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Dean to Mottisfont walk

Remote West Hampshire: varied Woodlands, the scenic valleys of the Wallop Brook and the Dun and Test Rivers and Broughton Down Nature Reserve

Hampshire Long

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 30-Apr-22 Saturday Walk - Varied Woods, Bluebells, the Dun, Wallop Brook & Test Valleys and Broughton Down: Dean to Mottisfont & Dunbridge [Swimming Walk] 6 warm and sunny
Wed, 05-Jul-17 b Wednesday Walk - South West Trains Spring Offer – All Things Clarendon: Salisbury to Dean [The Clarendon Way] [Roche Court Art Centre] 5 boiling hot sun
Sat, 23-Jul-16 Saturday Second Walk - Dean to Mottisfont & Dunbridge (Test Valley and surrounding Downs) 10 hot
Thomas G
DAC is away...
Length: 27.7 km (17.2 mi) [shorter option: 22.6 km/14.1 mi, splits post-lunch]
Ascent/Descent: 438/453 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½ hours [short walk: 326/341m, 5 hrs]
Toughness: 7 out of 10 [short walk: 5 out of 10]
09.20 Exeter St. David’s train from Waterloo (09.27 CJ), changing at Salisbury for Chandler’s Ford (arrives 10.42, usually platform 4; departs 10.56, usually platform 6), arrives Dean 11.08.
Return from Mottisfont & Dunbridge at xx.56 via Salisbury (from 113 mins journey time) or at xx.14 via Southampton Central (125 mins journey time). Buy a Mottisfont Return.
Or make it a weekend: stay at The Mill Arms Inn in Dunbridge and explore Mottisfont Abbey & Gardens and/or walk all or part of SWC 58 (Dunbridge to Romsey) on Sunday.
This walk explores woods and rolling chalk hills in the Dun, Wallop Brook and Test Valleys of remote West Hampshire. Rising out of the Dun Valley through varied woods and along field boundaries and farm tracks (some tarmacked), the walk takes on a very different aspect upon approaching the steep sided chalk downs near Broughton, with splendid views north east across the Wallop Brook valley. After lunch in Broughton you follow the rim of the wide valley south easterly to cross the meadows of the Test River, Hampshire's longest and finest chalk stream. The Test is a prominent feature of the afternoon, as its several arms are crossed twice.
In between you climb again, up to the hills along the easterly side of the Test valley, walk through some quiet woods and past scenic side valleys to then steeply descend back to the Test Meadows. The finish is through the NT-owned Mottisfont Estate, past Mottisfont Abbey, a historical priory, and its grounds, as well as the 12th century St. Andrews church, one of the few Grade I-listed churches (on a short diversion).
The River Test offers a great wild swimming opportunity mid-afternoon.
Lunch: The Greyhound, in Broughton (11.4 km/7.1 mi, food to 14.30), as well as an earlier option and a couple of later options (on the full walk only) [see page 2 of the pdf for details].
Tea: The Mill Arms Inn in Dunbridge, metres from the station, or one of the options at Mottisfont Gardens, if walking the short walk.
For summary, map, height profile, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.265
  • 01-May-22

    A delightful walk with many wild spring flowers in abundance. 6 made the trip including 3 very welcome newcomers. Ideal walking weather warm and sunny .

    Cowslips carpeted large areas and we passed several bluebell woods the biggest and best being in the grounds of the estate with scent so intoxicating it stopped us in our tracks. Cow parsley lined the lanes and hedgerows. Pheasants, frogs, ducks, horses and wild deer are showed up to entertain us on route. We stopped at the Greyhound in Broughton for refreshment, the service was good but perhaps the Tally Ho! Inn might offer more satisfying options for food.

    We stayed together as a group with enjoyable conversations and lively company making for a great day out. Cancellations meant that we had a choice to make for our return journey. 3 opting to wait for next Salisbury train and 3 opting to go via Southampton Central.

    The journey bank to Waterloo was made all the more lively by the presence of jubilant Crystal Palace fans who had taken a win over the Saints. A fabulous day out.

Thomas G
Length: 26.2 km (16.3 mi)
Ascent/Descent: approx. 400m; Net Walking Time: 6 hrs
Toughness: 7 out of 10
Take the 09.20 Exeter St. Davids & Bristol Temple Meads train from Waterloo (09.27 CJ), arrives Salisbury at 10.42.
Return trains from Dean are: xx.02 via Salisbury and xx.08 via Southampton Central.
But £13 Singles to Salisbury but from Dean, or from Mottisfont & Dunbridge, if doing the full walk to Mottisfont.
Alternative Start to this walk on the Wiltshire/West Hampshire borders: from Salisbury along the Clarendon Way to the ruins of Clarendon Palace and then through Clarendon Park (a woodland) to near Broughton, with an optional loop to the New Art Centre at Roche Court, an art gallery & sculpture park open to 16.00, along the way (this adds 2.9 km/1.8 mi).
Then reverse-walk the start of SWC 265’s main walk back to Dean (that bit is map-led, I will take notes for a write-up).
Walk Options: Pitton, the lunch stop, and Winterslow, the village nearest to the art centre, are served by buses 87/88 for a shortcut back to Salisbury (the 13.28 from Pitton Post Office and the 15.43 and the 19.03 from Middle Winterslow, with its pub and store, are the only relevant departures though) or on to Andover (13.49 from Pitton Post Office).
Another option is to continue with the main walk to Mottisfont & Dunbridge, see the pdf for details.
Lunch: The Silver Plough in Pitton (8.9 km/5.6 mi, food to 14.00).
Tea: The Black Horse in West Tytherley (5.4 km/3.4 mi from the end).
For walk directions, a route map, height profile, some photos, and gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.265.b
  • Anonymous
    03-Jul-17

    Anyone going on this walk?

