#Hankley Common

[dopescissorscashwagon]

The Duke of Edinburgh in his role as Colonel, 1st Battalion London Guards, attends a training exercise at Hankley Common on October 16, 2024 in Farnham, England.

The London Guards were formed (by bringing together 26 separate Volunteer Force battalions) in 1908 as The London Regiment before becoming The London Guards in 2021. The 1st Battalion London Guards are the Army Reserve for the Guards Division made up of reservists from The Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Welsh and Irish Guards.

[thehouseofwindsor]

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Member of the British Royal Family

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh in his role as Colonel, 1st Battalion London Guards, attends a training exercise at Hankley Common

Question: If you give a prince Dat Dick in the forest, would he take it?

Edward might.

On A Side Note: Edward does not have those swollen fingers like his elder brother, Charles. But I'd still love a hand-job from him.

[thiziri]

Princess Anne, as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Signal Corps visiting Hankley Common, Elstead, Surrey, in October 1991. 

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23.10.24

Roger came round for lunch today. After lunch, we went for a walk at Hankley Common.

[fyeah-olivia-colman]

Olivia Colman & David Thewlis filming Landscapers on Hankley Common in Surrey    

[timdodds]

The Atlantic Wall in Hankley Common

The Atlantic Wall in Hankley Common

While writing a short article for a newsletter, I mentioned the Royal Observer Corps underground monitoring post inside the Pirbright ranges. Looking at the Defence Training Estate [DTE] website for more info, which I sadly didn’t find. We are, though,  blessed, if that’s the right word, with lots of military training estates land in and around us. I thought you might be interested in what I…

[thegrandimago]

Described as ‘gorgeous’ by the man who found it, the great fox-spider has not been seen since 1993

One of Britain’s largest spiders has been discovered on a Ministry of Defence training ground in Surrey having not been seen in the country for 27 years.

The great fox-spider is a night-time hunter, known for its speed and agility, as well as its eight black eyes which give it wraparound vision. The critically endangered spider was assumed extinct in Britain after last being spotted in 1993 on Hankley Common in Surrey. The two-inch-wide (5cm) arachnid had previously also been spotted at two sites in Morden Heath in Dorset. These are the only three areas in Britain, all in the comparatively warmer south, where it has been recorded.

Mike Waite from Surrey Wildlife Trust discovered the elusive spider after two years of trawling around after dark looking for it on the Surrey military site, which the MoD is not naming for security reasons.

“As soon as my torch fell on it I knew what it was. I was elated. With coronavirus there have been lots of ups and downs this year, and I also turned 60, so it was a good celebration of that. It’s a gorgeous spider, if you’re into that kind of thing,” said Waite.

The great fox-spider is one of the largest members of the wolf-spider family, hunting spiders that do not use webs to catch prey. It chases down beetles, ants and smaller spiders before pouncing on them and injecting deadly venom. The prey is immobilised and its internal organs liquefy. The spider – which poses no risk to humans – feeds using fang-bearing jaws.

M0D sites are often kept open because military exercises cause minor disturbance to the vegetation, which stops succession of shrubs and trees. Waite used aerial photos to find bare sandy patches, which suit the spider’s ambush-style hunting techniques, and spotted the first one next to Jeep tracks. In total, he found several males, one female and some unidentifiable immature spiderlings.

Nick Baker, TV presenter and president of the British Arachnological Society, described the discovery as “the most exciting thing to happen in wildlife circles for quite some time”. He said: “It’s about as handsome as a spider gets, it’s big and now it’s officially a member of the British fauna again.”

The great fox-spider, a native species, was first found 120 years ago and has been seen only a handful of times since. Despite their size, the spiders are difficult to spot because they are mainly nocturnal and have effective mottled brown camouflage. During winter, they dig burrows under rocks and line them with silk, going into a sort of hibernation state.

The MoD heathland where the spider was found is managed by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust. It is recognised as a nationally important site for populations of rare birds, reptiles and invertebrates, especially sand lizards, smooth snakes, Dartford warbler and nightjar. MoD sites are often good for wildlife because they are protected from human activity and are large enough to give wildlife space to move.

