(35) CHILBOLTON - LECKFORD  - STOCKBRIDGE.

 

Start:- West Down, Chilbolton. Over the bridge from the Mayfly. Map ref. 383389.

Cross the road and go down the footpath to the left of the tall brick wall. Turn left under the road bridge onto the old railway line - the Test Way.  Follow this green corridor to 1.5km after Leckford*{you may see the Leckford shop on your left through the hedges -keep going .You may also see a sign for the golf course on your left ; again, KEEP GOING}-some way ahead you turn left  where there is an overgrown metal tube kiss gate on the left.   It is easy to miss.  This leads out over the road to the Leckford golf course.  The metalled road becomes a track to the right of the golf course and then becomes a path that leads up to the A30.   Turn right on the A30 and go to Fair View Farm.

Enter the farm gate and swing round to the left on the road that leads to the caravan park. (Don’t go straight ahead into the field and then round to the left.)  Keep the caravans on your left and the road becomes a track and then a grassy path forks off on the right between two hedges.  This leads up to a 5-bar gate at the foot of the escarpment of Stockbridge Down.  If you are tough enough you could scramble up through the brush to the top, but it is easier to turn right and follow the path along the foot of the slope and it gradually rises up and emerges onto the Down near the Stockbridge Winchester road   Turn left and climb gently up towards Woolbury Ring..*{you are looking for a gate-it can be found eventually by going up the downs and following the perimeter until you see the gate on the left-you have to follow the perimeter for some distance -you are going in the general direction of a small carpark at the end of the Downs i.e. towards Winchester-the gate is up a short track on the left -Here follows more specific info how to find the gate }* Just before the ring on the right there is a grassy path leading S.E. down alongside the earthwork.  After 600m or 2/3rds of the way down there is a path  at right angles off to the left going up N.E. through a gate.  Follow this 1km to a small road.  Turn left 600m to the grassy triangle on the opposite side of which there is a metalled lane - the other side of the A30 - which leads past Leckford Camp and Leckford New Farm to the Leckford - Leckford Hut road.  Turn right on this road and follow it to about 150m past the sharp right turn.  On the left, just under some low power lines there is a ‘permitted path’ leading to the radio telescope.  This path is  rather overgrown and needs to be regularly walked to keep it clear.  At the telescope the path is clearer.  The end of the path turns sharp left and leads you to the top of West Down, Chilbolton.  Here you can take almost any path over to the western corner of the Down and the car park.

Distance:- 13km - 8.2 miles.

 

This is fairly heavy walking, particularly along the ‘permitted path’, but the hills are not very steep.  Varied walking across downs small roads and leafy lanes.

(36) CHILBOLTON - WHERWELL - HAREWOOD  FOREST.

 

Start:-   West Down, Chilbolton.  Parking for 5 or 6 cars.

Go up onto the Down and up the hill 30m to the seat.  Here take the path that leads parallel to the road and down into Chilbolton itself.  Turn left on the main road and 20 m back there is a gate to a small garden. The Test Way goes on from here. Follow the Test Way signs through Chilbolton Common over the rivers to Wherwell (hopefully the bridge will be repaired by this time). At the Wherwell road turn left and immediatly right up onto the path above the houses.  This path, still the Test Way, leads round to the right to the hairpin bend above the village. Go down the road 30m and on the left the Test Way sign points to a small path leading gently upwards a short way.  Follow this past the back gardens of houses and on past the front of some small houses this leads on into New Barn Lane. 

Follow the Test Way signs up past New Barn - now rather old - and along the edge of Hassock Copse and Park Brow Copse.  Turn right, S, at the edge of the field, 395426.  This track leads into a copse and, bearing slightly left, out again on the other side. Follow the edge of this field 100m, through the gap on the right and on down the edge of the next field. This leads down to the Wherwell - Longparish road. Turn right to the outskirts of Wherwell and left down the road to Chilbolton. After the bridge at the bend there is a stile on the right, this leads over the field, through a hedge and across to a stile onto Winchester Road,  Chilbolton.  Follow this road for 200m and there is a stile on the right that leads back to Chilbolton Common.  Take the same route back to the car park

Distance:  9 km. - 5.6 miles.

This is not difficult walking but has quite a few short ups and downs.

 

(37) HAREWOOD FOREST.

 

Start: On the Winchester Road to Wherwell at 375422 at the edge of the wood.

