As it’s nearly 11 November which marks the end of World War I, I chose to lead a walk around Langley Vale Wood. It is the largest of the Woodland Trust’s four First World War Centenary Woods. They are designed as a living memorial to those who sacrificed so much in the First World War and are situated on original training grounds for troops going off to battle.

After a few days of rain, it was dry and sunny and 10 of us met at Tadworth station. We were soon out of Tadworth and in Banstead Heath, on our way to Mere Pond in Walton on the Hill. Once there, I suggested that, as there are no toilets or any refreshments during the walk, we could stop for a coffee and use the loo in the Village Café. There were mixed views but most of us had a coffee.

We walked along a path and then entered Langley Vale Centenary Wood where around 150,000 trees were planted after the Woodland Trust purchased the site in 2014. We stopped at the Soldier’s Bench for a group photo and to read about the army training on the Downs where some 8,000 troops were billeted at Tadworth Camp. We walked through this new woodland and stopped for lunch on nice benches by a steel figure of a sailor in 1916 naval uniform on one side and, on the other side, a sailor in 2016 uniform. We passed 14 oak porthole markers honouring the British warships sunk in the battle of Jutland and those aboard.

We saw The Regiment of Trees which consists of twelve figures, representing some of the volunteers inspected by Lord Kitchener on Epsom Downs in 1915 and a large sculpture featuring war poetry. We walked along Cherry Avenue with boards telling stories of soldiers and through more woodland. We continued along Epsom Downs and went steadily up along a lane back to Tadworth where we only had to wait 5 minutes for a train.

Dominique. Photos by Ida, Rochelle and Chris