Great Warley Walk

Gt Warley is not far away from the M25 but has not lost its charm . The centre of the village lies on a hilltop, with magnificent panoramic views. Round the green on the hilltop stand old buildings and a 15th century public house, reputedly haunted!

Details of Walk

• Date of Walk: 27/03/2011

• Distance: 6.1 Miles

• Level of Difficulty: A Moderate Walk

• Car Park: Beredens Lane only couple of spaces or if you start the walk at the Church there is car parking there CM13 3JB

• Refreshments: The Thatchers Arms or Horse & Groom.

• Photos Taken on Walk

We started the walk down the bottom of Beredens Lane where there should have been a least a couple of places to park according to our book but since it was printed a mobile mast has been erected and they have bought part of the road so you can not get all the way down, but we managed to pull over on the verge. From hear you go along side a wood and then you go up a hill and from the top you get a magnificent view of the Langdon Hills

After the Siege of Acre, and the end of the Jerusalem Crusades, Richard the Lionheart embarked for the Adriatic, taking with him a 'cocadrille' which was given to the King with other gifts in return for the support given to the claim of Lusignan to the throne of Jerusalem. The gift of this serpent or 'worm' with "great nails and talons" was at the time thought to be a dragon The King brought the beast to England in 1194 and lodged it in a strong cage at the Tower of London.

When we got to Hole Farm there was chickens and geese running round and one of the best footpath signs I have seen yet with daffodils planted round the bottom. Gt Warley church called St Mary was built as a memorial to his brother by the lord of the manor, Mr Evelyn Heseltine in 1902. It is an unusual parish church, designed in contemporary Art Nouveau style. Some of the stiles were quite high and one as I stepped I ripped my trousers right underneath so from then on I had to be careful that I did not show anything, Christine did take a picture of the hole but I deleted it. We had to walk through a wood and it was named Holden's wood, fame at last. at the other end of the wood we came out where the Ford motor company offices are and also Brentwood leisure centre is where they have a dry ski slope and a bit further on we stopped at The Headley pub and sat outside and had a cup of coffee. You have to cross over the M25 twice, over specially built bridges for the footpath, its really good that despite all the developing that the footpaths and right of way still remain.

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