b aynards wa l k Baynards’ Railway Children 4.25 miles (6.8km) MINIMUM TIME 2hrs 98ft (30m) sss LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY : : : PATHS Field and forest paths, section of old railway line LANDSCAPE Gently rolling farmland SUGGESTED MAP OS Explorer 134 Crawley & Horsham START / FINISH Grid reference: TQ 078349 DOG FRIENDLINESS Keep on lead near livestock and in Massers Wood PARKING Lay-by on Cox Green Road, Baynards, adjacent to railway bridge at the start of the walk PUBLIC TOILETS None en route DISTANCE ASCENT/GRADIENT ‘After quite a long search – walking on remote bits of line in the home counties and consulting ordnance maps, we have found a country station and a line that winds through a tunnel between high wooded hills…’ T owards the end of a short feature in the Radio Times in March, 1957, the producer Dorothea Brooking recounted the difficulties of filming The Railway Children for BBC children’s television. The country station that she found was Baynards, on the Guildford-to-Christ’s Hospital line, where this walk begins, just a short way north of the tunnel that was used in the eight part serial. Time Warp Finding a suitable location for a story set in 1906 meant ‘finding a station and a bit of line that is not electrified’ – not that easy, even in 1957. Then, there was the practical problem of the ‘modern trains running their day to day schedule’. Nearly half a century later, Carlton Television had an easier job with their 2000 remake of Edith Nesbit’s classic children’s story. Their film was shot on the preserved Bluebell Railway in Sussex, with a ready made set and turn of the century locomotives still in everyday use. Dorothea Brooking had no such luxury; in 1957, there wasn’t a single standard gauge heritage railway operating anywhere in this country. Twilight Years Looking back at the classic Radio Times layout with its period advertisements, it’s easy to imagine a comfortable, timeless era far removed from the social pressures and unremitting changes of our own age. But far from it. These were the twilight years for Britain’s rural railways; traffic had collapsed after a strike in 1955 and, within a decade, the ‘Beeching axe’ would fall on hundreds of little stations like Baynards. 81 27 Explore the film locations for an early serialisation of Edith Nesbit’s classic children’s story. eers b aynards Action! wa l k 27 But Dorothea Brooking must have been coping with a different sort twilight. Filming took place in mid-February and the schedule allowed an extra day for the ‘all too likely event of bad weather’. British Railways had arranged for a period engine and four carriages, and the train was filmed pulling into the station from the Guildford direction, stopping, and going on into the tunnel. There were also some shunting scenes in the station sidings. The film starred Norman Shelley as the Old Gentleman and Anneke Willys, Sandra Michaels and Cavan Kendall played the children. They were shown exploring the station and goods shed, sitting on a piece of fence (provided by the BBC) and flagging down the train in the cutting.You’ll see these film locations right at the start of your walk, though the tunnel itself is now blocked. There are good views of the station from the Downs Link – but please, do respect the owner’s privacy. Vachery Pond Brooklands Farm Home Wood 4 60 5 Vachery Farm C ob bl e r’ s 6 Home Farm Broo k DO W Baynard’s Park NS 3 75 LIN K 75 N Massers Wood ½ mile 0 0 500m 2 Baynards Station Cranleigh The Thurlow Arms PH The Fox Inn Walk 27 Directions 1 From the lay-by, follow the Downs Link signposts down on to the old railway line and head 82 1 COX GR EEN ROAD Horsham, Rudgwick north under the Cox Green Road bridge. Soon you’ll come to a wooden gate as the old line approaches Baynards Station. Follow the Downs Link as it b aynards zig-zags left and right, past the station buildings, and back on to the old line. There’s a small picnic area here, an information panel, and The Thurlow Arms is on your left. Continue for 350yds (320m), until a footpath crosses the line at a waymarker post. 2 Turn right here, nip over the stile, and cross the open field straight ahead. Keep just to the left of a corner of woodland jutting out into the field, jump the stile in front of you, and bear gently left along the grassy track through Massers Wood. Leave the woods at a waymarked stile, and continue, following the field boundary on your right. 3 At the top corner of the field, turn right over a stile on to the bridleway. Continue along the WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK You’ll find The Fox Inn just down the road at Rudgwick. An extensive seafood menu includes Foxy’s fish pie and seared tuna loin, as well as fish and chips. Other meals, including all-day breakfasts and afternoon tea, are also available. 4 Turn left here, on to a farm track that passes the back of the farm and continues as a grassy lane. At the end of the lane, carry on through two fields, following the edge of the woods on your right as far as the buildings of Vachery Farm. Bear right here, and follow the signposted bridleway until it meets the farm drive at a fork. 5 Now bear left, signposted towards Vachery Farm; then, 20yds (18m) further on, fork right on to the signposted bridleway. Bear right through a small wood, cross the wooden footbridge over Cobbler’s Brook, and go through WHILE YOU’RE THERE Cranleigh Arts Centre makes a civilised antidote to a day in the country. There’s a constantly changing round of daytime exhibitions, in addition to music, cinema and theatre. There’s also a coffee bar serving light refreshments and snacks. a small gate. Now turn right, and follow the field-edge as it bears around to the left and comes to a waymarked gate. 6 Go through the gate, and continue straight ahead along the waymarked bridleway. Follow it for 150yds (137m); then, as the bridleway bears to the left, dodge up to the right and turn left on to the Downs Link. Follow the old railway back to The Thurlow Arms and retrace your steps to the start. 83 27 It’s ironic that the railway company’s original plans didn’t include a station at Baynards – yet now, it’s the only surviving station on the whole line. It was built in 1865 to win the support of Revd Thomas Thurlow, who had owned Baynard’s Park since 1832, and at that time it was the only passing place on the single track line. After the railway closed in 1965 the buildings fell derelict, but the complex was rescued ten years later and restored to awardwinning condition. It’s a private home and not open to the public. surfaced lane at the foot of the hill, towards the massive buildings at Home Farm. Follow the lane as it swings to the left past the farm, and continue for 80yds (73m) beyond the entrance to Brooklands Farm on your left. wa l k WHAT TO LOOK FOR