We sat down with Michelle, winner of our 2024 Britain’s Favourite Path competition, to find out why the Thursley Common boardwalk is so special and why it deserves its moment in the spotlight.  

 

Why did you enter the boardwalk into Britain’s Favourite Path? 

I thought it would be an underdog compared to some of the beautiful paths that would be entered, but it’s such a loved path for locals. It’s a hidden gem. More than anything, it’s about giving people who care for the place the recognition they deserve.  

 

Take us for a walk on Thursley Common. What’s it like? 

You come through the car park into this beautiful wooded area and Elstead moat is to your right, which catches these beautiful reflections. Then you walk into the wooded area, come out onto open common land and you suddenly see this boardwalk ahead of you. Before you know it, you in the wetlands. You start hearing birds. You often see deer. You get lovely colours all around you – both from the plants of the wetlands and pink of the heathland that surround you.  
 

 
What’s your relationship with Thursley Common? 

I grew up in Elstead when it didn’t have the wetlands as such or any boardwalks. When I was a kid, we used to be over there all the time, walking dogs and riding horses. Over the years I moved away, but when I came back it had progressed and evolved. Through conservation work, they had really embraced trying to bring nature in from different angles. Rather than just the heathland, they adjusted parts that were showing good wetland material and put in the boardwalks.  

 

What does the space mean to the local community? 

A lot of people enjoy it, it’s brilliant for everyone. They have put thought into making the boardwalk wide enough for people with pushchairs or wheelchairs, which is great because it means everyone can enjoy it.  

People love the wildlife. It’s brought many people who are into birds, and people who love photography like myself. Being able to walk there plays a big part in helping people’s mental health. I lost my mum this year and last year, although she couldn’t walk far, I took her to Thursley Common a couple of times and it meant the world to her because that’s where we grew up.  Those things will stay with me forever. 
 

The common was damaged by a major fire in 2020. Can you tell us about it? 

Being heathland, it’s prone to fires in the summer, and it had a really severe one a few years ago that literally wiped it out. It was awful, including all the boardwalks.  

I don’t live in Elstead anymore and it took me quite a few months to go back to the common after the fire. I didn’t want to see it like that, to see just how much had been damaged… because it damaged so many aspects of nature.  

But seeing how all the locals pulled together … they were literally all in their wellies alongside the experts trying to rebuild the whole area so that people could enjoy it again. I just loved the way the whole community came together after the fire to bring it back.  

It just shows how much that area means to everyone that does walk there, how much love there is for it. 

 

Is there anything else you want to share about entering Britain’s Favourite Path? 

Before this competition, I didn’t know a lot about the work the Ramblers does to protect and look after paths. I knew they did group walks, but much less about that side of things. It’s important, looking after places and paths, because how do people fall in love with a place if they’re not able to go and visit it? 

Paths helps people know where to go, while still giving them the fun of an adventure, and being respectful to the nature and wildlife that makes an area beautiful. You can kind of get off the beaten track while still being on the track 

 

Michelle has won a £300 voucher from our partners at Cotswold Outdoor and her winning path will feature on billboard in 2025.