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Farley Hill Circular Walk, May 2020

This is a 4 mile/ 5.9 km walk from the centre of Farley Hill down to the Blackwater and back.

Sadly there's no pub in Farley Hill but the George & Dragon in Swallowfield is on the route and about halfway!

We've done this walk on foot and on bike - with bikes there are some annoying kissing gates but no styles and you can navigate all of them with adult and children's bikes.


CarPark

There is car parking just alongside the Playing Fields in the centre of the village.

The Route.

1. Starting facing away (south) from the playing fields turn left to head down Church Road.

2. After passing the primary school on your right take the left lane - Jouldings Lane - and follow it all the way to bottom (about 1 mile)

3. Take the public footpath on your right (opposite the house) and walk through the fields (about 4 of them) along the river Blackwater until you reach the ford.


4. Cross the track/road opposite and stay on the same bank.

5. Follow the river through another couple of fields until you reach the path's end, here it leaves the river and heads inland up a small path along side a field and behind a house. You emerge onto Nutbean Lane.



6. Turn Left on Nutbean Lane and follow it to the end, passing the graveyard extension for Swallowfield church on your left.

7. At the junction with Church Road, Swallowfield turn right, heading up to the George & Dragon pub.

8. Immediately after the pub turn left down the public footpath down the side and follow this lovely avenue of trees until the end - turn left following the path alongside a field boundary.


9. The pah switches to the left of the hedge to continue bordering the Swallowfield Park estate. Continue along the path.


10. The path emerges onto Swallowfield Road. Turn left at the road.

(This stretch of the walk is on the road. There are no footpaths but traffic on this road is light outside of the peak hours).

11. Follow the road for about half a mile, passed the entrances to Tanner's Farm, the lovely black and white tudor cottage, the ugly modern farm buildings  and then Tanner's Farmhouse until you come to a track on the right - on the opposite side of the road (about 5-10 m from the farmhouse).

12. Cross the road and follow the track - you're now heading back into Farley Hill.

13. Cross Castle Hill and continue along the track opposite.

14. After about 0.5 mile you will come to a right turn (although the track continues directly into front of you to Arborfield). Take the right turn and follow it as it winds back up to the top of Farley Hill.

15. At the top of the track turn right (on the road called Bunce's Shaw). After about 200m take the small public path left alongside a field and wood. This passes the Farley Hill Cricket Pitch as its far end.

16. At the end of the path passed the cricket club turn right.

17. At the end of this road (Church Lane) turn left and follow Castle Hill back to the playing fields.




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