Puttenham Common is all that remains of what was once a large area of lowland heath. Heathland shrubs such as ling, bell heather, and gorse remain in the more open areas and the woodland areas provide numerous little grottos with deep, deep moss which is an inviting habitat for fungi. The site is also dominated by silver birch, bracken, and scots pine. This area is part of the Hampton Estate and we are grateful to the Thornton family for their invitation to foray on their land.

The walks are carried out under license with Surrey County Council, with kind permission of the Hampton Estate and are insured under the British Mycological Society.

This year’s Puttenham Common forays will be held on the following dates. For booking select the required date and follow instructions.

Puttenham Common Sunday August 18th

Puttenham Common Sunday September 22nd

Forays begin at 10am and last for around three and half hours. In order to maintain a personal approach numbers will be limited to approximately 20 people per foray, excluding children. It is hoped that these forays will give those that attend a chance to interact with the natural environment in a responsible and respectful manner and in doing so learn about some of the wonderful fungi of Puttenham Common.

Once you have made your booking you will be sent directions and a map for the meeting point,

In terms of attire,  we are walking off the beaten track in many of these walks so please have a sensible pair of walking shoes or ‘wellies’ if it’s wet weather. If it is raining I would suggest waterproof trousers as well as jackets if you have them available. Layers always work well with our unpredictable British weather too………it’s amazing how changeable the climate can be within several hours.

Bring a packed lunch or snack as we will take a break for 30 minutes or so and of course bottled water. It doesn’t hurt to have a compass too as every now and then we can lose someone and cell phone signal can sometimes let us down.