Graham Pearcey

The route:

• Park at The Rose and Olive Branch, Callow Hill, Virginia Water, GU25 4LH. Lunchtime food is served until 2:15 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, after passing a couple of 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, opposite a post-box, 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.
• Turn left down steps to reach the station car park, then follow the “Riverside Walk & Nature Trail” sign. Ignore all turnings off to emerge at the edge of a housing estate. Turn right alongside Wisteria Cottage into Trumps Green Avenue, left at the cross-roads, then right again to pass shops and proceed uphill as far as the junction of Trumps Green Road and Crown Road. Walk the full length of Crown Road, then cross Wellington Avenue to 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 by the A30 (London Road). Turn left on the pavement by the A30 and, in about 300 metres, cross the road opposite the Bluebells Restaurant. Follow the bridleway sign, to the right, into Coworth Park. Initially a gravel driveway, it becomes a track until it meets a tarmac lane.
• Keep on for half a mile with the polo grounds to your left. 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 path straight ahead (to the right of the information boards) to the lake. Turn right and follow the lakeside path past Perch Bay viewpoint, the Roman ruins, and finally the Cascade Bridge by the waterfall; a total of 1.25 miles.
• Continue 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. As the current path bears left, go the short distance to your right to leave the park by the metal gate alongside Wick Lane. 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 10 August 2008, 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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