River Mole 2008 report
The River Mole - 2008 report
New accessible path alongside the River Mole
A new easy access trail between the Town Bridge and the Thorncroft Bridge in Leatherhead has been opened. It provides opportunities for a variety of people to enjoy the scenery along the riverbank. The new path has been designed to provide a pleasant recreational route for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users.
You can now reach the path easily, from the Town Bridge end, on the Fetcham side of the river. There are information signs and seats at intervals, and except when the river is in flood, the path is easy to use. It is suitable for buggies, wheelchairs and families with bicycles. You will also see fishermen and wildlife enthusiasts there. Keep your eyes open for a kingfisher! The path follows the riverbank fairly closely, and takes you past the Football Club, the Shell Bridge and Thorncroft Manor, to the Thorncroft Bridge.
In due course, a parking space for a disabled person will be provided, near the entrance to the Football Club. From this point, a new path runs down to the river and joins the riverside path.
This new accessible path provides good access along a lovely section of the river and enables more people to enjoy it, without damaging the character of the river. This has been a collaborative effort involving Mole Valley District Council, the Lower Mole Project, private sector funding, local people, the town’s conservation trust, the County Council and the Environment Agency working together for the benefit of people and wildlife.
If you want a longer walk, and can cope with rough or uneven ground, it is possible to extend your walk. Instead of turning round at the Thorncroft Bridge, you can turn right up Thorncroft Drive and take a footpath on the left across the fields, following the river down to Young Street, under the road bridge and into Norbury Park. This is the safest route into the countryside for people in Leatherhead, since there are no roads to cross. This is also the route of the Mole Gap Trail which will take you all the way to Dorking, past Denbies Vineyard. It is a lovely route of about 6 miles and is waymarked by distinctive silver arrows. A leaflet on the trail is available from the Leatherhead Helpshop.
Other riverside walks
On the Leatherhead side you can walk downstream from the office blocks near the Running Horse, north beside the river, under the Waterway Road road bridge and two splendid railway bridges, and on to Common Meadow. The path is narrow but has been improved; the meadow has considerable wildlife value. Here, in the late summer and early autumn, a friendly herd of cattle can be seen grazing.
On the Leatherhead side, leading upstream, you can walk from Bridge Court along to the Mansion Garden and pond, a popular path for families with young children, since there are almost always ducks there and sometimes swans. Mole Valley District Council has plans to restore the pond and carry out improvements to the open space. The gardens contain some very special and unusual trees, including a large mulberry tree. There are glimpses of the historic Mansion, now the Register Office, from the gardens where newly-weds can often be seen posing for photographs in the lovely setting of the early 18th century house.
Work at The Splash
If you were brought up in Leatherhead or Fetcham, you will probably have fond memories of visiting The Splash, a popular picnic spot at the end of River Lane, where it crosses the River Mole, to the north of the town. Following discussion with the Fetcham Residents Association, Mole Valley District Council, the Lower Mole Project and a local landowner, work has been completed to enhance the area and make it more accessible for people who wish to walk and enjoy the river at this point. The work was assisted by funding from the District Council, the Lower Mole Trust, and the Leatherhead & District Countryside Protection Society, and carried out by the District Council and the Lower Mole Project. The LDCPS has undertaken to continue supporting the project by carrying out regular mowing. Perhaps you would like to walk up there to take a look, and, later in the year, a picnic! There are walks nearby, including a permissive path further along the bank of the river.
Background – what people asked for in the surveys.
It was striking to see how consistently local residents of all ages nominated the riverside as the best environmental feature of the town. 
This was such a constant theme in the early surveys for the Leatherhead Health Check that we went into more detail in the later consultations, and we found great enthusiasm for improvements to the footpaths by the river, such as extending them, adding seats and signage, and possibly improving disabled access.
Look at page 48 of the Healthcheck report.
The greatest proportion of those surveyed were keen to make the best use of the river and riverside, and the majority of respondents liked the river as it is, and were keen to preserve the environment, especially as most of it is a designated Local Nature Reserve.
Our subsequent planning has sought to find the best way to enable the community to make the most of the river, while retaining the special qualities of this important environment. The District Council is currently preparing a Management Plan for the Local Nature Reserve and if you wish to express your views on any aspect of the river, the person to contact is Rod Shaw in the Planning Department (rod.shaw@molevalley.gov.uk)