The great fox-spider likes warmer climates and is more common on the European mainland, particularly on coastal sand dunes in Holland and Denmark.

“It makes me think how hard have we looked for it on our coasts? Have we been looking hard enough?” said Waite, who believes the spider could be more widespread than people think.

Waite is now conducting nocturnal great fox-spider hunting expeditions on neighbouring sites and hopes one day to write a scientific paper about them. “It seems to be the most important thing I’ve done in a long career. It has inspired me to make something of it and find out as much as I can about this species in the UK,” he said.

[tangledwing]

A pale tussock moth ( Calliteara pudibunda) larva or caterpillar just after moulting on heather on Hankley Common, Surrey, 30 April

Photograph: Gillian Pullinger/Alamy

[depicus]

Hankley Common run with twins Fiona and Fiona and their dogs Otto and Otto 😂 #iloverunning #runchat #marathontraining #ultramarathontraining #garminfenix7x #dhb #nike #2xu #stravaproveit #mara #chocolatelab #mimi #chocolatedalmatian #halfmarathontraining #fundayrunday #liverdalmatian #nikerunning #canicross #northdownscanicross #stryd #runningwithpower #1000miles #run2022 #hillspaythebills #nathanvaporkrar #sungod #sungodultra #herecomestheboom https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg9rMs6Imet/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[onlyexplorer]

Firefighters call for public help as they fight more 'weather-related' fires in London and Surrey | UK News

Firefighters call for public help as they fight more ‘weather-related’ fires in London and Surrey | UK News

Firefighters urged people to stop using barbecues and remove rubbish from open areas to help prevent fires in hot weather – as more fires broke out. At least eight hectares of land were affected by a fire declared a major incident on Sunday at Hankley Common, near Farnham in Surrey, which was previously used to film part of the James Bond blockbuster Skyfall. The teams are expected to remain on…

[mondonews]

Grass fires break out in south-east England

Grass fires break out in south-east England

A large grass fire covering at least eight hectares (20 acres) of land was declared a major incident in Surrey on Sunday. Several fire engines attended the scene at Hankley Common, near Farnham. There were separate blazes in Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Thamesmead in London, where fire engines, a fire boat and about 65 firefighters dealt with a grass fire. Category: Science Source: BBC

[latestnewsfeedsposts]

'Weather-related' blazes in London and Surrey largely 'under control' after warning to shut windows

‘Weather-related’ blazes in London and Surrey largely ‘under control’ after warning to shut windows

Fires in Surrey and London are largely under control, after crews were sent out to battle earlier “weather-related” blazes. In Surrey, a fire at Hankley Common near Farnham had drawn “several fire engines” to the area, and had earlier been described as a “major incident”. The fire service tweeted: “There is a great deal of smoke so please avoid the area, windows and doors should be closed if…

[yhwhrulz]

Major incident declared in Surrey as fire breaks out on Hankley Common

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Major incident declared after wildfire breaks out in Surrey

Major incident declared after wildfire breaks out in Surrey

Smoke is pouring into the sky from Hankley Common (Picture: PA) A major incident has been declared in Surrey after a wildfire broke out at a nature reserve. People around the Hankley Common area, near Elstead, took to social media to report plumes of smoke being visible from miles away. Videos also appeared to show tinder-box-dry grassland on fire, with wind spreading the flames. Surrey Fire and…

[bjsmall]

23.10.24

Hankley Common walk with Roger. Part 2.

New bridleway signs have appeared near the Atlantic wall.

[scenetherapy]

The infamous ’Skyfall’ house from the 007 movie of the same name [2012 MGM/Sony/Columbia] is supposed to be situated in the barren rural lands of Glen Coe, Scotland, however the property was purpose-built from scratch at Hankley Common, Surrey, England. Interiors, designed by Dean Clegg, were shot on a soundstage at Pinewood Studios.