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Bookham Find out more about what happens on the Surrey Hills Bookham The National Trust looks after boots for splashing on wet days. Commons much of the Surrey Hills – from Pack a picnic and make a day of Commons Limpsfield Common in the it, or come along for just an hour You can start your walk at the east to Hindhead Common in or two. the west. In between are Box Family trail Hundred Pound Bridge car park, Hill, and Bookham Take a look on our website www. Commons to name but a few of nationaltrust.org.uk/surreyhills Mark Oak car park or the Tunnel car the places we care for. Our places to read about our latest news and park. It’s a circular walk and at a gentle are great for running around events, to download more trail and exploring, building dens and leaflets, or make friends with us pace should take you 2 hours. seeing the wonderful wildlife that on Facebook at www.facebook. lives there. You could take a kite com/NationalTrustSurreyHills on windy days and wear wellie

There are plenty of places to National Trust stop off on the way for a picnic, to watch the birds, climb trees The National Trust is an Surrey Hills Estate Office, or build dens. You can walk the independent conservation Warren Farm Barns, route in any direction you like. charity and needs your Headley Lane, Mickleham, continued support. If you , Surrey RH5 6DG The commons – Great would like to know more about Telephone: 01372 220640 Bookham, and the National Trust, local places Banks Common, were given to to visit, or how to become www.nationaltrust.org.uk us between 1923 and 1925 and a member, please contact Facebook: we’ve looked after them ever our local office: NationalTrustSurreyHills since.

Photography: ©National Trust Images/John Millar, Joe Cornish, Arnhel de Serra, Paul Harris, John Miller, Britainonview/Rod Edwards Other photography: Dr. Alan Prowse, Stuart Cole LNHS, Neil Lodge, Ian Swinney, Rob Hewer Printed on 100% recycled paper. Please recycle this leaflet after use. © National Trust 2013. National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846 they like the peace and quiet of this Things to look out undisturbed part of the commons. You could let us know what you see at for along the way the hide by joining our Facebook page – search Central and Listen carefully – lots of bird for National Trust A song means that the wood is Surrey Hills. Eastern Woods dense enough to provide home, food, shelter and nesting places Take some time to explore the at different heights for birds. In woods. Rustle through leaves or Did you know? the spring and summer months, splash in the puddles. You could You can tell the origins of a pond by its the woodland glades support a build a den using branches and shape and size. The largest ones were usually variety of orchids. During the twigs that you find on the dug for rearing fish; steep sided ponds are old autumn months, the woods ground – please don’t tear any “borrow-pits” where soil, stones or rock was display a wonderful collection from the trees. taken away to be used on roads, walls or houses. of fungi such as fly agaric, Most of the medium-sized ponds were dug chicken-of-the-woods, In this part of Bookham for farm animals to drink at. Commons grow our “king trees” sulphur bracket and the – ancient English oaks and holly, wood blewit. both of which are native to the British Isles - some date back C Eastern Plain Look out for! at least 500 years when the woods provided timber for Due to a different, sandy soil, Triangular craters in the housing and shipbuilding. this open area of the commons ground... these were Records suggest that timber supports plants such as heather, anti-aircraft gun may have been felled from dwarf gorse and purple emplacements from the the commons to build King moor-grass. Second World War and Henry VIII’s palace at Nonsuch were manned by the Royal in Cheam. Artillery. Though the concrete bases were taken-away after the war, they retain the same Did you know? Don’t miss! unusual shape and are You can work out the age Look out for the heronry marked home to caddis-fly larvae of a tree with this simple on the map. Herons raise their and burr marigold. formula: young high up in broad nests. They Measure the distance tend to come back to the site that around the trunk of the they hatched at to raise their own tree (its girth). If the tree young. You might even hear the D Western Plain distinctive noise they make when has lots of branches and is This part of Bookham clacking their beaks together. in an open position, then Commons is less every 25mm of the girth wooded than other will be one years’ growth. parts because it was If the trunk of the tree is once open grassland, tall and straight, with no where cattle grazed. branches, then every 12mm The Western Plain is will be one years’ growth. prime hunting ground for sparrow hawks Explore... B Bird Hide and goshawks. On a May evening, you may be lucky Looking over Upper Eastern winter, kingfishers and enough to hear the strident A kingdom of ancient trees, Pond is our bird hide. Sit quietly herons can sometimes call of a male nightingale as and be patient and you may well be seen. he sings for his mate. magical ponds and amazing see some native and non-native birds. In spring the dabchick, or Watch for roe deer on creatures. little grebe, nests here and in the opposite bank; The commons are home to a wonderful variety of wildlife and have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural . For more information about Bookham Commons please visit A kingdom of ancient trees, magical ponds www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ and amazing creatures bookham-commons

B Bird Hide A variety of landscapes • Sit quietly and patiently in the bird await you on Bookham hide and you may well see some Sheepbell Farm Commons... From shady, A Central and native and non-native birds. In To spring the dabchick, or little grebe, Cobham mysterious oakwoods, Eastern Woods nests here and in winter, kingfishers and herons can sometimes be seen. to open grassland • Take some time to explore the woods. • Watch for roe deer on the plains, marshy ponds • Rustle through leaves or splash in the Footpath to puddles. opposite bank. Cobham Road and wetlands, to wet Stoke D’Abernon • Build a den using branches and twigs that heathland and wood you find on the ground – please don’t tear pasture. Be sure to look any from the trees. • Using the formula overleaf, calculate how Kelsey’s Pond out for all the fascinating old a tree is. things along the trail. • In Autumn you can look out for fungi such as fly agaric, chicken-of-the-woods, sulphur Stents Wood bracket and the wood blewit.

Kelsey’s Wood Sheepbell Pond To Downside Hill Farm Mark Oak Car Park

To Hundred Pound Bridge and

Hill House Wood A Central Wood Western Plain

Eastern Wood Banks Farm D Banks Common To Ivy Cottage Effingham Heronry Five Halls

Merritts Cottage

D Western Plain I.O.W. Plain • Look out for sparrow Isle of Wight Enclosure Handleys Cottage hawks and goshawks Lower Hollows Manor Cottage as this is their prime Upper Hollows Lower Eastern Pond hunting ground. Bird Hide To The Glade, I.O.W. Pond B • On a May evening, listen Fetcham out for the strident call of a male nightingale as Upper Eastern Pond he sings for his mate. Bookham Stream

Eastern Plain C Key Family Trail Bayfield Plain C Eastern Plain Surfaced bridle tracks Bridle tracks • Look out for plants such as heather, dwarf gorse South East Pond Water courses and purple moor-grass which grow here due to the different, sandy soil. Access and The Plains Car Park • Look out for triangular rights of way craters in the ground... these were anti-aircraft Public bridleway gun emplacements from Bayfield Pond Central Plain the Second World War. Tunnel Car Park National Trust Bookham Grange To Leatherhead, London permissive bridle track

Public footpath To Effingham Junction, Bookham Railway Station Dogs Dogs are very welcome on To Commons, though Bookham we do ask that they are kept To Little under reasonable control and Bookham kept within sight of you.