Thursday 18 March 2021, with Carol
Distance: 5.7 miles (9.2km)

We parked in the car park by the green in Tilford and set off across the bridge towards the shop. We then turned left onto the path which was fairly wide and not too muddy. There was a new hedge laid all along its side by the Surrey Hedge Layers, as noted by a sign at the end.

Along the path, we came across an odd little building that looked like it had recently been restored. A bit further on the path went through a hollow and many trees along the sides looked like they could fall over at any time.

We crossed Sheephatch Lane and continued along the river from where we could just glimpse Waverley Abbey in the distance.

When we came to the main road, we had to walk along it for a short distance. Just before the path turned off again, there was a dilapidated gate that was no longer able to keep anyone out. We wondered what was along the path beyond it but didn’t explore. Our path ran parallel to it for a while and then turned up by a cottage with a nice dragon statue.

We decided to go over the top of Crooksbury Hill and after a long uphill slog we got to the top where we had a well-deserved coffee break while admiring the view. Feeling revived, we carried on across Crooksbury Common and past Charles Hill before crossing the main road again to the Donkey pub.

Back in Tilford we stopped at the village shop for another hot drink which we consumed on the green.