--- Founders Footpaths ---


*** Anytime Challenge ***

 


Event Details

The Founders Footpaths is a 26 mile, circular 'Anytime Challenge' around the footpaths and bridleways of Surrey. Originally devised by Tony Youngs it was first walked by members of the LDWA Surrey Group in April 1995. The background to the walk can be seen here. The route affords superb views from the North Downs to the Greensand hills and visa-versa. It follows some of the most attractive paths in Surrey and visits locations special in the history of the LDWA including the old Post Office in Peaslake where it all began (now the cycle hire shop), Blatchford Down, Steer's Field, Tanners Hatch YH and Pitch Hill. See some of the features you will find around the route.

The Founders Footpaths is used as a basis for the LDWA London Group's annual Founders Challenge which takes place in October. 

The Route

The circular route follows mainly rights of way but in places takes paths that are not shown as rights of way on Ordnance Survey maps but which are on open access land belonging to the National Trust or the Friends of Hurtwood Control. The route is covered by Landranger sheets 186 & 187 and Explorer sheets 145 & 146.   All bearings in the route description are magnetic. A route description and GPX file is available for download. Both are checked and re-issued periodically, but please bear in mind that stiles, gates, barriers, notices, waymarks and even woodlands can appear and disappear over time. The current edition of the route description and GPX file are updated on a regular basis with the last revision shown at the foot of the route description. You will also need a compass and a torch may also come in handy depending on the time of year.

Tony also produced an informative sketch map of the route which is broadly followed by the current route description with only minor differences. Sketch maps were a hallmark of Tony's routes and this, for the Founders Footpaths, is typical of them.

Start / Finish

You can start the route at any convenient point to suit although its traditional start is from the National Trust Ranmore East Car Park GR TQ141504 (Steer's Field).

Certificate

If you complete the walk in 10 hours or less and would like a certificate, please contact the Recorder, Elton Ellis, specifying your start/finish point, the date you completed the challenge, time taken and your name as you would like it to appear on the certificate which will be emailed to you in due course. 

If you have any comments on the route description do please include them in your email. Your help in keeping it current is most welcome.

Photographs

If you have any pictures of your own taken round the route and would like us to include them in the gallery for others to view please email them to us indicating when and where they were taken.

And finally...

Take your time, its not a race, linger over the views and most of all enjoy...