Footpath No.19 – Grayshott Road (B3002) at Heatherlands to Parish boundary with Grayshott

There is a metal finger post to the right of the Wilsons Road bus stop on the B3002 which leads by a short but narrow path to a green where there once was a children’s play area.

There is no indication as to where the footpath goes from here. One has to deduce that it continues by way of a break in the fencing behind the last house in Pine View.
Note: We believe that at one time the path from the finger post went on the other side of the estate boundary, so more directly to its subsequent course.

Once through the fence, there is (a bit late!) a guide post.

The guide post from the reverse direction.

The path crosses the road from the gatehouse cottage to the Land of Nod ...

... and proceeds in a generally straight line through private woodland, eventually with a fence to Fairlands on the right.

There is a sudden drop to a valley ...

... followed by a steep ascent on the other side.
Note: Technically the path becomes Grayshott FP10 at a point near the bottom of the descent. This point used to be marked by a concrete cross at the side of the path (see below) but it disappeared some years ago. The path from here to its end at Whitmore Vale follows the boundary of Headley civil parish with Grayshott – so we include it here as a Headley path.

The concrete cross at the side of the path (photo taken in 2005)

Once at the top of the steep climb up, the path continues on its straight course through private woodland. There are some paths to the side, and at the junction of one of these there is a confirmatory guide post ...

... before the path arrives at Hammer Lane.

Entry to the footpath in the reverse direction, from Hammer Lane.

This footpath is intriguing in that it appears to connect a probable Saxon settlement with the probable site of a Saxon church. It had been noted that the original course of this path was unusually straight and seemed to be directed towards All Saints church in Headley. Then research by John Childs suggested that there had been a Saxon settlement where Flat Wood is now (see this picture, from The Old Hamlet of Grayshott published by Grayshott Heritage), which is the area of woodland straight ahead of you when the path gets to Hammer Lane. But of course it may all be coincidence …

On the other side of the road, through a gate, our path, and the Headley boundary, continues at an angle to the left downhill ...

… but not through the closed gate.

This path is the continuation of the parish boundary between Headley (left) and Grayshott (right).

New woven fence to the left.

A wooden chicane at the end.

Entrance to our footpath to the left of the drive (reverse direction). FP20 is to the right of the drive.