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Lay-by just past the Deers Hut pub with space for 6 or so cars - couple of other spots further up the lane if full
Mostly flat path but through the heathland there are some narrower, uneven rooted sections. Mix of country roads and woodland trails, hilly in parts but nothing too strenuous.
The main lake is not accessible but nice to walk alongside. Just before the main lake through there is a small pond, where we found a couple of spaces between the trees to get in the water through the mud! Not an amazing feature here for actual swimmers!
No bins here
The lake you walk alongside is part of Champneys Forest Mere health spa. You also walk along part of the Woolmer ranges military training range.
From the lay-by head up the hill and there's soon a path which takes you off to the left. Every now and then there are paths off to the side but we carried on straight, past any houses, past the golf course on the right, up until we reach a metal gate indicating you are now entering Military Training area - when you get to this, on your left there's a bit of a clearing and head through the kissing gate there.
This path takes you down the hill, and of the whole route was the only dodgy bit in terms of trying to figure out which way to go. You basically need to head perpendicular to the path you've been on, and you end up on the roads going around the health spa (check route map and hopefully this will make sense, but as always recommend GPS to keep track).
We ended up on the paths around the health spa which leads round to your left where you'll keep left and come across the first little pond, and then the large main lake in the grounds of Champneys.
Follow the drive until it turns left, and on the corner you'll see a woodland path off to your right so take that. This path will lead you through woods back to the main road by The Deers Hut and back up to the car.
Sorry just read that back and can't figure out how to explain better, but if you follow my route it's not as tricky as it sounds at all! and a lovely peaceful walk, at parts with lovely views too and not a busy route at all.
