Ash Vale 
Estate & Lettings Agents

About Ash Vale

The village of Ash Vale is situated on the westerly edge of the Guildford district in Surrey, in Ash Parish, just a few miles from Farnborough. The Basingstoke Canal cuts west to east where Ash and Ash Vale meet, whilst the River Blackwater runs north to the south, feeding the lakes and fisheries of Ash Vale and Mytchett.

The village is centred on Ash Wharf and a parade of shops, the small village centre bursting with colour from the hanging baskets and flower beds in the summer. The village extends north from Ash Wharf with an organic mix of property including character homes from the turn of the 20^th century, 1920’s and 1930’s homes, 1970’s and 1980’s family homes and bungalows. The villages’ proximity to nearby SSSIs and SPAs means new homes in Ash Vale are few and far between.

History of Ash Vale
Amenities in Ash Vale
Schools in Ash Vale
Nature, waterways and environment in Ash Vale
Commuting Connections in Ash Vale
Notable societies, clubs and events in Ash Vale

What brings buyers to Ash Vale?

History of Ash Vale

Ash Vale’s connectivity, by water via the Basingstoke Canal and by rail, led to the villages’ growth. Initially a trading or stop over location, the settlement was enhanced by the presence of the nearby garrison and now as a prime location for commuters.

Famous people from Ash Vale include Samuel Cody, the first man to achieve powered heavier-than-air flight in Britain, and professional cricketers Darren and Martin Bicknell.

In nearby Pirbright, Sir Henry Morton Stanley, the explorer and journalist who uttered the famous words “Dr. Livingstone I presume” on completion of his search for Dr Livingstone in central Africa in 1871, is buried at St Michael and All Angels Church.

Amenities in Ash Vale

There is a parade in the centre of the village with some essential amenities, a convenience store, pharmacy, hairdressers and restaurants/takeaways. Highly regarded Vale Furnishers have a substantial award winning furniture showroom in the centre of the village. A Tesco Express is located near Ash Vale train station and the nearest pub ‘The Swan’ is a family friendly gastro-pub.

The centrally located Ash Vale Health Centre is open weekdays and provides medical services to the local residents.

Schools in Ash Vale

Holly Lodge Primary School is located in Ash Vale. There are five further schools that serve the Ash Vale community located in Ash to the south: Ash Grange Primary School, Shawfield Primary School, Walsh Junior, Walsh Infant and Ash Manor School. Many schools in the area are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

Nature, waterways and environment in Ash Vale

Ash Vale is fortunate to have many green spaces within the village. Adjacent to Holly Lodge School is Carrington park recreation ground with playground and footpath which provides a pleasant walk between North Camp station, Mytchett Lake and the Basingstoke canal visitor centre. Other parks and recreation areas include Snakey Lane Nature Reserve, Avondale Park, Lakeside Park Nature Reserve, and open green spaces off Hawker Road and Beaufort Road.

Just to the south of Ash Vale are the Gold Valley Lakes and Fisheries, fed by the Blackwater River. A walk along the Basingstoke Canal, south from Ash Wharf provides some stunning views over the lakes and of the Canal itself which provides a very pleasant and safe route for walking, running, cycling or dog walking.

To the east of Ash Vale is scenic Surrey Heath MoD land and the Ash Ranges; the 2,439 acres of open dry heathland, co-managed with the Surrey Wildlife Trust, is Country Wildlife Site, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA) as well as an active military training ground. The Ash Ranges land of heathland, mire, grassland and woodland has been owned by the MoD since 1854 with a grazing agreement now in place with Surrey Wildlife Trust for specialist cattle and goats to roam freely to naturally maintain the habitat.

Various parts of the Ash Ranges are accessible for walking and cycling when no red flags are flying. See some tips and advice on walks around Ash Vale on the walking club website.

Burners Heath, Swallows Pond and Pirbright Ranges in nearby Pirbright provide some beautiful woodland and heathland environments to explore in the summer months.

Commuting Connections in Ash Vale

Ash Vale train station is situated towards the north of the village and provides direct peak time services directly to London Waterloo in approximately 40 minutes. Ash Vale station is on the London – Aldershot – Alton line, for services on the Reading – Guildford – Gatwick line North Camp rail station is just an 11 minute walk away (from Ash Vale rail station measured by Google).

Ash Vale is well connected by the A331 which runs north-south to the west of the village and connects the village to the A31 to reach Guildford (the route popularly known as The Hogs Back) to the east and to Farnham, Alton, Alresford and Winchester to the west. Go north on the A331 to reach junction 4 of the M3 for access to Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Lightwater, the M25 and London routes.

Ash Vale is also easily located to reach Farnborough, Frimley, Camberley and Fleet.

Notable societies, clubs and events in Ash Vale

Ash Youth and Community Centre holds youth club nights for different age groups throughout the week as well as a location for arts and music people.

There are local clubs and groups to suit every interest, the Ash and District photo club, Ash Floral club, gardening club, Women’s Institute, spinning club, table tennis club to name just a few, the details of which can be found on the Ash Parish Council website.

For more information about the Ash area see Ash, Ash Green, Mytchett and Normandy. Other towns nearby are Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Camberley and Guildford.

What brings buyers to Ash Vale?

We have a lot of people moving away from more expensive areas in greater London to Ash Vale because they get much better value for money and still have good transport links to London.

We are fortunate enough to have a train station in Ash Vale which provides a direct service into London Waterloo in under an hour and if travelling to London by car you can be on the M3 or A3 in under 10 minutes.

We have a wide variety of properties in Ash/Ash Vale some of which date back to 1600s as well as many Victorian properties dating back to when the Basingstoke Canal was a major transport route and we also have our share of large modern developments. There are several primary schools in the area with two of them receiving a ‘good’ OFSTED rating and a large secondary school, Ash Manor School, which is also well regarded locally.

For further information about Ash Vale and the surrounding area, or to enquire about property for sale or to rent in Ash Vale please contact the local office: Ash Vale Office 01252 353030 or ashvale@mackenziesmith.co.uk, Lettings 01252 514000 or lettings@mackenziesmith.co.uk.