At a glance

A short, easy walk around Francis Corner Woodland. With stunning forest scenery and excellent winter-proof terrain, this is a brilliant quick route that’s great for dog walkers and seasoned hikers alike.

Jump to:

Route map & overview

Download the route file below to import it to your preferred app (a step by step guide can be found here).

SeasonWinter
Length4.7 km / 2.9 miles
Time taken50 minutes
ElevationFlat
Dog Friendly?Yes

Setting off

This short walk is based on this All Trails route. However, I noticed that the route had an odd first section, which meant you ended up going back on yourself more than necessary. As such, I’ve tweaked it slightly to make it more of a loop.

The walk starts at Coombe Lane Car Park, and in just a few steps you head into Francis Corner Woodland. The car park and first path make you think you’re in for a slightly muddy outing, but in reality the shallow mud you’ll come across is as bad as it gets.

Francis Corner & Netley Park

The walk doesn’t have many turns or forks, which makes it easy to navigate and allows you to enjoy the scenery. At a couple of points, you’ll come across small concrete reservoirs and vehicle barriers which also make great navigation aides.

In terms of your surroundings, what starts off as relatively bare, sparse woodland, soon becomes a fantastic backdrop of imposing pines.

The terrain continues to make walking here an absolute breeze, with all the paths largely consisting of stone / gravel. The path you soon turn onto and spend a lot of time on is actually the North Downs Way, and is a truly fantastic stretch of this route.

Francis Corner & Netley Park

Without having to worry about missing a turning, you’re able to stick to the path as it winds through some amazing woodland. It’s a real pleasure to walk on.

Second half & viewpoint

Once you reach a concrete reservoir, you have the choice to continue ahead towards a well sign posted viewpoint (Little Kings Wood). The view itself isn’t particularly stunning, and is more of a gap in the trees than a traditional open horizon, but I think it’s worthwhile.

There’s a nice bench that’s perfectly positioned to look out over the Surrey Hills, and it generally provided a bit of variety in the scenery.

Francis Corner Woodland

Perhaps rather annoyingly, this detour from the main loop does force you to walk back on yourself. However, it’s not very far at all and, like I said, is probably a worthwhile exercise.

Once you’ve retraced your steps, you re-join the great woodland paths and complete the Francis Corner loop.

Francis Corner Woodland

It’s difficult to put into words just how pleasant this stretch is. The path is perfect to walk on even in Winter and the open space means it’s also suitable for dog walkers. There’s a couple of very minor gradients, but rather than present any sort of challenge, they simply add an elegant flow to a beautiful woodland experience.

Francis Corner Woodland

Right up to the end of the route, you’ll feel fully immersed in your surroundings. The Japanese practice of ‘Forest Bathing’ has rapidly increased in popularity recently, and, while Francis Corner Woodland isn’t technically a large forest, this is as close to that sort of mindful experience that you can ask for in this area of Surrey.

Before long, you’ll be back at the car, no doubt feeling thoroughly relaxed and de-stressed.

Getting started

The Francis Corner car park on Coombe Lane is a really good starting point for any walk in this area. It’s slightly muddy (more so than the walk), which isn’t ideal for changing into boots, but nothing too problematic.

The main downfall for this car park is simply its size. I would say at a push you’d struggle to get 10 cars here. By the time I finished the walk at 9:30 on a Saturday morning, it was nearly full. There’s also a width and height restriction barrier to get in, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most vehicles.

Spread the word

The purpose of Surrey Walks is all about getting more people outside and enjoying the natural beauty of Surrey. With restrictions still in place across the UK, going for a walk is one of the few things you can actually do.

If you enjoy walking, please consider sharing this route, or this website, with a friend or family member who perhaps doesn’t walk as much. It’s well documented that walking is great for our health and our happiness, so the more people that can experience those benefits, the better.

Stay in the loop

To stay updated with the best walking routes, tips and challenges, enter your email below and join the growing club of Surrey walkers.