Robust Rambles

Section 40

Bishop's Waltham to Lower Upham

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 40  Out

Bishop’s Waltham to Lower Upham

Map: OS Explorer 119 Meon Valley

Distance: 4 miles/ 2 hours

Start: The Waltham Tandoori restaurant (former pub building), various parking opportunities around, but do seek permission if possible.

Comment: There are shops and other refreshment stops further along Bank Street in the town centre. This is a pleasant, undulating walk, enjoyable at any time of year. However, the return involves some paths which are very overgrown and slow going (take some secateurs). There are many stiles, some rather high. There is a pub at Lower Upham but the shop and other pub has closed.

With the entrance of the Waltham Tandoori restaurant behind, turn left to the road junction and left again up Free Street. Pass St. Peter’s Church Hall on you left and continue on past the vehicle entrance to St. Peter’s Church.

In a few paces more, reach a metal safety barrier in the wall on your left. Here turn left, off the road onto a wooded footpath. Follow this out to a main road. Cross and turn right along the pavement.

In 100 metres turn first left along Beeches Hill. In 20 metres turn left down the access drive to Northbrook Pumping Station. Stay on the drive as it swings right and goes uphill. Where the drive ends, continue on a wooded bridleway.

At the end reach a T-junction. Turn right on a track going uphill. Ignore the first footpath off left in the hedge and keep on up, looking out for the next footpath left, into a field corner, just past the entrance to Amblewood house.

Go along the field edge with a hedge on your left. Where the hedge ends keep on over the open field to reach a road. Cross the road to a stile opposite.

Cross into a field and go forward, heading for a house in the distance. Reach a hedge at the far side and cross a double stile. Keep on along the edge of the next field, still towards the house. At the end of the field, stick close to the hedge on your left and drop down out of the field to a stile onto a road by flint cottages.

Turn right on the road, uphill for 75 metres. Look for and turn left over a stile into grassy pasture. Go forward keeping by the hedge on your right. Go down then up for some distance. Eventually reach a substantial stile in the far corner.

Cross and continue. Soon reach a further stile into a wood. Keep on through the wood. At the far side cross a stile into a field and bear diagonally left downhill to a road at the bottom. Turn right up the road for 150 metres. At the top of the hill turn left onto an enclosed footpath by a wire fence.

At the end reach and go through a metal fieldgate. Turn left downhill on a farm track for some way. At the bottom of the hill, in front of a wood, follow the track as it turns right along the edge of the wood, then soon left uphill (ignore a footpath off right by double metal fieldgates).

At the top of the hill follow the track around to the right (ignore another path off left here). In 100 metres reach a junction by a metal barrier with a pond beyond. Here turn left through a wooden kissing gate by a metal fieldgate.

Bear right to follow the field edge with wire fence on your right. Keep by it as it zig zags left then right, around to a stile. Cross and walk down to a further stile by a metal fieldgate. Drop down to a road.

Turn left down the road. Take the next right down to a main road. Cross over to the Alma pub and pizzeria and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 40  Return

Lower Upham to Bishop’s Waltham

Map: OS Explorer 119 Meon Valley

Distance: 4 miles/ 2 hours

Start: The Alma pub and restaurant. Large car park if you intend taking refreshment here. The Village Hall car park is opposite if permission is sought.

Comment: This should be a pleasant ramble through gentle countryside. However some paths are very overgrown and slow going (take some secateurs), others need searching out. There are many stiles, some rather high. There is road walking to start with but on lightly used country ways.

With the front of the Alma pub behind, turn right, along the main road. Soon turn first right into Sciviers Lane. The old forge is on the corner, now a specialist cycle specialist.

Follow the road for some way. Round a bend to the left, look for a track off right just before Chesham Court. This is a byway, currently closed to vehicles for reinstatement, but due for reopening. The top end is very overgrown. If you do not wish to risk rough going, stay on the road and continue along. Otherwise, turn right off the road up the byway, ignoring a footpath off right.

The asphalt surface soon ends. Keep forward up the wooded track to eventually emerge onto the road. Turn right.

At the top of the hill go right, down Durley Hall Road for some way. Pass a new development on the left and, in  200 metres, reach Job’s Cottage Nursery. Immediately past the entrance, by Broke Close Farm, turn left up a footpath.

At a junction of footpaths, by fieldgates and field corners, turn left along to the style ahead. Cross and keep up the field edge with a hedge on your left. At the end of the field, cross a stile and continue forward, with the hedge on your left.

In the next corner cross a currently broken stile and a metal barrier, and continue as before. Cross a stream and go forward, across the open field. At the top corner, leave the field by a very muddy farm track (this is cattle country).

Keep up by the hedge on your left to soon reach a metal kissing gate onto a road. Turn left along the road, with CARE as there are occasional bursts of traffic as usual at speed. In 75 metres turn right off the road onto a footpath. Keep up the field edge with a hedge on your left. This path is currently very overgrown. At the top, zig zag around a house and emerge onto a road.

Turn right a few paces, then left, by old farm buildings, to a stile. Cross into a field and bear right up to an old concrete Ordnance Survey trig point. Over the top of the hill keep on down to a stile in the hedge below.

Cross and keep on down to a further stile. Go on along the bottom edge of a wood. At the end of the wood, go straight across the field to a stile in the hedge ahead (ignore a footpath off left by a metal fieldgate in the corner).

Cross the stile in the hedge to the top corner of a sloping field. Ignore a footpath turning sharp right. Instead go diagonally right down the field towards the bottom far corner, heading towards a pylon beyond.

Reach a stile just left of the corner. Cross and continue to a further stile by the pylon. Keep on again diagonally right to a kissing gate and footbridge onto a farm road.

Turn left up the farm road. Ignore a footpath off right. At the top of the hill pass concrete blocks on your right by horse paddocks. Look for a wooden kissing gate and go through to walk up an enclosed path. Soon reach a second kissing gate and continue uphill. At the top follow the path as it bears right with trees on your left.

Follow for some way, ignoring all side turnings into housing. Eventually emerge at a narrow road. Cross and continue down to a junction with a second road. Turn left down to a T-junction.

Turn right down to a large roundabout. Bear left then cross the Winchester road (B3335) to reach the Corhampton road (B3035). Cross this, then turn left up the path running along the side. On your right is a nature reserve, the remains of the North Pond which supplied water for the Bishop’s Palace in the Middle Ages.

Pass the viewing area and then reach and turn right to cross the impressive North Pond footbridge. At the far side keep forward, up through houses, then right, to emerge into a small car park.

Turn left to a crossroads. Go straight over to walk up Bank Street. Eventually the road drops down to an old pub building on your left, now the Waltham Tandoori restaurant, and start of the section.