May 2009 - Wraysbury

 

Distance: 14.8km/8.8 miles around

Car Parking: Horton village or Wraysbury station

Public Transport: Wraysbury Station or X25 bus to Heathrow Airport then No 60 to Horton

Suitability: Many stiles impassable for wheelchairs or pushchairs

Map Reference: OS Explorer 160 / TQ 023 758 GB

Nearest Postcode: SL3 9PA

 

After the Beating the Bounds walk, based on the custom of parishioners walking the boundaries of a county, we travel this month to the far east of the county.  I’ve wanted to walk around this area, which houses the main reservoirs for London for a while, but after a couple of false starts and an uninviting urban area, I nearly gave up before I’d started.  I was glad I persevered in the end.

I had intended to leave the car just outside Horton village at the car park near the Arthur Jacob Nature Reserve off Stanwell Road, but the car park is closed, seemingly permanently as the entrance was blocked by metal bollards.  Not to be deterred, I parked around the corner in one of the village roads and walked back, only to discover that the Nature Reserve doesn’t allow dogs!  For those of you without four-legged companions, follow the path to the left for the four lagoons, one of which is a reed bed, home to sedge and warblers.  Considering this site was once a domestic waste tip known as Horton Sludge Lagoons, it just shows you what can be achieved with a little consideration.

Chocky and I took the right-hand path to Poyle Poplar Community Woodland.  The site’s name comes from the trees planted here in the 1970s for matchwood, then badly damaged during the storms in 1987.  Local volunteers replanted over 10,500 native trees, including oak, ash and beech. 

 

The woodland follows the line of Stanwell Road, coming out behind the Golden Cross Pub, next to the roundabout  on the edge of Poyle.  Cross the road and take the first left at the roundabout, following Horton Road.  This industrial area leads to Junction 14 of the M25, but surprisingly is actually part of the Colne Valley Way.  Just before the motorway roundabout, cross again and follow the bridleway signs to Stanwell Moor and Staines.  The path leads under the motorway, following the line of the roundabout above to the right.  At this stage you may wonder what you’re doing here, in the rubbish-filled underpasses under the country’s busiest motorway , but I promise that it does get better.  You might not choose to do this part of the walk on your own though.

 

After the two underpasses, the Colne Valley Way path crosses Horton Road at the other side with a horse stile at either side.  By the caravan park, over a small bridge to the right, you’ll reach a fork in the footpath.  The actual route is to the left, but we accidentally took the right-hand path which skirts a lovely lake that Chocky was only to pleased to cool-off in.  If you choose this route, turn left when you reach the gate on the right and walk along the path to a kissing gate, where you meet up with the road again.   Turn right and follow Hithermoor Road to the small park at the end, where the footpath leads to the right, along the base of the King George VI reservoir.  After about a third of a mile, look for a footpath veering off to the right over a stile, again signed Colne Vlley Way.  

Follow the path past the burnt-out car and the boardwalk to the footbridge at Bone Head, where it meets up with the River Colne and enters Staines Moor.  Here you have a choice, you can follow the edge of the river, or stay on the path which crosses directly across the moor .  Both routes meet the footbridge on the opposite side.  Here you really feel you’re in the depths of the country, with horses and a herd of cows drinking and bathing in the river.  However, you’re only half a mile from the M25 and right on the flightpath for Heathrow, as proven by planes coming to land every minute.  However, the place has an air of tranquillity and a handy log bench to eat your sandwiches on.

Over the footbridge at the opposite end, the path veers left to pass under the A30 Staines Bypass, then immediately turns right to follow the bridge across the railway line and the culvert.  Enter a small common opposite the lovely Herdsman’s Cottage, received in 1900 “as compensation for the extinguishment of certain common rights”.  After you cross Moor Lane, turn right, leaving the Colne Valley Way and follow the path back to the side of the A30, then left, following the culvert.  Drop onto the footpath at the sign for Church Lammas but stay on the right of the culvert until you reach the M25 embankment.  Turn left and then right, following the long underpass under the motorway. 

At the other end of the underpass, you could extend the walk by taking the footpath signed towards Egham and Runnymede Bridge to meet up with the Thames Path, but the first river crossing  is at Albert Bridge near Datchet, which would more than double the walk.  Otherwise, follow the B376 Wraysbury Road for about a third of a mile, taking the first left at the roundabout, then looking out for a footpath on the right.  Cross the stile and walk through the woods, watching out for butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies.  We also saw a small rabbit or leveret and a pair of Greylag Geese and their goslings crossing our paths.  The path follows alongside Hythe Lagoon, an area which supports more than 1% of the national population of wintering Tufted Duck, Gadwall and Gooseander. 

You’ll need to go over the railway lines next.  There is a stile on either side, but no gate to stop the train, so you’ll need to be careful to make sure nothing’s coming.  On the other side of the tracks, turn left and follow the path overgrown with nettles which runs parallel to the railway for a third of a mile, to where it veers off to the right to meet Coppermill Road.  Turn left and cross the railway bridge by Wraysbury Station car park.  Follow Station Road, past Wraysbury Dive Centre, where I learnt to scuba dive ten years ago.  Say hello to the goat on your right and pass the closed Green Man pub on your left.  After about a third of mile, turn right on Douglas Lane and walk between the houses to the Angling Club sign at the end.

Follow the path straight through the woods if you can.  We strayed off twice here, but you can’t go too far and the views across the lakes are good.  You’ll have to cross the railway line once again and this time there’s no dog route underneath, so we had to lift a soggy, muddy Chocky after he’d been playing in the stream.  The path continues until it crosses a bridge popular with anglers and meets Park Lane back in Horton.  On the village green, there’s a small corner shop and the Crown pub with its welcoming beer garden.  From here, you can take the road opposite for half a mile to the Queen Mother reservoir, which is behind the big grass mound you pass at junction 5 of the M4.  Turn right to walk the mile back to the Nature Reserve, passing St Michael’s Church and the Five Bells pub. 

We met very few people on this route, which may be a sign of not being aware how much nature is on their own doorstep.  Whatever the reason, the walk made for a surprisingly enjoyable afternoon.

Shireen Walker, 12^th May 2009