#chobham common

Because I was facing a 10 hour drive home from Surrey yesterday, I made a point of stocking up on general outdoorsy goodness early this morning before I set off. And where better to do so than the largest National Nature Reserve in southeast England, Chobham Common.

Even though we’re not now lockdown, we both don’t travel as much as we used to, and my walks have become less adventurous. That’s changing now. Yesterday afternoon I determined to find the part of Chobham Common damaged by fire. It’s the part to the north of the M3. The part between the Chobham Road from Sunningdale to almost the car park by its junction with Chertsey Road coming from Windlesham.

On my visit I saw how the fire had crossed the road and burned parts of Sunningdale Golf Course. Not fully dressed for walking through fire damaged heathland, which I’ve done before, as the burned wood gets everywhere on one’s clothes, even requiring dry cleaning on marked trousers. I walked up from the small Monument car park on Chobham Road to the Monument and saw the extent of the burnt area.

I looked at the Aerial view on Google of the Common, and saw features that I’d like to investigate further.

Lightwater Country Park and Chobham Common feature in the activities. Click on images to expand.

Dog walkers were the only people I saw on Chobham Common yesterday. On parking in the Monument Car Park, I noticed there weren’t any dog do’s collection bins. Therefore, I decided to keep to the paths – not wanting to tread in the stuff.

Naturally, I walked up to The Victoria Monument, and studied it and it’s description board before heading off on a narrow track that ended near the railway line. I was secretly pleased that I couldn’t venture further in a straight line. Time to return to the warmth at home.

I will return there, as the walk affords splendid heathland views, and variety, as they say, is the spice of life. Here are my photos, which I know some of you like me to add.

I asked what was being filmed, of one of the helpful crew removing the film props. Came back the answer, “a scene in the A. A. Milne [Winnie the Pooh author] biopic when he was in the First World War Battle of the Somme”. He continued, to my noticing that the trees were burned, “it was their job to set fire to them, as part of the film”. Also, I found out that the film is being shot by Pinewood Studios, that Rangers from Surrey Wildlife Trust were on hand during the set construction and filming, and they’d got another film war film in production that needed burnt trees. Amazing what you can learn by asking questions.

The Independent has a First look at Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleeson in biopic on Winnie the Pooh author AA Milne.

Meanwhile, here are my photos of the site clean-up in progress.