Section 42

Colden Common to Shawford

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 42 Out

Colden Common to Shawford

Map: OS Explorer 132 Winchester

Distance: 4 miles/ 2 hours

Start: The Rising Sun pub at Colden. Ask at pub for parking if intending to patronize, otherwise possible on-street parking.

Comment: A short and very pleasant section mostly along the River Itchen Navigation. This is one of the best river walks I can remember with varied walking, natural history and industrial heritage. Some stiles at start and a short section of roadwalking needing care. The river path goes very close to the water.

From The Rising Sun pub, turn back up the unmade road which runs up the side. Keep up to the top, passing allotments. At the end, continue on an enclosed path between fence and hedge, to a road.

Turn left for a few paces, then cross to a footpath through trees. Keep straight on for a few paces, with a fence on your left. But then turn right on a path down by the side of houses.

Follow this path as it swings right, then left, then continue down to pass a school and reach a road.

Cross the road to Upper Moors Road opposite and turn left along the asphalt path parallel with the road. Keep on along this path, separated from the road by a line of bushes. Ignore side turnings.

After the bushes end, reach a line of white safety railings between path and road. By Garfield House, turn right, across the road to a metal kissing gate into a field. Go ahead down the field, parallel with the hedge on your right. In the next field keep on with a wire fence on your right. At bottom go down steps to a main road.

Cross with great care to a grassy green opposite (the crossing is dangerous because of the bend; take extra care). Nearby is the Dog & Crook pub and the Brambridge shop.

Bear left across the grass to a metal fieldgate by the end of The Crescent cottages. Go down a footpath which starts here. Soon go through a metal kissing gate into a field and continue along the field edge (ignore a footpath off right).

Reach another metal kissing gate and enter a woodland path which eventually reaches a narrow road called Lordswood. Turn right along this road for 30 metres then right again over a stile into a horse paddock.

Bear diagonally across the paddock to a stile in the far corner. Cross this and keep on diagonally left across the centre of the next rough field towards a section of wooden fencing in the far opposite corner. There is an attempt at a stile here but basically it is a wooden fence which has to be climbed.

Emerge onto a road. Bear slightly right and cross to a metal kissing gate into a field. Bear diagonally left across this field just right of the far opposite corner. Go through the hedge and a metal kissing gate and keep on to a further kissing gate.

Enter a large field and keep forward to one more kissing gate and at the far side a final wooden kissing gate out to a road. Turn left on this road with special attention as there is no verge. Pass a garden centre entrance then wind around over a bridge to cross a further white railed bridge over the River Itchen.

Immediately turn right, off the road and down onto a path

With the river on your right. This path goes all the way to Shawford and is well signed so no further instructions are necessary. Stay by the river and ignore side turnings. Midway the path crosses to the other side of the river, then crosses back.

Soon after this the path emerges onto a road with the concrete embankment of the railway close by. In a short distance an informal path (no signs), drops down by the river again. This is narrow but well used. It soon returns to the road again. A little while further the path officially goes right again off the road. After some cottages the path is metalled and soon reaches a road bridge. On your left is the railway bridge and the station, and also The Bridge Inn at Shawford and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 42 Return

Colden Common to Shawford

Map: OS Explorer 132 Winchester

Distance: 3 ½ miles/ 2 hours

Start: The Bridge Inn by Shawford Station. Ask at the inn about using the car park. Very limited on-road parking.

Comment: This is a short and very pleasant walk back with an outstanding church, a conservation water meadow and an excellent woodland path. There is a short section of main road walking towards the end and a final path with a gate that refused to open and had to be climbed. These are Robust Rambles.

Walk back down the road away from the railway and the inn. Cross the river bridge and keep on along the road for 200 metres. On a long right bend, turn left off the road through a wooden kissing gate into a meadow with unusual British White cattle grazing.

Go diagonally left on a path across the open meadow, heading generally, for the church tower up on the hill. At the far side reach a footbridge at the end of a hedgerow. Cross and bear right.

Soon exit the meadow through a wooden kissing gate, and cross a bridge to reach the bottom end of the churchyard. Leave the main path and take a narrow gravel path up through the churchyard to the church itself. This is a splendid building by the famous Victorian architect, Alfred Waterhouse, and well worth a visit.

Continue past the church on your left side and reach a wrought iron fieldgate on your right. Turn right through this gateway onto a broad gravel track. Go forward to a metal fieldgate with a field beyond.

Here bear left onto a narrow path between wire fences. After some way this drops down to reach a main road. Continue along the road to a set of traffic lights in Twyford. Bear left to cross the road and reach the Post Office and village store. Go left down the side, along Hazeley Road. There is an excellent café located below the Post Office.

In a few paces pass a side road on your right, then a dentist, immediately turn right up an enclosed footpath just before Roman Road. At the end emerge onto a narrow road.

Turn right a few paces then immediately left through metal gates into allotments. Go down by the hedge on your right. At the bottom enter a recreation ground.

The path here basically goes straight across a cricket pitch to the far side. The way marks take you sharp left, up to a car park, then right, to pass a pavilion, then down to an enclosed children’s play area. Behind this is the entrance to the footpath.

Keep up this wooded footpath for half a mile with fields in a valley down on your left, ignore side turnings.

On reaching an open space with majestic trees, bear right onto a farm track. Follow this along the edge of a field with a wood on your left. Ignore a footpath off right along a hedgerow, and keep forward along the field edge.

Reach a gap in the hedge on your left and a crossing of tracks. Turn right along a broad farm track between fields (the hedges have gone). Stay on this for a considerable distance. Pass through farm buildings and bear right, still on the track which is now a substantial vehicle drive. Eventually reach a main road.

This road is very busy but there is a reasonable pavement. Turn left along it for ¼ mile. Soon reach the outskirts of Colden Common. At an Indian Restaurant on the right cross to the other side where the pavement is wider. Continue along the road, now with houses on your right. Look for a wide gravel bridleway going down to the right between houses. There is a short concrete post by the pavement and a waymark post the other side of the road.

At the back of the houses there is an equestrian gate onto an enclosed path (this refused to open and had to be climbed), a second gate (open) led into a field. Go straight down the field by the wire fence towards a road at the far side. Gates in the far corner were locked, but it was possible to climb through the wooden fence and exit onto a road junction.

If this path proves impossible, go back to the main road and continue along. On reaching New Road, turn right, all the way along it and left at the end.

Otherwise, at the road junction turn sharp left down the side road. Pass the end of Orchard Close on your left and continue past the end of New Road. Soon drop down to a roundabout.

Turn left here to return to The Rising Sun and the start of the section.