Graham Pearcey

Walk number 10 (9 miles / 3.75 hours):

• Park at The Rose and Olive Branch, Callow Hill, Virginia Water, GU25 4LH. Lunchtime food is served until 2:30 PM Mon-Fri only. No food available Sun except for those who've booked in advance.
• With your back to the pub, turn left but cross to take the safe pavement. At the bend on the hill, cross back to take a muddy bridleway the short distance to a T-junction.
• Turn left and proceed some distance. After passing two luxury gated dwellings, fork right to follow the bridleway through woods to another residential road. Here follow the “Bridleway to Stroude Road” sign, downhill, eventually crossing the railway line. At Stroude Road turn right but cross to take the safe pavement. Continue half a mile to the cross-roads with pedestrian lights. Turn right and re-cross the railway via a road bridge in about 300 metres. Descend via steps to the station car park.
• Take the footpath indicated by a “Riverside Walk & Nature Trail” sign. Ignore all turnings off to emerge at the edge of a housing estate. Turn right here into Trumps Green Avenue; go left at the cross-roads then right again to pass shops including a newsagent; and proceed uphill as far as the junction of Trumps Green Road with Crown Road. Walk the full length of Crown Road, then cross Wellington Avenue to take the public footpath opposite. Continue along the track, uphill. At a three-way junction of paths on Wentworth Golf Course, follow the public footpath sign right, going downhill, to reach another sign in about 100 metres. Turn right. In about 30 metres, follow the path into woods, to emerge by Fox Meadows. Continue to the tarmac road. Follow West Drive for over a mile as it meanders through the Wentworth Estate and crosses the fairways to emerge onto the A30 (London Road). You have reached the half way point of the walk.
• Turn left and, in about 300 metres, cross the A30 opposite the Bluebells Restaurant. Follow the bridleway sign, to the right, into Coworth Park. Initially a gravel driveway, it becomes a dirt track, then a tarmac lane. Keep on for half a mile with the new hotel to your right. At the junction with the A329, turn left along the hard shoulder to the Blacknest car park, about 200 metres. Cross carefully into it and go through the pedestrian gap in the fence to enter Windsor Great Park. Take the broad path straight ahead (to the right of the information boards) to the lake. Turn right and follow the lakeside path 1.25 miles past Perch Bay viewpoint, the Roman ruins, and the Cascade Bridge by the waterfall, to the Virginia Water car park exit from the park.
• Continue, however, half a mile along the lakeside, and cross an underground water channel to reach the Totem Pole. After circling the pole, cross back over the water channel to take the gradually rising track now on your left. Continue to a bend to the left, after which you turn right onto an unmarked shady avenue. Keep on until you first hear and then see the A30. After merging with a path from the right, the main track bears left, but you walk a short distance to your right to leave the park via the metal gate alongside Wick Road. Turn right on the pavement but do not yet cross the A30. After about 300 metres look for an obscured Public Footpath sign amongst the trees opposite. Carefully cross the A30, proceed alongside the playing fields and maintain direction to reach Callow Hill, where you turn right and follow the pavement to The Rose and Olive Branch pub.

This route was last walked on 7 July 2010, and the directions were accurate then. Please e-mail me if you find any errors, if you would like a copy in Word format, or if you would prefer a version that starts and ends at Virginia Water station.

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