Sufficient parking for three cars only.

Walk some 700m along the road towards Wherwell to a track on the left shortly after Windwhistle Cottage.  Follow this track along the edges of the fields to New Barn and turn left up past a pretty little country cottage.  This is the Test Way, follow this along the lane to the edge of the wood and round to the right to Park Farm. Here turn left round the farm, due N for 250m where the Test Way turns right, due E.  Follow this past the pinewood on the right to the gates. Turn left just after the gates and take the righthand (the lesser) of the two tracks for about 1km where you come to cross paths.  Straight on leads down to the road, right is private so turn left, just S of W.  Follow this for 2.5km over the path crossing along the edge of a field, round the right side of a little wood, through the hedge and westwards down the edge of the field to 374431. Turn right here along a wide track back to the start point.

Most of this walk is on tracks rather than small paths.

Distance:  8km - 5 miles.

 (38) MIDDLE WAY - LONGPARISH - TEST WAY.

 

Start: On Middleway at 405450. Parking along the side of the road.

Go through the gate on the right and then SE along the bottom of the field and follow this path  for about 1km till it comes to a cart track. Don’t follow the track, the path drifts off up to the right up to the top of the hill. At the top there is a path off to the left at 412438. This takes you over the old railway and down to the Longparish road at Forton.  Cross over this road and go down the small lane and round to the left along the Test Way leaving it by a footpath straight ahead when the road turns sharp left. This footpath leads round the back of the church to the road again. Turn left on the road and right down the footpath behind the pub.  After the recreation ground pass in front of a few houses and turn left up the Test Way (clearly waymarked) for nearly 3km to the Andover Whitchurch road.  Continue over the road and follow the Test Way to the right of Fox Cottages round the field and off to the right, N, to Faulkners Down Farm.  Don’t follow the Test Way round the farm to the right, go straight on, on the grassy track, left round the wood at the top of the hill and back to the Whitchurch road again past Andover Down Farm. Slightly to the right of where you come onto the road there is a footpath into Houndshott Copse. This leads through the wood on a well beaten path to the right hand edge of a field and back to  Middleway.

Distance: 9.25km - 6 miles

(39) BARTON STACEY -  BRANSBURY - NEWTON STACEY.

 

Start: Barton Stacey, in the car park by the church.  There is a car park for the recreation ground which may be full if it is a football day.

Go  North along the road past the church and down to the bridge. Be careful on this section of road as it is narrow with high banks and no footpath.  Just past the fishing pond on the left there is a footpath sign.  Take this path/track and follow it through to Bransbury.  The path becomes a road. Turn left at the “T” junction and go along the road to the next bridge over the river.  Just after this bridge there is a track on the right but there is no footpath sign.  After 50 meters there is a side track on the left which goes, if you want,  direct back to Barton Stacey.  Follow the main track which leads along the edge of a bit of woodland and onto a marshy bit of field.  Follow the edge of this field  and at the end there is a gate on the left, (not the one straight ahead) which leads to a track on the old roman road.  Follow this old road 100 m uphill and swing round to the right on the main track. (You can go straight ahead here and cut off a bit).  This main track leads round past an old gravel pit, some buildings and houses as you come into Newton Stacey.  Turn left at the road and go up to the bend. (On the left is the track you come up if you take the short cut mentioned above.)

Nearly straight ahead is a footpath through the hedge and across the field to the road.  Cross this road and go over the next field provided that the red danger flags are not flying.  If you can’t see the path on the field or in the crop then carefully take your direction, due East, from the footpath signpost or by compass.  Half way up this field you can look back and check your direction from a sight of  the path in the previous field. You should be directly in line.  At the other side of this field there is a track leading ENE, this leads you straight back to the Barton Stacey recreation ground.

 

Distance:  7 km -  4.5 miles.

This is easy walking but could be very squelchy underfoot in wet weather.

(40) LONGPARISH - FIRGO FARM. 

This has been removed as parts go over private land.

 

Start:  By the river at Longparish, 445448.  Plenty of parking.

(41) LONGPARISH - WHITCHURCH.

 

Start:  Longparish  at 445448,  plenty of parking.

Go ENE up the footpath to the road, and along that 500m to Firgo Lane (track).  Turn right up there to Firgo Farm.  At the access lane turn left and go across the A34 to Tufton Warren Farm.  The traffic is extremely fast on the A34 and great care must be taken when crossing.  There is a central reservation so the two lanes can be crossed separately.

