Robust Rambles

Section 45

Braishfield to Dunbridge

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 45  Out

Braishfield to Dunbridge

Map: OS Explorer 131 Romsey

Distance: 5.5 miles/ 3 hours

Start: The Wheatsheaf at Braishfield. Parking at the rear of the pub by recycling skips. Also further up the road at the Village Hall and shop.

Comment: A longer walk for a Summer’s day. Excellent countryside with good views. A good balance of field and woodland walking. A handful of stiles. Some of the narrower paths were overgrown in early Summer. A good church to visit at Michelmersh. The National Trust’s Mottisfont Abbey is on the route.

From The Wheatsheaf pub turn right up the main road. Ignore Common Hill Road off right and continue uphill, passing a playing field and then the entrance to the Village Hall, shop and café. Reach the war memorial. Here turn right down Dummer’s Road.

At a Y-fork bear left (signed ‘Church’) and pass a pond on  your right. At the next Y-fork, by Long Barn house, bear right, uphill. Ignore a footpath off right and keep on up an increasingly rough drive.

At the very top, in front of dauting gates, turn left on a narrow, enclosed path very overgrown in places. After some way, ignoring a footpath off right, emerge onto a road. Turn right along it.

At a crossroads, go straight over and up King’s Somborne Road. In a few paces, turn left up a gravel bridleway.

At the top of the hill pass Windmill Cottages and meet and bear left on a farm road, still slightly uphill. Keep on for some way, ignoring field entries and tracks off.

At a distinct right bend, leave the farm road and go down a narrow path between hedges (also overgrown). At the bottom emerge onto a road and turn right.

At a sharp right bend, go left, off the road, by a double metal fieldgate, onto a track under trees. Where the trees end, by old fieldgates, meet a farm track. Bear right onto this and go on downhill. There is a very overgrown section, then an easier farm track. Eventually reach a corner of woods. Ignore a footpath off right over a stile. Instead turn left downhill, still on the main track.

Reach a T-junction. Turn right to go up through the buildings of Manor Farm (on The Monarch’s Way again). Soon reach a Y-fork at Manor Farm Cottage. Bear left up to a house gate. On the right is a stile into a narrow path.

At the end exit over a stile into a field corner. Go on down the edge of the field with a wire fence on your left (ignore a footpath off left halfway down). At the far corner cross a stile into a stretch of woodland, then through a swing gate to continue up a field edge with a hedge on your right. At the top find a tiny wooden kissing gate in the fence and go through Michelmersh churchyard. The church is well worth a visit with its unusual wooden tower and medieval stained glass to be seen.

Leave the churchyard onto a road and turn right. In 10 metres, turn left into a footpath enclosed between wire fences. Cross a stile at the end, into a field and go on down with a hedge on your left.

At the bottom of the field, turn right on a broad green way, uphill between vast fields. At the top go through trees. Cross a farm track in the middle and continue to a metal kissing gate. Enter a field; great views here.

Bear left down and across the field passing a telegraph pole to reach the hedge at the far side. Go on down the field edge with the hedge on your right. Look out for a metal kissing gate down a bank on your right. Through this go down a very steep path.

Go through another kissing gate at the bottom and then diagonally right across and down a field to a metal fieldgate at the bottom. Cross the stile next to it with care onto a busy main road.

Cross the road to an enclosed path the other side. Drop down to a private drive (actually an old railway). Go straight over to reach and cross a bridge over the River Test. At the far side go straight up to a wooden fieldgate. Cross a stile at the side and continue forwards towards a lone tree following white posts.

At the far side cross a footbridge and turn left on a drive. Reach and cross Oakley Stream. Continue on for a short distance. On reaching a farm outhouse on your right, look for a wooden swing gate in the hedge on your left. Go through to a path enclosed between fences.

Follow this easy path for a good distance, eventually going uphill by a hedge to emerge onto a road. Turn left downhill.

Begin to pass the grounds of Mottisfont Abbey. Ignore the first road off right. At a lefthand bend go right on a side road, Hatt Lane, which soon becomes a track with a hedge on your left.

