Section 47
Sherfield English to Whiteparish
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble
Section 47 Out
Sherfield English to Whiteparish
Map: OS Explorer 131 Romsey
Distance: 5 miles/ 3 hours
Start: The Hatchet pub with car park if intending to visit. Recreation field down Mill Lane has car park.
Comment: A pleasant walk with much contrast of level, farmed fields and woodland. Good views. Some roadwalking but on quiet roads for short distances. There are many stiles, some difficult to climb and some overgrown, take Secateurs.
With Hatchet pub behind, cross the main road and go up the drive opposite. Continue up past a house then through a metal fieldgate onto a grassy path.
Halfway up, turn left into the field, on a path going diagonally right up and across the field to the top opposite corner at woods.
Go through a metal kissing gate and turn left along the edge of the wood for some way. Pass old farm buildings down on the left. Where the wood ends go forward, downhill, between wooden fences.
Exit onto a road and turn left. Wind round and up to a T-junction. Turn right up the road (ignore path off right).
At a junction of ways, by houses, go straight on, down a gravel track. Stay on this for some way. Wind around Ash Hill House and continue on the same track.
Eventually a roadway comes in from the right. Just keep straight ahead, to exit onto a road.
Ignore the footpath opposite. Instead turn right on the road for ¼ mile.
After some distance, ignore a footpath off left (it’s covered in vegetation anyway) and continue uphill.
Reach the second path off left by logs. This is a bridleway. Turn left up it.
In 50 metres or so reach a cross path. Ignore the stile on the right. Turn left by a hidden stile through trees to a field corner.
Turn left along he field edge for a good distance.
Pass through two metal fieldgates then on up an overgrown track.
At the top pass farm buildings and reach a junction of farm tracks.
Bear slightly right to a metal fieldgate into the field ahead. Go forward a few paces then bear diagonally right down and across the field. Look for the line of trees down on your right and head for the left end.
Cross a stile at the bottom onto a rough vehicle drive and go over to steps leading down into a wood.
At the far side cross a stile into a field and go up to a second stile. Cross and continue to a third stile (broken) leading onto a vehicle drive. Cross to a fourth stile into a wood.
Go through to a fifth stile into a large pasture. Bear diagonally right, down and across the centre to the far opposite corner.
Cross a stile here and immediately turn right along to a road. Cross this to a gap by a (broken) stile opposite and go straight across the field ahead.
Go through a treeline at the far side and cross a stile, then on, diagonally right across the next field.
At the far side turn left onto a cross path and go down and up the field to reach houses. Follow the path through to a main road.
Turn right for 150 metres to reach the Parish Lantern pub and the end of the section.
Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble
Section 47 Return
Whiteparish to Sherfield English
Map: OS Explorer 131 Romsey
Distance: 5.5 miles/ 3 hours
Start: The Parish Lantern pub with car park if intending to visit. Some on road parking.
Comment: A varied walk with much contrast of level, pastures and woodland. Good views. Some roadwalking but on quiet roads for short distances. Again there are many stiles, some difficult to climb and some overgrown, take Secateurs. Some paths in woodlands are difficult to find. All this made for slow going so leave plenty of time.
With the Parish Lantern pub behind, turn left to go down the side of the pub on a tarmac drive.
Keep straight down, pass a stile off left and continue through a wooden fieldgate towards a house.
At the bottom of the slope go forward over a brick and concrete bridge, and on up the edge of a meadow with a hedge on your left.
At the top of the hill cross three stiles into a large sloping pasture. Keep on down by hedge and trees on your left.
In the bottom corner go through a metal kissing gate and then on to another. Go ahead to a narrow footbridge in tyrees and up to another metal kissing gate and footbridge.
Go straight up the side of the field ahead. At the top corner go through a metal kissing gate into a wood. Wind through this peasant mixed woodland to a road.
Turn left on this road for 100 metres. Around a bend pass pass a wooden telegraph pole and your right. Just beyond, turn right onto a path going uphill into woods.
At the top cross a drive to Squirrel’s Holt down on your right and continue into woods.
In a short distance, just before fallen trees look for a feint path off right. Turn right on this to a broken stile leaving the woods onto the edge of a large field.
Go straight up the field, past a lone tree, to a gap in the hedge at the top.
Bear slightly right across the next field to a kink in the treeline ahead. Find a broken stile out to a drive.
Turn right on the drive. At a sharp right bend, bear left, off the drive, into a field and go diagonally right across it. Pass through some massive trees in the field to reach a stile at the far side by corrugated iron sheds.
Cross stile and turn immediately right by a fence on your right through bushes to a drive.
Turn left on this drive and go along the front of impressive MockTudor buildings of a school.
Immediately past the last building, turn right on a tarmac drive, winding past a house on your right, then down into open country between fences.
On reaching a T-junction, turn right for 20 metres, then left, at a farm entrance, to a narrow path going sharp left enclosed between fence and tall hedge.
Exit through a wooden gate and turn right on a drive. Where drive bears left, go straight over to a stile and on down the edge of a field to woods.
Cross a stile and continue down through the woods for 30 metres. Look for a feint path off left (there are waymarks here). Turn left along it.
Cross a plank bridge and go through a metal swing gate and on down a narrow path between wire fence and bushes. Potter along through trees and two further improvised metal kissing gates.
Enter a field and go along the bottom edge. In the next corner bear left through a gap and on to an old gate and footbridge to a road.
Bear left across to a path opposite. Cross a stile into a field corner and turn left along the edge. At a corner go forward to a stile by a metal fieldgate and on to a further stile.
The path is quite difficult now. Bear slightly right across the two fields ahead to the last corner. Find an old stile and footbridge.
Go straight ahead across the top of paddocks to a wooden gate with stile by the side (there are caravans ahead).
Go through and turn sharp right down the pasture to a damaged metal fieldgate in the bottom corner, out to a road.
Turn left on the road to a T-junction then left again for 200 metres up Mill Lane to reach a main road with the Hatchet pub on your left and the start of the section.