Club 80-90 Forums

Having lived in this town for pretty well all my life, there are times when I need to stop and remind myself just how very lucky we are around here. Literally a few minutes walk from our front door is Horsell Common (Preserved) and the site of the fabled Martian capsule landing in HG Well's "War of the Worlds".
Just over the back is some place where they make a thing called the MP4-12C, whatever that might be you'd never know it was there apart from the odd helicopter passing over. It's possible to take a brisk hour's walk out here and not cross your own path or a road. I dare say a few of you would love to drive on this terrain, but it's strictly 2 (or 4) legs or pedal power only! The light was glorious this afternoon, so I took a few pics while out stretching the hound's legs.

PS Apologies to anyone who is stuck in the urban sprawl and surrounded by bricks and concrete. Take a deep breath of this and unwind:

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We have taken a week to enjoy the Scottish Highlands and are currently camped out in sight of the Old Man of Hoy across from the Orkneys. The scenery we have driven through these last few days is incredible.

looks awesome mate !

Thanks Fab, it's jealously protected by the Horsell Common Preservation Trust who are trying to remove much of the non-native trees (like Birch and Pine) and return it to native heathland. They even had ponies wild grazing on part of it last year!

The sound of bees in the heather, grasshoppers and crickets in the grasses, dragonflies droning overhead...it's a really special place.

I can also cycle 95% offroad from my place, across this and Chobham Common in a roughly NNW direction, all the way to Virginia Waters and Windsor Great Park; I should do it more often really...

Anyone else got a choice green space in their neighbourhood they'd like to share?

Looks a beautiful spot.

I live on the edge of a 100 acre common and have commoners grazing rights. I also feel really lucky to live where I do.

It always intrigues me as to who in a Preservation group/wildlife trust etc decides just what 'golden age' they are hoping to return a site to. Why not just let it revert to wild woodland?

I deal a lot with the local wildlife trust and they are pretty well clued in to managing an evolving habitat. 100 years ago our common was grazed completely bald, no trees at all. Now trees cover a sizeable area so I carry out coppice management of the site and use the material for wattle hurdles, heatherings for hedge laying, peasticks etc...

Birch trees are about as native as anything else and generally are the first to get established and end up falling over as other trees move in. Grazing is always a problem since a site is often too big to fence (and you need permission to fence off a common) and the critters generally don't graze it hard enough to be of benefit. Here they have fenced off a couple of acres which is grazed hard and gives a hint off what the place used to be like.

If the HCPT want it managing why not find someone who can use it sympathetically AND maybe make a bit of a living out of it?

We too have some awesome XC biking loops, a bit extreme for me in places but great for the lads and their mates who love a bit of steep downhill stuff! Wonderful views over the Welsh Mountains.

And no 4x4s!

That looks awesome. That's not too far from us so may have to make a trip sometime soon

It's a long way for not a lot tbh, but if you like the idea of being able to walk up to the back door of McLaren's or take the obligatory tourist photo in front of their entrance "station news kiosk" sign then it's OK. All within a mile of Woking town centre.



PS It's best after a long dry spell, a few spots can get quite boggy after rain.

silverbullet wrote:It's a long way for not a lot tbh, but if you like the idea of being able to walk up to the back door of McLaren's or take the obligatory tourist photo in front of their entrance "station news kiosk" sign then it's OK. All within a mile of Woking town centre.



PS It's best after a long dry spell, a few spots can get quite boggy after rain.

so want to park Jed's bus half on that half on the grass, set up a tableaux and post it on t'net

I think that McLaren security might just take exception to such a forthright display of motorsport enthusiasm!