At a corner of the field on your left, turn left on a path through the hedge then immediately right through next hedge into field on your right.

Go diagonally left, down and across the corner of the field, then through trees to a further field.

Keep on, diagonally across centre of this field, to the far opposite corner and emerge onto a road.

Turn left a short distance to pass Dunbridge Station and arrive at a road junction. Over this is The Mill Arms and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 45  Return

Dunbridge to Braishfield

Map: OS Explorer 131 Romsey

Distance: 4.5 miles/ 3.5 hours

Start: The Mill Arms pub at Dunbridge, large car park behind.

Comment: A tricky walk back as re-crossing the River Test involves road walking. However there is much pleasant countryside after that with some good views. A few stiles.

With the Mill Arms pub behind turn right, then immediately right again up the side of the pub and past the car park on the right.

At the top of the rise, turn right into woods, uphill, on a clear path.

Follow an undulating path straight through woods to a stile at the far side.

Cross and turn left a short way down to the field corner, then follow the field edge around to the right and on up by trees on the left.

Continue on the track up the open field to T-junction with a gravel farm track.

Turn right for 50 metres then left on a footpath woth a fence on your right.

In 100 metres turn left on a side path going across the field to a corner of woods and continue along the wood edge.

Where wood ends, go downhill, across a large field, to a hedge. Go through onto a grassy track. In a few paces turn left, then stay on track as it swings right, downhill to a road (large lake over on the right).

Cross road to go straight ahead on a track into woods. In the centre of the wood reach a crossing of tracks.

Go straight over to continue downhill. Emerge onto a road by a level crossing. Turn left over the level crossing and follow the road, with care as there are no verges. Now back on The Monarch’s Way, keep on for some way, crossing the River Test, to reach a main road.

With care cross this road to the Bear and Ragged Staff pub. Turn right, over a side road, and go along the main road for 200 metres. This is not the most desirable walking but there is a wide, flat cycle track, separated from the road by a grassy verge.

Turn first left up Hill View Road for some way. Pass business units on the left. At the top, ignore a footpath off left. A few metres further on, opposite a brick company, turn right, down through the hedge, to a swing gate into a field.

Drop down to a gate into a wood. Go on down a narrow, enclosed path for some way. Ignore a footpath off right, and stay by the iron fence on your left. Emerge through an iron kissing gate onto a road.

Turn left for 50 metres. Look for a gravel track off right. Turn up here to go between attractive detached houses. At the top reach a new housing development. Here bear right onto a grassy path (a diversion), and follow the fence down past a sports field. Keep on around, through bushes, to a stile into a field.

Bear diagonally right across this rough field to grey-green barns at the top righthand corner. Find a stile under a chestnut tree and exit onto a road at Hunt’s Farm.

Turn right on the road for some way. Ignore a side road off right and keep on uphill. Over the top a path should run along the top of the bank on the right but obviously locals do not use it, so stay on the road (however the wildflowers are very good).

At a right bend, go left over a metal stile by a large metal fieldgate and join a rough track. Just before a wood ignore a farm track off left and continue uphill. Reach a metal fieldgate barring the way at a field entrance.

Look on your right for a feint path going up into woods. Follow this path to a stile onto a downland field. Go along the top of the field with a fence on your right, with excellent views.

At the end of the ridge, drop down to a stile by a rusty fieldgate. Continue down through trees to a field corner. Go straight up the field with a hedge on your left.

At the top corner, approach a stile. Do not cross but turn right along the top edge of the field towards buildings. In the corner ahead cross a stile into an enclosed grassy path. Soon exit onto a road.

Turn right along the road to a T-junction. Here turn left for 130 metres. Just before farm buildings, go right, up a bank to a stile into a field corner. Walk up the edge of this field with a fence on your left.

Cross a stile into woods and go up a soggy path to emerge at a broad grassy track. Turn left on this and soon right. Keep on along an avenue of trees to a field corner.

Continue on uphill, along the field edge with a hedge on your left. At the end of the field cross a stile into a garden and walk down to a road.

Turn right through the village of Braishfield passing the war memorial and the village hall to return to The Wheatsheaf and the start of the section.