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    Walking Hampshire's Test Way: The long-distance trail and 15 day walks
    Walking Hampshire's Test Way: The long-distance trail and 15 day walks
    Walking Hampshire's Test Way: The long-distance trail and 15 day walks
    Ebook251 pages1 hour

    Walking Hampshire's Test Way: The long-distance trail and 15 day walks

    By Malcolm Leatherdale

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    About this ebook

    A guidebook to walking the Test Way between Inkpen Beacon in the North Wessex Downs and Eling Tide Mill near Southampton Water. Covering 71km (44 miles), this riverside route makes a gentle 8-day walk, though stages can be combined into a shorter 2–3 day overall journey. Also included are 15 circular day walks exploring the chalk downs and rolling countryside in and around the Test valley.

    The Test Way is described in 8 stages of 5–14km (3–9 miles) in length, while the day walks range from 6–14km (4–9 miles). All the described routes can be walked year-round and are suitable for walkers of all abilities, taking between 2 and 4 hours to complete.

    • 1:50,000 OS maps included for each walk
    • GPX files available to download
    • Refreshment and public transport options are given for each walk
    • Information on local history, geology and wildlife
    • Easy access from Newbury, Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCicerone Press
    Release dateJan 31, 2022
    ISBN9781783626588
    Walking Hampshire's Test Way: The long-distance trail and 15 day walks
    Author

    Malcolm Leatherdale

    Malcolm Leatherdale has a particular interest in walking and exploring his native Hampshire. He has lived for the past 15 years a stone’s throw away from the River Test and the Test Way. Malcolm is an active cyclist and also a former marathon runner having competed several times in the London Marathon. He has written several books and a number of articles.   Malcolm is also a member of The Ramblers and it is his passion for walking and being in the ‘great outdoors’ that has prompted this guidebook. His hope is that it will encourage others of all ages and abilities to experience the delights that come from walking generally and the Test Way and the wider Test Valley in particular.

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      Book preview

      Walking Hampshire's Test Way - Malcolm Leatherdale

      About the Author

      Malcolm Leatherdale has a particular interest in walking and exploring his native Hampshire. He has lived for the past 15 years a stone’s throw away from the River Test and the Test Way. Malcolm is an active cyclist and also a former marathon runner having competed several times in the London Marathon. He has written several books and a number of articles.

      Malcolm is also a member of the Ramblers and it is his passion for walking and being in the ‘great outdoors’ that has prompted this guidebook. His hope is that it will encourage others of all ages and abilities to experience the delights that come from walking generally and the Test Way and the wider Test Valley in particular.

      WALKING HAMPSHIRE’S TEST WAY

      The long-distance trail and 15 day walks

      by Malcolm Leatherdale

      JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,

      OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL

      www.cicerone.co.uk

      © Malcolm Leatherdale 2018

      First edition 2018

      Reprinted 2021 (with updates)

      ISBN 9781783626571

      Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

      © Crown copyright 2018 OS PU100012932

      Acknowledgements

      My thanks to my wife Patsie for her patience and support in getting me across the finishing line. I am also grateful to Anna Leatherdale, Laurence Martin and Tom Nixon.

      Updates to this guide

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/953/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to updates@cicerone.co.uk or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL.

      Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk.

      Front cover: Fisherman’s Hut at Longstock (Walk 8)

      CONTENTS

      Overview map

      INTRODUCTION

      Brief history of the Test Valley

      The Andover and Redbridge canal and the ‘Sprat and Winkle’ railway

      Geology and landscape

      Plants and wildlife

      Where to stay

      Getting to and around the Test Way and to the walks

      Walking the Test Way

      Cycling – the National Cycle Network and parts of the Test Way

      Maps

      Waymarking, access and rights of way

      Protecting the countryside

      Using this guide

      THE TEST WAY

      Stage 1 Inkpen Beacon to Hurstbourne Tarrant

      Stage 2 Hurstbourne Tarrant to St Mary Bourne

      Stage 3 St Mary Bourne to Longparish

      Stage 4 Longparish to Wherwell

      Stage 5 Wherwell to Stockbridge

      Stage 6 Stockbridge to Mottisfont

      Stage 7 Mottisfont to Romsey

      Stage 8 Romsey to Eling Wharf Totton

      WALKS BETWEEN INKPEN BEACON AND WHERWELL

      Walk 1 Hurstbourne Tarrant and Ibthorpe

      Walk 2 Whitchurch, Laverstoke and Freefolk

      Walk 3 Longparish, Forton, Harewood Forest and Deadman’s Plack

      Walk 4 Barton Stacey and Bransbury

      Walk 5 Wherwell and Goodworth Clatford

      WALKS BETWEEN CHILBOLTON AND STOCKBRIDGE

      Walk 6 Chilbolton, Fullerton, Goodworth Clatford and Upper Clatford

      Walk 7 Chilbolton Observatory and Chilbolton Common

      Walk 8 Danebury Iron Age hill fort and Longstock

      Walk 9 Stockbridge and Marsh Court

      Walk 10 Stockbridge Down and Little Somborne

      WALKS BETWEEN HOUGHTON AND TOTTON

      Walk 11 Houghton and Broughton

      Walk 12 Houghton, King’s Somborne and Horsebridge

      Walk 13 Stonymarsh, Mottisfont, Kimbridge and Michelmersh

      Walk 14 Lockerley, Mottisfont and Dunbridge

      Walk 15 Romsey, Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve and Greatbridge

