Robust Rambles

Section 44

Hursley to Braishfield

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 44  Out

Hursley to Braishfield

Map: OS Explorer 132 Winchester  & 131 Romsey

Distance: 4.5 miles/ 2.5 hours

Start: The King’s Head at Hursley. Parking at pub by arrangement or possibly up lane opposite at rear of church.

Comment: Once again significant use of The Monarch’s Way as there continues to be no other east west paths. There are some boggy stretches in woodland but also some rewarding walking in undulating countryside. The walk skirts the Hillier Gardens which are well worth a visit.

From The King’s Head pub, cross the road and go up the access road at the side of the church with the playing field opposite. Turn left at the small car park by the church gate (do not go through it) and join a footpath going around an electricity substation.

Follow this path out to a road and go forward down the road until it finally drops down and around to meet a main road by The Dolphin pub. Turn right along the main road to a junction with part time traffic lights.

Here turn right past a tree with a circular concrete seat around it. In 20 metres turn left, over the road, to go down a school entrance road.

Turn right on approaching the school and find a grassy path going down through an avenue of young trees. This is part of the Monarch’s Way. Follow this path for ½ mile crossing a footbridge midway.

At the end cross a rough drive and begin to walk up into woods. Reach a forestry track. Turn left on this a few paces then go right to continue uphill on a boggy path for ½ mile.

Eventually emerge onto a sandy track at the top edge of the wood. Turn right still uphill. At the top bear left, down through two wooden fieldgates to join a road. Stay on this road for 200 metres down through the village of Knapp.

Look out for a break in the housing on your right (currently a horse paddock). On your left notice a metal fieldgate wrapped in barbed wire into woodland, on your right is a gravel track between metal fieldgates, with the horse paddock on your right (there is a tiny waymark disk on a gatepost). Turn into this track and go upto a metal fieldgate ahead.

Past the fieldgate reach a tree nursery. Go straight up the side to a T-junction at the top. Turn left on a gravel track a short way to a confusing junction of tracks and a fingerpost with a missing arm. Find a grassy path going gently uphill with a hedge on your left and another nursery on your right.

At the end, drop down to go through a swing gate into a wood. Go straight ahead downhill and on through woods for some way.

Eventually reach a wide, gravel forestry track. Turn left on this for ¾ mile. (ignore a bridleway crossing partway along). At a pronounced right turn by a white pole, ignore a track going off left. Keep on along the main track. Many orchids along here in early Summer.

Come to a T-junction. Here turn right, slightly uphill, on a rougher track. At a sharp righthand bend, turn off left down a grassy track. This soon reduces to a narrow footpath.

At a boggy patch the path divides. The public footpath bears slightly left up through a very wet section. Most walkers bear slightly right on a feint path. This continues through the wood to reach a T-junction with the boundary fence of the Hillier Gardens (the proper path emerges close by). Turn right here, up the path alongside the fence, now on your left.

Reach and go through a tall swing gate and follow an official diversion down the side of the Hillier Gardens to exit via another tall gate at the bottom. Cross a footbridge into a field corner, and go on down the edge with a fence and trees on your left.

At the bottom turn left across a narrow marshy patch to a footbridge at the far end. Cross to a pasture and bear left over to a metal kissing gate. Through this bear left again to a wooden swing gate in the opposite hedge.

DO NOT GO THROUGH THIS GATE but turn right, up the side of the field with a fence on your left.

At the top exit the field through a metal kissing gate, and follow a feint path past a barn over on your right. Reach another metal kissing gate and emerge into a car park.

Go over to the entrance and reach a main road and the Wheatsheaf pub in Braishfield. This is the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 44  Return

Braishfield to Hursley

Map: OS Explorer 132 Winchester  & 131 Romsey

Distance: 5 miles/ 2.5 hours

Start: The Wheatsheaf at Braishfield. The area at the back of the pub with recycling skips looks like public parking.

Comment: Once again significant use of The Monarch’s Way due to complete lack of alternative paths. The first    1 ½ miles are on a country road. Not bad walking in itself but intermittent traffic which needs constant attention. Some interesting buildings at Pucknall and peacocks. Look out for Churcher’s Barn with wonderful thatching. Nice woodland walking once off the road. The last section back to Hursley uses the route of the outward section, unfortunately through the boggy wood.

From The Wheatsheaf pub, turn right uphill, towards the village centre. In a few paces turn right into Common Hill Road and pass a school on your left.

Stay on this road for over a mile. At a bend to the right, ignore a road coming in on the left, and keep forward to

pass through the hamlet of Pucknall. The road narrows as it continues to Lower Slackstead. Here, by Abraham’s Cottage, a side road comes in and a bridleway goes off right. Ignore both and keep on along the road a further 150 metres. Pass Bells Ground Manor and reach the entrance drive to Slackstead House. Turn right down here.

The drive soon becomes a pleasant path and enters Forestry Commission woods. Keep through these woods for some way. Part way up, ignore a footpath off right into dense woods. Keep on by the fence on your left.

Follow the bridleway steadily uphill. At the top ignore another footpath off right and keep on, still slightly uphill.

Eventually emerge onto a road by detached houses. Turn left, now on The Monarch’s Way again. At a Y-fork by sheds, bear left up and past a wooden fieldgate, into woods.

Pass another wooden fieldgate and at the top of the hill bear right on the track down the edge of a conifer plantation.

Halfway down, go left into the trees (there is a fingerpost) on a woodland path. Stay on this, often boggy, path for nearly ½ mile. Reach a forestry track. Turn left on this a few paces then right, to continue down through trees.

Leave the forest and go forward on a pleasant grassy path in an avenue of trees. Keep on this straight path for ½ mile, crossing a footbridge halfway.

Finally emerge by a school. Bear left to meet a road. Turn right on this a short distance to a further junction with a main road and part time traffic lights.

Turn left here and follow the road into Hursley village. Pass the Dolphin pub and continue to the parish church on your left and the King’s Head pub on your right. This is the start of the section.