Blackheath – Farley Heath - Blackheath
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The initial section of the walk is on Blackheath Common. This consists of dry lowland heath and woodland. Evidence of Bronze age and Roman activity has been found on the common.
Most of the common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as it accommodates rare beetle, spider and moss species, sand lizards, adders, various birds e.g. nightjar, Dartford Warbler, woodlark, stonechat, tree pipit, redstart, woodcock and butterfly species e.g.silver-studded blue, grayling, green hairstreak and white admiral.
In 1864 Queen Victoria inspected her troops on Blackheath Common. This occasion was also a recruitment exercise for the voluntary militia. The event took the form of a mock battle using live ammunition! Apparently proceedings descended into chaos when the audience came between the two opposing sides. The several casualties included the local vicar, who was fatally shot. This event led to the local inn being named 'The Volunteer' before being renamed 'The Villagers' at a later date.
This area is very popular with walkers and horse riders, so there are many unofficial paths which are not on the map.
From Blackheath Common the route heads south to Farley Heath, where a very short detour takes you to the remains of a Romano-British temple. This was built before 100 AD and thought to accommodate both the occupying Romans and the local indigenous population as they worshipped their respective gods, before it burnt down around 450AD.
An excavation in Victorian times uncovered a green bronze ring, pottery, tiles and 1200 coins, some of which are now housed in the British Museum. A more recent dig failed to add to this yield.
To visit the site, on entering the car park at Waymark 4 turn left and walk towards the nearest exit. Take the track on the left-hand side just before the exit and it is a few metres on your left. Although they have been reduced to almost ground level the outer and inner walls are clearly visible. The route then loops back to the original car park, passing by the conifer plantation (Jelley's Copse on the OS Explorer Map), the woodland giving way to heathland again.
As this route uses bridleways there are muddy sections especially after rain.
Note to dog owners: there are no stiles on the route and no livestock.
England - South England - Surrey - Surrey Hills
Features
Ancient Monument, Birds, Butterflies, Great Views, Woodland
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