Temptation

March

Stage 6

Witley to Shalford 24km

I have a weakness for holloways. There’s something elemental about walking a path below the tree roots, deep below the ground and yet with the sky above. The light is green, ferns cascade down steep earthy banks, tree roots hang in the air. This is a separate realm, a liminal space, a secret out of time.

So I was tempted from the path of the Greensand Way, and down a holloway that led me astray. I lost my bearings and walked an extra four kilometres in a loop back to the place I had been an hour before.

Surrey is wilder than I expected. There are straggly coppiced woodlands, deep muddy tracks, unmarked paths and steep dark holloways that require a commitment to descend because the return trip would be a breathless, slippery struggle.

I knew this part of the journey would be long, and once I had realised my mistake I had to decide whether to go on or turn back. If I went on there was no knowing how I would manage the extra distance or if I would lose the way again. If I turned back I would come and walk the tracks again another day. I stood at the point of no return and it seemed better to go on than to go back, so I chose to continue.

Later, I lost the way again and ploughed on by dead reckoning in the most likely direction. I hadn’t been tempted off the path this time, I had simply lost it on a poorly marked road crossing where the exit of the path was staggered from the next entry. By now, I was fully committed and walked on along unmarked tracks until I came to a road.

Few country roads are walker-friendly and this one had fast cars and no verge. I walked where it seemed safest and stopped as cars passed me. I crossed into some woodland and found a landmark to take me back on the path again.

Through well-kept farms and then a junction where I left the Greensand Way and took a route of my own planning down to the Wey South path. I had an hour to reach the station at Shalford and found the Wey South path closed. A detour along the streets took me to another section where the warning tape had been torn down and dog walkers, runners and cyclists were all happily ignoring the path closure on a Sunday afternoon. The temptation to break down the barrier was too strong for them too.

Pressing on, I reached the station with a few minutes to spare. Sore feet and legs, but glad I had chosen to go past the point of no return.

Greensand Way: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/countryside/what-can-you-do/walking/long-walks/the-greensand-way-long-distance-route

Read more about walking and holloways: The Old Ways by Robert MacFarlane