Go straight through the farm and onto the Byway opposite.  After 400m there are  right and left turns ending up WNW.  Follow this 300m and turn left onto a wooded footpath which leads on over fields to Whitchurch. It has fine views over Whitchurch and back to Danebury. On arriving at the Winchester Road in Whitchurch turn left and pass under the bypass, through Tufton and back along the road to the start.

Distance:  10.5km - 6.6 miles.

(42) WHITCHURCH - LAVERSTOKE.

Start : Bell St car park.

Turn left out of the car park and right up Upper Evingar Road.  This turns round to the right and reaches the Newbury Road.  Go straight across and at the end of the made up road, turn left and enter a field.  Go slightly leftwards and downhill diagonally across the field to beside the railway. At the bottom corner there is a stile and a small road go under the railway, turn right over a another stile and follow the right hand edge of the field down to the bottom and up the hedge to the Harroway.

Follow the Harroway right for about 1.200km over two road junctions to Ash Bed Plantation.  Here there is a track leaving on the right almost straight ahead. If you miss this track turn right up Twinley Lane and regain the track on the left 30 m. on.  After about 300m, at the next cross track, turn right, S, and follow this down to  Home Farm where the track becomes a small metalled lane.  Immediatly after all the farm buildings the lane turns right, go 100m  and turn left at the footpath sign, over the field and down past the church at Laverstoke.

At the road turn left 200m and just after the bridge there is a footpath going due south towards the Laverstoke Micheldever  road. Go only 30m into the field to the corner of the garden and turn sharp right and follow along the edge of the field to the stile.  Now turn left up the track for some 50 m then right over a stile into the field.  Follow this line and path straight on over a stile at the end of the field and go dowh to the house near the river. Here it is worth a short deviation to look off the bridge up and down the trout river. Go back again from the bridge and bear round to the right towards the mill.  On the left of the old mill house there is a path going up past the wood palings and later past a garden wall.  This leads up into a field, follow the bottom side of the field to the stile at the end.  Ahead the path passes below a steep bank to beside the river as it approaches Whitchurch. You don’t really see much of the river. After some twists and turns past the school you must turn right onto a made up path alongside a small recreation ground, this leads onto the Winchester Road opposite the Silk Mill.  Turn right and go back through the centre up to the start point.

Distance: 8.5km -  5.3 miles.

 (43) WHITCHURCH NORTHWESTWARDS.

 

Start:  Bell St car park, Whitchurch.

Come out of the car park and turn left. Go under the old railway bridge and after Manor Farm  there is a footpath/track on the left  which leads through a wide subway under the A34.  Go straight ahead along the track to a stile ahead leading onto a path through Cowdown Copse to the railway bridge over the Whitchurch/Walworth road.  Go through the bridge and turn left, N, up the road past New Barn Farm. After  about 1.700km you come to Hogdigging Copse.  About 150 m past the copse there is a track on the right where the road bears left. (Don’t take the first track immediately after the the copse).  Follow this path for 600m to Cooper’s in the Wood Farm. This no longer looks like a farm and appears deserted.  Turn right, S, down a track which leads over the Harroway to Down Farm.  Go past the tennis courts and on to the end of the first field. Turn left and follow the fence line westwards till it leads over a bridge over the A34. and over a field.   Turn right along the side of the old railway cutting joining the old railway itself at the bottom of the hill. Go under the bridge and straight on.  This leads into the top of Upper Evingar Road and back to the car park.

Distance:  9km. -  5.6 miles.

(44) ST MARYBOURNE - EGBURY - BINLEY

Start at the recreation ground car park. Plenty of parking space.

Go over the bridge into the square and round to the left onto the Wadwick road. Just to the right of  the entrance to Joe Hirst’s scrap yard there are some steps up to a path.  This leads up along the righthand fence of the scrap yard up to the woodland burial ground.  Go straight on past the Pick-Your-Own field on the right at Breach Farm, past Cold Harbour and Downhams Copse to Egbury.  With  the Egbury road zigzag on your right at 436523, turn left up the track over to Wadwick. Here turn left and immediatly right onto a steep little bit of path beside a garden. This path  has a hedge on each side. When the path comes out onto the left side field (by a footpath arrow sign) then strike straight across that field to the opening on the other side of the field. After the opening , bear slightly left to keep the bit of wood on your right. The cart track leads down to Binley coming out near the old Hurdler’s Arms, now a private house. (If it is springtime be sure to take a small diversion down the Stoke road and look at the spread of spring flowers in the field on the right looking up towards the big house.)  Turn left on the road and go up the hill, SSE.  At the top of the hill, just before the bungalow, there is a track on the right, Long Hedge Drove.  This leads down through Rowe Farm to Gangbridge Lane.  Turn left and walk along the lane to the main valley road, cross over and go down the lane past the school. At the end, on the left, there is a footpath that leads round the backs of the houses, across the Andover Road to the recreation ground.