      Appendix A Route summary tables

      Appendix B Itinerary planner

      Appendix C Accommodation near the Test Way

      Appendix D Useful contacts

      Appendix E Further reading

      From Inkpen Beakon (Stage 1)

      Test Way direction post at Mottisfont (Stage 6/Walks 13 & 14)

      INTRODUCTION

      From Houghton Bridge (Walk 12)

      For some, the magic of the River Test is all about fresh water fly-fishing but for others it is simply the lure of a sparkling river famously described as ‘gin clear’. The Test flows majestically the 40 miles (65km) from its source in the hamlet of Ashe near Overton in north Hampshire to the edge of Southampton Water. There is though, so much more to this land of vibrant green – its variety of landscape, gently sloping tree-clad hills, the occasional remnant of a former water meadow or chalk grassland – all set against a backdrop of a fascinating history and geology. Add to that the vast array of wildflowers, plants and wildlife inhabiting the various Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – including Stockbridge Down, a haven for many species of butterfly – and it is not difficult to understand the attraction of a place that so completely defines pastoral England.

      Chalk streams are a very rare breed among the various types of river that can be found on our planet. Such streams naturally occur in those areas where chalk is the main geological feature. Water seeps through the porous chalk to feed the springs that in turn give rise to rivers such as the Test. The pure water, rich in nutrients, also helps to maintain a plentiful supply of insects on which fish stocks rely (please refer to the section Geology and landscape). There are only about 200 chalk streams worldwide of which 160 are in England and the River Test − also an SSSI − is one of the finest examples.

      Some of the area’s history is quite intriguing, notably the murderous story of the Saxon Queen Elfrida and the founding of Wherwell Abbey in the 10th century. The monument known as Deadman’s Plack in Harewood Forest is also a part of that story, albeit from the 19th century. There are an infinite variety of medieval churches with their own particular histories to share; St Mary’s Church in Broughton has the distinction of hosting one of only four ecclesiastical dovecotes that remain in England.

      Nor is there any shortage of individual buildings of outstanding architectural quality as the 12th century Romsey Abbey, the resplendent Mottisfont Abbey (now owned by the National Trust) and the unique Whitchurch Silk Mill bear witness. There is also the dramatic impact of our forebears − the imposing Danebury Iron Age hill fort being one example. You can also discover the delights of the many charming villages brimming with flint and thatch and individual ‘hostelries’ to match.

      Romsey Abbey (Stage 7/Walk 15)

      The spate of canal construction that took place in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and the railway ‘mania’ that followed have also left their distinctive mark. At the ivy covered remains of the former Fullerton Junction station you can imagine that in the heyday of the Andover and Redbridge railway (generally known as the ‘Sprat and Winkle’) the scene then would have been very different from the sense of tranquillity that can now be enjoyed. Some of the old track bed also forms part of the Test Way (TW).

      The TW begins in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in West Berkshire and then runs in parallel with the Wiltshire county boundary for a short distance before crossing into Hampshire at Combe Wood. It then continues through rolling chalk downland traversing Harewood Forest either side of Longparish – which is also where the TW first meets the River Test. From the hamlet of Fullerton at the half-way point, the route joins the old track bed of the former 'Sprat and Winkle' railway, becoming flat and fairly straight as it makes its way to Mottisfont. The penultimate stage to Romsey includes Squabb Wood and the final stage to Eling Wharf at Totton crosses the unique tidal estuary Lower Test Nature Reserve.

      Last but not least, there are the 15 circular walks, which vary in length from 3.75 miles (6km) to 8.5 miles (13.75km). A few have uphill challenges (usually with rewarding views) but none are overly difficult, so when taken together with the individual stages of the TW, there is something for everyone. Ten of the walks also interweave with parts of the TW so it is possible in the course of those walks for you to achieve the best of both worlds!

      Wherwell thatch (Walk 5)

      Brief history of the Test Valley

      Dating from the Neolithic period (4500–2200BCE) there is evidence of farming activity in large parts of the Test Valley. There are relics from the Bronze Age (2200–750BCE) including barrows or burial mounds, 14 of which are to be found at Stockbridge Down (Walk 10). During the Iron Age (750BCE–43CE), a number of hill forts were constructed in and around the Test Valley including Danebury (Walk 8) and Woolbury Ring at the top of Stockbridge Down.

      The Romans who invaded in 43CE and remained until the beginning of the fifth century have also left their imprint. There is a trace of a Roman road across Bransbury Common (Walk 4) and in Harewood Forest (Stage 4). The Anglo-Saxon period (450CE–1065) saw the development of a number of settlements, particularly Romsey (Stage 7 and Walk 15) as a prominent trading centre due to its location and ecclesiastical influence.

      In medieval times the chalk downland areas were used intensively for rearing sheep – one of the most economically important activities during that period. The power inherent in the River Test spawned numerous water mills particularly around Whitchurch (Walk 2) where they were used in the production of cloth and at Laverstoke, especially in the making of paper for bank notes.

      The Andover and Redbridge canal and the ‘Sprat and Winkle’ railway

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