Editing Elstead (section)

==Geography==
[[File:A Panorama of Elstead Village Green March 2014.jpg|thumb|800px|center|Panorama of the first village green: at the junction of the B3001 and Thursley Road. North is to the centre. By the church is a smaller green.]]

[[File:Atlantic Wall Training, Hankley Common, Large Breech.JPG|thumb|[[Hankley Common]] [[World War II]] battlements]]

Elstead is surrounded by woods and heathland, including Royal Common, Ockley Common, Elstead Common and [[Hankley Common]], which is used by the [[British Army]] for training purposes and by others as a filming location. Much of the heathland area has environmental protection for rare birds, insects and reptiles.

Thundry Meadow, close to Elstead, is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSI) and is an important breeding area for the [[dragonfly]] and [[damselfly]].

The area around the village has several large farms and much of the land is used for grazing for horses and cattle.

Elstead is within the Green Belt and is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a popular destination for walkers and cyclists.

===Charleshill===
The western hamlet Charleshill, is on the opposite (left) bank of the [[River Wey]] on the B3001 to Farnham, half of the hamlet being in [[Tilford]]. Its [[public house]] is ''The Donkey'' originally called ''The Half-way House''. The pub was converted from two small cottages in 1850, which at that time were owned by Farnham United Brewery. It acquired the nickname of "The Donkey", as before the days of motor traffic, donkeys were kept tethered outside the Inn to help horses and carts up the hill;  it officially became named this in 1947.<ref>[http://www.donkeytilford.co.uk/pdfs/DonkeyHistory.pdf History and the Donkey] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225164558/http://www.donkeytilford.co.uk/pdfs/DonkeyHistory.pdf |date=25 February 2012 }}</ref>

{{Geographic location
|title     = '''Nearest Settlements'''
|Centre    = Elstead
|North     = [[Gatwick, Surrey|Gatwick (the hamlet)]] in <br /> [[Shackleford]] 
|Northeast = [[Peper Harow]]<br />[[Puttenham, Surrey|Puttenham]] 
|East      = [[Milford, Surrey|Milford]]
|Southeast = [[Witley]]
|South     = [[Thursley]] 
|Southwest = [[Rushmoor, Surrey|Rushmoor]]<br />[[Churt]]
|West      = [[Tilford]]
|Northwest = [[Seale and Sands]]<br />Moor Park, [[Runfold]]
}}