Events

Explore Hankley Common and the Atlantic Wall

3rd April 2022, 11:00 - 13:00

 

Explore Hankley Common and the Atlantic Wall
Free guided walk
Sunday 3 April 2022
at 10.30 am for a prompt 11am start
Approx finish at 1.00pm
Meet at Hankley Common Main Car Park

 

For your info, the track 700m long is the one that starts from the point shown on the map below as Hankley Common Training Area.

 

The Atlantic Wall was a huge enterprise undertaken by Canadian soldiers during the latter part of WWII. As plans were made for D-Day, secret reconnaissance missions were made to gather intelligence about Hitler’s ‘Atlantikwall’ – a coastal defence stretching from Spain to Norway to defend Nazi-occupied Western Europe. The Canadian soldiers were ordered to build as close a replica of the defences as possible and a 100 metre long section of wall was constructed – three metres tall and over three metres thick – split into two sections by a set of heavy steel gates. To the side of the wall there were many other obstacles still visible today including dragon’s teeth, railway track set vertically in concrete and concrete blocks. These structures were then used to find ways of overcoming the defences to be expected on D-Day.

Hankley Common is a 560-hectare (1,400-acre) nature reserve. The site is part of the Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Commons represent some of the finest remaining heathland in Southern England and are nationally important for their bird, reptile and invertebrate populations. Hankley Common is owned by the Ministry of Defence and used for training purposes including parachute training.

Hankley Common is also famous as a film location. Amongst many films shot here was ‘Skyfall’ where a heathland area was used as the location for the climax with its dramatic attack and destruction of James Bond’s ancestral Scottish mansion.

This event is not suitable for children or those with mobility challenges.  Dogs on leads are welcome.

Please wear appropriate footwear and dress according to weather conditions.

Please note that there are no toilets or facilities in the area.

Start: Hankley Common Main Car Park (also shown on some maps as Thursley Common Main Car Park)

Postcode for Sat Nav: The nearest postcode for point X on the Thursley Road is GU8 6LW

Parking: The car park is accessed by turning off Thursley Road about 2 miles south of Elstead on the Z-bend at the point marked X on the map. The car park is about 700m along this surfaced track.

Grid ref: For point X is SU896406. The car park is at SU890410

The cost is free but you must book your ticket by pressing the brown button below.

Deadline for booking 28 March 2022.

Some of us are booking lunch at the Three Horseshoes pub in Thursley. If you would like to join us please make your own booking at threehorseshoesthursley.com, we suggest for 1.30pm.

Any enquiries please contact us at info@surreyhillssociety.org.


By continuing and making a booking you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to the Terms & Conditions specified in our Cancellation Policy and Responsibility Statement, both of which can be viewed by clicking here


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