Farnborough, High Elms Country Park and Downe

On emerging from St Giles churchyard, moments after leaving buses, shops and houses, you are confronted with a view in which barely a house can be seen. A great field dotted with a clump of trees rolls down to a hidden road. Beyond rise the wooded slopes of the High Elms Country Park.

A few steps along the lane in the park and over a wooded hill will bring you to High Elms Clock House. This was once the home farm of the High Elms estate and its tall, unusual white painted wooden bell tower was added to the farmhouse in 1829. The bell was rung to indicate the starting and finishing of work. It remained in use for over 100 years when the clock house was converted into a dairy. The High Elms estate itself was acquired in 1808 by John William Lubbock, a wealthy London banker, as a country residence. Produce from the farm was sent to the townhouse at St James Place.

His grandson, who had the same name, was born in 1834 and was a distinguished scientist and social reformer. He had from an early age showed great interest in Natural History and was encouraged in this study by his near neighbour, Charles Darwin. He became president of the Linnaean Society. As an MP, he was responsible for two pieces of legislature for which walkers will be grateful to this day - The Bank Holiday Act and the Preservation of Ancient Monuments Act.

The bridleway beside the Clock House leads up to a magnificent avenue of majestic beech trees. The severe gales of 1987 flattened those on the east side of the slope, and they were replaced through efforts of the Orpington Rotary Club and two fellow Rotarian clubs from Europe.

The route now passes through delightful Cuckoo Wood, where beeches, maples and yew make a brilliant palette of colour in autumn. In spring, the yellow archangel flower is spectacular and other chalk loving wildflowers are abundant in this area.

On leaving the wood, open fields are crossed to reach the lane into the village of Downe. Downe still remains a country village, with flint faced cottages surrounding St Mary's Church. The church, also of local flint, dates from the 13th century and is similar in style to the Sussex downland churches, even to the extent of having a 'Sussex Cap' spire upon its tower.

In your walk through Downe you will come to Down House, the former home of Charles Darwin. It was here for a period of 40 years that the great naturalist lived and worked, and where he wrote his 'Origin of Species'. In this momentous work, he claimed that man was not created by God, as had been recorded in the Book of Genesis, but had evolved very gradually over millions of years, an idea not unknown to science, but one that caused a huge controversy in the established church at the time.

The path takes you beside the garden of Down House, and across the Sand Walk where Darwin often strolled. It then descends to a path through woods where the route follows a beautiful long Valley along remarkably even paths, some 120 metres above sea level. Here the chalk downs provide an ideal habitat for violets, primroses and early purple orchids. Passing through several fields which gently slope to the valley floor and golf course below a beachwood is reached and another path across fields returns to the outskirts of Downe.

After leaving the Downe road by a footpath opposite a large Victorian house, 'The Rookery' and crossing several fields, you enter a delightful lane that provides nesting for many species of bird. Look out for the distinctive yellowhammer. This little lane ends at a hedge, beyond which a field path descends to Shire Lane, near where you cross the 144 mile long London Outer Orbital Path. The route then continues across a little Road and gently rises beside a wood, while to the right, the soft contours of the field are broken by a number of copses.

A stone boundary marker with the initials 'JL' reminds you that you are leaving John Lubbock's High Elms estate and the path now run in parallel to Shire Lane below, becomes a track, bounded by coppiced hazels and bearing the ancient name of Tye Lane. This name indicates that the village green is close by, as indeed it is, for Tye Lane brings you right into the middle of Farnborough.