’s a little path off to the left – take this.

Follow this little path down to a fence line and turn right. Walk along the fence line and continue ahead even when the fence has ended. When you get to the little the T-junction, turn left, and then almost immediately you come to another T-junction, where you turn right.

This path takes you through a scrubby area that is more open than the woods you’ve been walking through up to this point but not actually that open (this should make sense when you are actually here!)

Follow it to the cross paths where there is a vehicle gate ahead (sometimes it’s open, sometimes it’s closed) – turn left.

Walk down here a little way to the next path heading off to the left by a finger post pointing to Salt Box Road.

Walk down this and cross the bridge.

This is a long, largely straight path that after a while becomes less sheltered, with the open heath of Whitmoor Common over to your left.

Stay on it and it’ll go back into the trees again and, just after it does, take the next left. Pass a water trough then turn left. Follow the path around to the right and bear right at the post so the large evergreen/fir-type bushes are on your left (ignore the little path that goes off left between the bushes by the post as you go round the corner.)

Shortly, you’ll join a main path at another post – turn left in the direction of a clump of silver birch trees (there are several trunks growing up from the same spot and these are just to the left of the path.) These trees are also right next to a post and a fork – ignore the smaller path going off to the right at this post. Just keep left on the main path towards a marker post with a white arrow on it.

This is one of the main perimeter paths (and you may be able to hear traffic on Salt Box Lane, which runs parallel over to the right). Follow it to a big junction of many paths, where there is a bench on the right. Keep going straight here, taking the path ahead that is closest to the bench. It has a little tree growing right in the middle of it, slanting slightly to the left.

The path, after some way, passes a stick hut on the right and then comes to a junction of paths where there are two options directly ahead. Take the left, more sheltered option and follow this to the next cross paths where there are two silver birch trees growing out from almost the same spot to create a V shape. Turn left here and head out from the shelter of the trees through the open heath.

When this comes to a cross paths where ahead you can see two marker posts, turn right and pass between the silver birch trees.

This path brings you to the board walk – continue ahead onto it.

At the end of the board walk, go over the bridge and continue ahead a few paces, then turn right down the path with the marker post to its right – you’ll go over a little stream as you pass the marker.

Follow this to where there are a load of tree branches on the floor in the mud (for walking over when it’s really wet here). This is just before you get to the boundary of Heather Court, which is the property with the gravel drive that you passed on the outward leg.

At the hedge at the corner of Heather Court, continue ahead with the hedge on your right hedge. You’ll come to the four posts you passed earlier.

You’re now going to retrace your steps to the car park. This means: turn right onto the gravel and walk ahead to the lane. On the lane, continue ahead, passing Woodcorner Farm (now on your left) and come off the tarmac at the two wooden posts to cross the grass to the car park.