(S) Start on Old Epsom Road, next to a pedestrian gap in the hedgerow from the busy A246. Go east along Old Epsom Road using left hand side pavement. At the T-junction turn left into The Street. NOTE: At this point, as there is no pavement, it's probably safer to cross over and walk on the right hand side.
Follow "The Street" as it turns left to enter East Clandon village, and then right in front of the Queens Head Pub. After another 120 yards, and immediately past the church, turn left into Ripley Road. Follow Ripley Road for 0.85 miles to just under an old railway bridge (at 1 mile).
(1) Immediately after the bridge, turn right onto a bridleway parallel and below the railway. After 130 yards follow the bridleway as it turns left, uphill and away from the railway. Within a short distance at a Y-junction of bridleways stay left to continue uphill and into the woods. For the next 1.8 miles the path is easy to follow as it goes almost in a straight line. However, I will give some notes below so as you don't get confused. Continue straight through the woods (Humphreys Copse) crossing straight over a lane after 400 yards.
In another 150 yards, the path comes out onto a wide track/lane. Veer right to follow the track - this should be quite obvious as to the left the track is signed "Private". Follow the track as it continues between trees for 550 yards. On reaching a lane, cross straight over and go through the gate on the opposite side. NOTE: A direction marker on a post shows we have joined "The Fox Way". From here our route follows that of The Fox Way for almost 3 miles to Walsham Lock on the River Wey. At 3 miles the path comes out through a kissing gate onto a road.
(2) Turn left along the road towards Ripley (along Ripley Lane). After 200 yards, at a staggered crossroads, go straight on (now Rose Lane). Follow Rose Lane for half a mile when it then crosses over the A3 (London to Portsmouth road). Continue straight on along Rose Lane and into Ripley village. On approaching the village centre, stay on the right hand side of Rose Lane and onto Ripley High Street at a T-junction.
(3) Turn right along the High Street for about 35 yards to a pelican crossing (at 4 miles). Here turn left over the pelican crossing. On the other side turn left along High Street for just a few yards, then turn right and behind Ripley Guitars. On reaching Ripley Green, join the path on the left hand side of the road. Follow this path north northeast across the green, soon over a track and then with a line of trees to your left hand side. With children's playground to your right take a left-hand fork. After 200 yards the path comes out onto a narrow road with Dunsborough Park to the left. Stay left along this road, soon past Dunsborough Farm.
(4) After 300 yards turn left, and after another 200 yards (as the main lane turns right) stay straight on along a footpath signed "The Fox Way". After another 300 yards go straight on across a long footbridge over Walsham Weir.
(5) Then turn right along the River Wey Navigation and past Walsham Lock. NOTE: Here we leave The Fox Way. A mile after joining the Wey Navigation we pass Pyrford Lock, then cross over the road and go straight on along towpath with River Wey Navigation to your left hand side and The Anchor pub to your right hand side.
After another 1000 yards go straight on past Dodds Bridge to your left hand side. 550 yards later stay on the towpath under Murray’s Bridge and avoiding the lane going off to the right hand side. Almost half a mile after Murray's Bridge the towpath passes under a busy A245 road bridge.
(6) Follow the path as it turns right behind a boatyard and comes out to the road/parking area. Turn left to cross the parking area and then left again along the pavement on the right hand side of the road. On approaching a bridge over the canal turn right, through a metal kissing gate (at 7.3 miles), and down onto canal towpath going north with canal now to your left hand side. After half a mile, follow the towpath under the railway and then under a footbridge over the canal. Then within a few yards under the huge M25 viaduct.
(7) Half a mile later go straight on past New Haw Lock to your left hand side and soon up to the road. Cross straight over (with care) and back down onto towpath (at 8.5 miles) - the canal is still to your left hand side. The towpath continues along the right bank of the canal and after another 0.8 miles stay straight on past Coxes Lock and Mill to the left hand side.
(8) Just after Coxes Lock, we pass under the railway. Then after another 630 yards follow the towpath leftover Black Boy Bridge, then turn right staying on the narrow towpath - now with Wey Navigation to your right hand side. On approaching Weybridge Lock, the path veers left to the road. On reaching the road, cross straight over and turn right along the pavement and past the entrance to Weystone Road.
(9) Then just before the bridge, turn left, past the National Trust sign, and down a metal ramp and back down onto the River Wey Path (at 10 miles). Follow the towpath north, with the river still to your right hand side and new townhouses to your left, and soon under a large red brick bridge. At 10.5 miles you cross a footbridge over a weir.
(10) At 10.7 miles, just past Thames Lock, turn right over a steep metal footbridge and veer left along a wide path. Then stay right at the fork, keeping a metal fence to your left hand side. The path leads out onto a narrow road. Cross straight over and onto an enclosed path through trees and soon over the footbridge.
Turn left along a road and soon straight on along the path between houses. After another 100 yards, cross straight over a road onto a footpath/alley between houses. This leads to the car park of the Old Crown pub. Go straight on through the car park then turn left along the pavement staying on left hand side of Thames Street (at 11 miles).
(11) Where the road turns right, go left into a small riverside car park and go straight through onto a footpath with the River Thames on your left hand side. The towpath soon passes under a road bridge - the "off bridge" to Desborough Island. Then after 0.6 miles under a second road bridge - the "on the bridge" to the island. 630 yards later finish on the Thames Towpath, just before Walton Bridge.(E)