Distance: 8km - 5 miles.  

(45) ST MARYBOURNE - EGBURY - COOPERS IN THE WOOD.

Start:  St Marybourne recreation ground car park. Plenty of parking.

Go to the far, S, corner of the recreation ground and turn left along the back of the lake to the road at the end.  Go right up the road about 300m and part way up the hill there is a stile on the left just below the house.   Go over this and diagonally across the field down to the river where there is a small footbridge.  Follow the path onto the valley road and turn right.  In 30m there is a footpath on the left between the drive of one house and the garden of the next.  This footpath leads straight along the edge of  three fields and skirts the southern edge of Hogdigging copse before reaching the Whitchurch - St Marybourne road.  Turn left and immediately right after the wood.  There is a nice green track leading along the NW edge of the wood to the Egbury Road.  Here be careful not to be fooled into going straight on in the same line; turn left on the road and right after 150m down a track.  This leads up to a cross track at Cooper’s in the Wood  Farm.  Turn left, N.W.  There is a little shelter for a short break at this derelict farm.

Follow this track  generally NW up to the Egbury-Dunley  road, go right and left and over the field to Egbury village.  In the village turn left and continue down this road to the zigzag.  Turn right round the smart brick & flint house (two farm labourers cottages knocked into one large house) and at the back of their garden turn left onto a footpath over the field.  Follow this footpath over the fields past the Pick-Your-Own field on the left, past the new Woodland burial site and the path arrives at S.M.B. down beside Joe.Hirst’s scrap yard.  Follow the road left to the square - the Summerhaugh - over the bridge and back to the recreation ground.

Distance:  8.25km - 5.2 miles.

 

(46) ST MARYBOURNE - LOWER WYKE

 

Start:   St Marybourne Recreation Ground.

Go SSW along the left side of the recreation ground and straight up the hill and onto the track of the old Portway roman road.  When you reach the tarmacked road turn left down the track and onto the Test Way at 412493. Follow this past Lower Wyke Farm over the railway  and road to Faulkner’s Down Farm. Go left across the front of the farm, down right past the midden to Fox Cottages and the Hurstbourne Priors Road.  Turn left along the road, 500m, and there is a cart track on the right just before the houses.  Follow this over the old railway to Tracy’s Dell, then turn left and go back, NE, to Faulkener’s Cross.  Straight on takes you back, NE, to a quiet lane that leads to Apsley Farm. Go straight on over the Walworth road and over the railway and follow the path back to 417497 where it crosses the Test Way. Turn right onto the Test Way and follow that back to SMB.

 

Distance :- 11.25km – 7.3 miles.

(47) DOILEY BOTTOM - BINLEY - STOKE HOLLOW.

 

Start: Doiley bottom car park.

Go 50m on the Newbury road and take the track on the right towards Crux Easton. At the start of the woodat 413552, where the track swings round to the right go nearly due Sto the west side of the wooddown to Lye Farm.  Follow this access road due S. and then E to the  top of Binley village.  Before you enter the village turn right onto a footpath up the bank just before the house on the right hand side.  Follow this path through to the South of Slade Bottom Farm  and over to the top of Stoke Hollow.  Go on 150m down the road and turn right down the Doiley Bottom road.  After 700m there is a footpath on the left to Priors Farm.  Go round the farm and follow the track on to the valley road at Valley Farm.  Turn right along the B3048  road to 392526 and turn right up the track to Juniper Down.  (There used to be decoy landing lights here during the WW2 but I don’t know if they were ever bombed.)  This track comes back to the Doiley Bottom road which leads back to the start.

Distance: 10km - 6.25 miles.

The walk along the Stoke road may be a bit busy. To avoid this it may be possible to go down a track from Priors FarmWNW o the top of Juniper Downand down throught thescrub to the track at the bottom.

