Brookwood to Ash Vale

Nina Earl

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Much of the countryside along this stretch of canal is fairly inaccessible, being owned by the MoD. What this walk enables you to do is walk through the heart of an area known as the Great Heath. You may well be distracted by the sound of weapons being fired or the odd train go by, but this is soon forgotten as the canal begins to reveal its inner secrets.

One of the first things you notice are the surprising number of locks passed - some fourteen within the first two miles. It is this stretch of canal which in the summer is renowned for its dragonflies, whilst in autumn the red and golden hues of trees are dramatically reflected along the mile-long stretch of canal at Deepcut Cutting.

There is plenty to see, much of the canal is a haven for wildlife and kingfishers, heron, little grebe, dragonflies and butterflies may be spotted. Even in the depth of winter there is plenty to see, from the silhouettes of trees reflected in the calming, still waters to the colourful barges moored along the banks. You will not be disappointed!

Note that this is a linear walk, using the Waterloo to Alton line to get from the finish back to the start.

England - South England - Surrey - Canal Walk

Features

Birds, Pub, Toilets, Wildlife

6/20/2007 - Philip Wlazlo

A very nice, essentially flat walk. Interesting to be walking against a backdrop of gunfire - but that was for about 20 mins of the walk. As per the previous comment, there is a diversion, but when I walked it, the signage was down, so only noticed as I came out of the closed area - apart from a few footpath repairs, I did not have any problems traversing this part.

6/3/2007 - Ellen Pirie

We did this walk on 2/6/07 and really enjoyed it. No kingfishers but lots of grey wagtails and a cormorant. Also beautiful white and yellow wildflowers growing across the canal at one point. There is a diversion at one point as the towpath is closed but it's pretty easy to follow and you get back on to the original walk about 20 mins later. The diversion takes you along the other canal bank.