  • 03-Jul-17

    sure

  • Anonymous
    04-Jul-17

    Just to clarify that I should buy a single to Salisbury (£13) and a separate return ticket from Dean to London?

    Thanks.

  • 04-Jul-17

    Indeed. A Dean return would do as well, but may not work the barriers at Salisbury. £13 each way, whatever you do.

  • 05-Jul-17

    The 9.20 is cancelled like many other trains this morning . Some are taking the delayed 9.05 weymouth train to Basingstoke and change there

  • 05-Jul-17

    Signalling problems, platforms 5 to 9 out of service

  • 06-Jul-17

    After a chaotic start at Waterloo owing to several platforms being out of commission because of a signal failure, 5 determined souls emerged from the recommended alternate train in Basingstoke to await our connection to Salisbury (having just missed one.....something of a theme for the day...). Eventually, we set off about 40 minutes late under a boiling hot sun . In the morning the routed passed by the very interesting remains of Clarendon Palace with informative information boards. Four enjoyed a pleasant lunch at Edward Heath's favorite seat at the pub before we all continued together along the long afternoon route -- fortunately much of it was in the shade of some varied woodland. Sadly, we arrived at just the wrong time in West Tytherley for afternoon refreshments -- as the pub was not yet open and the village shop had just closed....After a short break, we continued on to Dean on a slightly modified (shorter) route where to our surprise we found quite a number of train spotters on the platform with cameras and tripods at the ready....eventually the Bournemouth Belle steam engine came whizzing past....Our train was a few minutes late so we arrived in Salisbury just in time to see our London train pull out of the station.....Four then headed to a nearby Indian for some sustenance and some provisions were purchased for the journey home -- needless to say, we were fully rehydrated and our electrolytes were back in balance by the time we pulled into Waterloo...

Thomas G
SWC Walk 265 Dean to Mottisfont & Dunbridge: Varied Woods, the Dun, Wallop Brook & Test Valleys and Broughton Down
Length: 27.4 km (17.1 mi) [shorter option: 22.4 km/13.9 mi, splits post-lunch]
Ascent/Descent: 500 m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½ hours [short walk: 380m, 5 hrs]
Toughness: 8 out of 10 (short walk: 6 out of 10)
09.20 Exeter St. Davids train from Waterloo (09.27 CJ), changing at Salisbury for Chandlers Ford (arrives 10.42, usually platform 4; departs 10.56, usually platform 6), arrives Dean 11.08. Buy a cheap off-peak day return to Mottisfont & Dunbridge for £16 on the SWT-website or at the station ticket office (but not the machines) before midnight the night before.
Return from Mottisfont & Dunbridge at xx.56 via Salisbury (from 113 mins journey time) or at xx.14 via Southampton Central (126 mins journey time). Memo: the £16 ticket is only valid on SWT-trains, therefore ignore the Virgin Cross Country trains at So’ton Central (to Reading, connecting to Paddington!)
Or make it a weekend: stay at The Mill Arms in Dunbridge and explore Mottisfont Abbey & Gardens and/or walk all or part of SWC 58 (Dunbridge to Romsey) on Sunday.
New Walk, we will take the opportunity to check the walk directions!
This walk explores woods and rolling chalk hills in the Dun, Wallop Brook and Test Valleys of remote West Hampshire. Rising out of the Dun Valley through varied woods and along field boundaries and farm tracks (some tarmacked), the walk takes on a very different aspect upon approaching the steep sided chalk downs near Broughton, with splendid views north east across the Wallop Brook valley. After lunch in Broughton you follow the rim of the wide valley south easterly to cross the meadows of the Test River, Hampshire's longest and finest chalk stream. The Test is a prominent feature of the afternoon, as its several arms are crossed twice.
In between you climb again, up to the hills along the easterly side of the Test valley, walk through some quiet woods and past scenic side valleys to then steeply descend back to the Test Meadows. The finish is through the NT-owned Mottisfont Estate, past Mottisfont Abbey, a historical priory, and its grounds, as well as the 12th century St. Andrews church, one of the few Grade I-listed churches (on a short diversion). A shorter route, cutting out parts of the afternoon, is described (rated 6/10).
The recommended lunch stop is The Tally Ho! Inn in Broughton (11.4 km/7.1 mi). There is also The Greyhound next door, serving Thai food, as well as an earlier option and a couple of later options (on the full walk only) [see page 2 of the pdf for details].
The tea stop is The Mill Arms Inn in Dunbridge, meters from the station, or one of the options at Mottisfont Gardens, if walking the short walk.
For summary, map, height profile, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here.
T=swc.265
  • 18-Jul-16

    Intend going.

  • 25-Jul-16

    27 km in 27 degrees, everyone survived it, intact and in good spirit.

    10 walkers (incl. 1 first-timer) set off in hot weather, with the morning stretch featuring plenty of shaded woods and lanes though, and with some views as well down the Dun Valley and from Broughton Down into the Wallop Brook Valley just before lunch at the Tally Ho! in the lovely village of Broughton (home of Hildon Mineral Water).

    2 walkers (incl. the walk-checker) then decided to take the shortcut, mainly through woods and between fields. The others ploughed on through the Wallop Brook, then the Test Valley, only to hit a major 'delay' at the bridge over the Test, where an extended padddling and wading session arupted. Surprisingly the crystal clear water would've still been just about high enough for swimming, alas: no one had their swimmies with them.

    Onwards and back up to the rim of the valley, then looping south to Mottisfont, via some scenic side valleys, with plenty more tree cover, plenty of churches to visit and hardly a soul in sight. And across the Test Meadows once more. A very good walk for a hot day, I'd say (but then I'm biased).

    Some took the first train going, most stayed at The Mill Arms for dinner. 20.56 train for those.