 

(48) EGBURY -  COOPER’S IN THE WOOD FARM - BINLEY.

Start: Egbury. in the centre of the village. A little parking on the side of the road.

Go to the east end of the village and turn right at the Tee junction, 439526.  Follow the road about 300m uphill and take the track on the left at 440524. This leads over the fields past a small zigzag to Cooper’s in the Wood Farm. (This “farm” is only a barn in a derilict wood).  After about 100m turn right at  448513 and go WSW down to the Egbury road.  Turn right, N, up the road  800m to Egbury Castle Farm. Here turn left down a small road (don’t go through the farm) to 433513 and take the track on the right going NW. Follow this over the St Mary Bourne road 500m up to Cold Harbour where there is a footpath on the right going NNE.  Follow this for 1km till it meets a track at a Tee. ( For a very short walk turn right and go back to the start 5.25km - 3.25 miles.)   Turn left and follow this track800m to Wadwick.  Turn right up the road 300 m and right again just alongside the wood and the track leads back  to  Egbury. 6.75km - 4.2 miles.  

Distance: 6.75km - 4.25 miles.

(49) WADWICK - BINLEY - WOODCOTT

Start:  Near Wadwick House.  Parking for only one or two cars.

Go up the road past Wadwick house and there is a footpath on the left going up immediatly  through this gate and, keeping the large house on your left side go over the grass to the gateway on the lane to the house.  Here you go left along the fence/hedge to the stile and turn right down 100m into Binley  near the old Hurdlers Arms. (Here, if it is spring time it is worth going 100m down the Stoke road ahead and viewing the magnificent display of wild flowers, primroses, daffodils and bluebells in the wood/field on the right behind the old Hurdlers.)  On the road  turn right and go up through the village, more of the floweres can be seen on the way.  Continue up through the village, NW, to the ‘crossroads’ at 414537, here turn right, down the track to Sladen Green Farm.  Continue on, through the gate after the farm, straight on and finally and round Beech Hanger Copse on your right ,a total of 2km, to where there is a crossing of Bridle way and footpath at 430559.  Turn right along the edge of the field to the SE corner of the field.  This path goes through the corner of a small wood and diagonally across the field to come out on the Woodcott road. Follow this road, S, across the crossroads and about 300m after the power lines there is a track on the right through Stubbs Copse.  At the other side of the copse the track turns left and leads down to Wadwick House

Distance: 8km - 5 miles

(50) THREE LEGGED CROSS - WOODCOTT - CRUX EASTON.

Start: Near Three Legs House at  430574. Parking for 2-3 cars on the roadside.

Go N. to the main road and turn right, E, along the Wayfarers Walk. Follow this for about 3km to 448556 and turn right. This path goes down the ridge into the valley by Lower Woodcott Farm.  As you reach the road there is a footpath off to the right which leads uphill again to the Woodcott Egbury road.  Almost opposite the path continues diagonally across the field to the far right corner as indicated by the footpath sign.  Ten meters through the corner of the wood takes you to the top of the next field. Follow the right hand edge of this field and you cross a bridle way and go straight on to Crux Easton.  Here by the cross roads there is a footpath going diagonally across the field to the far right hand corner.  This leads direct to the starting point.

Distance :7km. - 4.5 miles.

Alternative:

Start : On the road N.E. out of Ashmansworth at 420580. Plenty parking on the roadside.

Go N.E. up to the Ox Drove, Wayfarers Walk and turn right, S.E.  Follow this track across the Newbury Road and on for a further 3km to 448556 and turn right.  This path goes down the ridge to Lower Woodcott Farm.  As soon as you reach the road turn right up the footpath that leads over the Egbury road.  Continue diagonally across the field, through the corner of the wood and N.E.along the right hand edge of the next field and on to Crux Easton.  At the crossroads continue straight over and follow the lane generally N.E. past the house and through a small belt of trees and over the field to the Newbury Road.  The path goes straight over the road and up the slope and over the stile. Go more or less straight on over the brow of the field and down to the left corner of the field. Here the path goes up through a small bit of wood to a second stile. Follow the righthand edge of the field to another stile and short path to the Ashmansworth road. Turn left and right again after 50m over a stile and right again round the back of the houses. This leads through the farm yard, through a front garden and then through someone’s private back garden up to the war memorial, continue N.E. up to the start.

Distance: 9.5km - 6 miles.