Mottisfont to Romsey walk
Mottisfont Abbey Gardens, West Hampshire Chalk Downs, Dun & Test Valleys and the picturesque market town of Romsey
Status |
This walk, created in March 2016, is a re-imagining of the original Walk 3 in the very first edition of TOCW Book 1. It was replaced by another walk when the lunch place closed to the public. |
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Length | 22.6 km (14.1 mi), with 293/299m ascent/descent. For a shorter walk see below Walk Options. |
Toughness | 4 out of 10, with 5 hours net walking. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at last 10 hours.
Allow an extra hour if visiting Mottisfont Abbey Gardens. |
Walk Notes |
This walk explores woods and rolling chalk hills in the Dun and (Lower) Test Valleys of remote West Hampshire. An early highlight is the NT-owned (and ticketed) Mottisfont Abbey, a historical priory and country estate, with an arm of the River Test, Hampshire's longest and finest chalk stream, running through the stunning grounds, which also include a famous walled rose garden, trompe-l’oeil murals from Rex Whistler, and several lunch options.
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Walk Options |
All walk options go to Mottisfont village first for a look at the Abbey Gardens and the 12C church and all have the same finish through Squabb Wood and the River Test Meadows into Romsey.
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Maps | OS Explorer: 131 (Romsey, Andover & Test Valley)
OS Landranger: 185 (Winchester & Basingstoke) |
Travel | Mottisfont & Dunbridge Station, map reference SU 318 261, is 112 km south west of Charing Cross and 25m above sea level; Romsey station, map reference 356 215, is 6 km south east of Dunbridge, 12 km north west of Southampton and 19m above sea level. Both are in West Hampshire. Both are on the Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton Central (via Salisbury) Wessex Main Line. Journey times from Waterloo are from 111 minutes Mon-Sat (hourly service in each direction, either changing at Salisbury or at Southampton Central) and from 114 minutes Sun. Journey times from Romsey to Waterloo are from 100 minutes. Buy a Romsey return.
Saturday Walkers' Club: Take the train nearest to 9.15, but a later one for Shortcuts I and II. |
Lunch |
Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens (01794 340 757, ticketed entry, free for National Trust members). Mottisfont Abbey is located 1.6 km (1.0 mi) into the walk. There are four options: The Old Kitchen Café is located in the Victorian kitchens of the historic house. Choose from a varied lunch menu, all served on china. It is licensed and offers outdoor seating in summer. Coach House Café – located in the stables – is perfect for light lunches, snacks and treats, to eat in or take away, including cakes and drink. Everything is served on compostable or recyclable tableware. Ice Cream Horsebox, The Pizza Post and Walled Garden Kiosk are only open at peak times or on sunny days. The Mill Arms (01794 340 401). The Mill Arms is located 11.1 km (6.9 mi) into the full walk and 7.0 km (4.4 mi) into the short walk, if using Shortcut III. It is a 19th century Inn with flagstone floors, oak beams, open fire, conservatory and a three-tiered garden.
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Tea |
There are an exhausting number of places to chose from in Romsey, all are mentioned in the walk directions. |
Profile | |
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Help Us! |
After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks! You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are: |
By Train |
Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station) |
By Car |
Start SO51 0LH Map Directions Return to the start: Finish SO51 8DU Map Directions Travel to the start: |
Amazon | |
Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
Version |
Nov-21 Thomas G |
Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
This is just the introduction. This walk's detailed directions are in a PDF available from wwww.walkingclub.org.uk