Mare Hill Common

Mare Hill Common covers 40 ha (98 acres) of lowland heathland and woodland owned and managed by Waverley Borough Council. 

It lies to the east of Witley Common (a large area of heathland owned and managed by the National Trust) and to the west of Witley village.

The site is managed to maintain the lowland heath and the mixed deciduous woodland components. 

Getting there - parking

There is a car park just off Mare Hill (SU 935399) between the A286 and Roke Lane.  

Getting there - by bus

Stagecoach bus route 70 passes Mare Hill (hourly service Monday to Saturday only).  Stagecoach route 71 stops at The Star, Witley (15 minutes walk) which together with the route 70 provides a half-hourly service to Godalming (no service Sundays).

Bus times are subject to change, please refer to Surrey County Council for up to date timetables for all above routes.

What is the habitat type?

The central part of the site comprises predominantly dry heathland, with wet heath found towards the base of  the north facing slope. 

The surrounding parts of the site are composed of Scots pine woodland, scrub, chestnut coppice and mixed deciduous woodland. 

Some notable invertebrates have been recorded here, including:

• glow-worms
• solitory bees and wasps
• silver studded blue butterflies

These, together with a good assemblage of plants, including all three heathers found in Surrey plus sundews and bilberry, support a thriving vertebrate population, including common lizards and birds, such as the Dartford warbler, stonechat, nightjar and woodcock.

Site Designations

• Part of Wealden Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA)
• Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
• Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
• registered common
• Green Belt.

Volunteering

Volunteer work parties held regularly, especially over the winter period. 

Christmas tree event

Mare Hill  has acted as the venue for one of our annual Christmas tree extravaganzas, where locals are invited to pull up and cut down lots of Scots pine trees in exchange for a tree to take home; however, the clearance in 2010 was so complete that the site cannot be used again for this purpose for a few years.  Have a look at the home page for this year's event - listed from about October onwards.

Site Ranger

Tel: 01483 423081.

Please note that phone calls may be recorded for training or monitoring purposes.

Page owner: Nick Baxter. Last updated: 30/01/2012 09:56