The best dog-friendly hikes and walks around Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake

Sunny spot, wide bridge. Has a chest-heighted metal fence, should be safe.

All cyclists are able to pass the toll bridge for free

Approaching Coombes Lane from the east, the light begins to change. The shadows stretch too long, too early. The gravel beneath your wheels seems to hum—low, nearly imperceptible, like a pressure change behind your ears. Some say it’s just the trees. Others claim it’s a localized temporal anomaly, like brushing the edge of a vortex or slipping sideways through time. Either way, once you cross the threshold, things feel different. This junction once marked part of the old Bearwood estate. Before the event, “Bearwood” might’ve referred to ancient bear hunts across the land. Now it seems to describe the path itself—bare, worn, and faintly haunted by old instincts. Stripped-back gravel flows down the sandy track, smooth enough for fast two-wheel traversal—if you don’t stop moving. The lane runs tight along the perimeter of a forgotten golf course, its greens now gone to seed. Golf Men still roam there—solitary figures locked in endless loops, trailing white objects with ritualistic obsession. No one knows if they ever finish a round, but the low groans they emit suggest occasional joy, frequent regret, and a heavy air of bunked sadness. Keep your distance. Don’t try to help. And above all, don’t retrieve the ball. Reports of large wild cats once circulated here. Some say they’re still around—shadows with tails, low to the ground, seen only between blinks. Add that to the interference in your comms, occasional compass spin, and persistent sense of déjà vu, and Coombes Lane earns its reputation. A hidden bunker is rumored somewhere near the lane, though most agree it’s more likely the ghost of an ancient Roman outpost. Caesar’s Camp isn’t far off, and the landscape still holds the scars of older empires. Byways peel off into Barkham Woods, a tangled sprawl of secondary paths, watchpoints, and blind corners. Good for exploration. Also good for ambushes. Z movement has been mapped here. Canine patrols, too—some with collars, some without. Assume neither is friendly. This trail was once favored by the Finchmen—a band of gravel-bike scavengers known for their speed, discipline, and strict adherence to the old countryside code. You’d do well to ride in their spirit: leave no trace, close all gates, pack out your trash, and never—ever—feed the Golf Men. If you’re looking for quiet exploration with a side of strangeness and the feeling that time might not run quite right here… Coombes Lane delivers.

Beautiful place to enjoy

Now re-opened after a fire which destroyed their cellar. They have draught cider, lager and Guinness. The bitters are in bottles, for now.

Binfield Heath Church (also known as Binfield Heath Chapel) is an independent evangelical church. It was built in 1835 for the Congregationalists as the village of Binfield Heath was growing in the early 19th century. What makes this church unusual is that it was built in the Gothic style, which, for churches built at that time, is atypical.

It is your peaceful farmland here, and in the summer, the green barley fields combined with the trees on the edges of the fields will give you a bit of a green attack! There is something about barley fields that is more aesthetically pleasing than other fields - maybe it's just me!

This area is a number of different woods, including Bones Wood and Gillsmithers Wood. It's a large enough area to be able to lose yourself amongst the tall beech trees, and be (mostly) cut off from the noise of the roads. Towards the north of the segment, there are remains of an old quarry in the forest - see if you can spot them!