Explore Further Afield
Walkers are Welcome
In 2015 Whitchurch gained accreditation to the Walkers are Welcome national town network. Today there are over 100 Walkers are Welcome towns in Britain and wherever you see this sign you can be assured of receiving a warm welcome.
This community led national accreditation scheme recognises towns that make it easy for visiting walkers to:
- Enjoy excellent walking opportunities on well maintained way-marked footpaths.
- Stay in local accommodation and use the services of local businesses and plan their journey using local transport.
Bus walks
Whitchurch is served by Stagecoach South, operating buses between Andover and Basingstoke and this offers you the chance to leave the car behind and travel further afield to the start of a number of longer and very attractive walks, taking in some of the finest countryside our area has to offer.
Stagecoach offers a range of ticketing products aimed specifically at leisure customers; these are available for purchase on the bus.
Bus Walk 1 – A lovely 6 mile walk west of Whitchurch following the Test Way through Harewood Forest to the chocolate box village of Longparish; stunning views of the River Test between Longparish and Whitchurch. Andover Down to Whitchurch via Longparish & the River Test (6 miles)
Bus Walk 2 – Two walks in the one leaflet that explore the countryside paths and far reaching views between Overton (Laverstoke) and Whitchurch. 4.3 miles and 6 miles. Overton to Whitchurch via Pot Bottom (6 miles)
Bus Walk 3 – Withdrawn due to cancellation of Stagecoach bus route 86.
Bus Walk 4 – Walk one of the country’s ancient chalk pathways; a 5 mile walk in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (AONB), taking in ‘The Harroway’, the ‘Old Way’. Overton to Whitchurch via The Harroway (5 miles)
EXPLORE The North Wessex Downs National Landscape
A series of circular routes north of Whitchurch:
- BRADLEY WOOD (about 1 hour 35 mins, 4 miles)
- COMBE GIBBET & WALBURY HILL (about 2 hours, 4 miles)
- LADLE HILL & the SYDMONTON ESTATE (about 2 hours, 4.3 miles)
- CAESARS BELT, LITCHFIELD & DUNLEY (about 2 hours, 5 miles)
- WAYFARERS WALK and CRUX EASTON (about 2 hours, 4.7 miles)
If visiting Heaven’s Gate allow 2 hours 30 mins, 5.7 miles - EXPLORING the WATERSHIP DOWN TRAIL (about 2 hours 30mins 6 miles)
- COOPERS in the WOOD & COWDOWN COPSE (about 2 hours 30 mins, 6.5 miles)
Other nearby walks in North Hampshire:
- St.Mary Bourne, The Drove – Following an ancient Drovers’ track passing through woodland with bluebells and cowslips in spring.
- St.Mary Bourne, Lake Walk – A short walk crossing the traditional water meadows & pastureland from the lake towards the viaduct.
- Riverdance – a lovely 3.5 mile walk which winds to and fro across the River Test and water meadows in the neighbouring village of Longparish.
- Harewood Forest Trail – A chance to explore this ancient natural woodland, a former royal hunting forest.
- The Wayfarers Walk – a long distance footpath from Walbury Hill, Berkshire to Emsworth, Hampshire which passes just a few miles from Whitchurch.
- The Test Way – a long-distance footpath from Walbury Hill in West Berkshire to Eling in Hampshire, which passes a few miles to the west of Whitchurch.
- The Watercress Way – a 26 mile circular trail along old railway lines and droves and passing through villages long associated with Hampshire’s watercress industry. The trail begins at Sutton Scotney, just 6 miles south of Whitchurch.
- The Brenda Parker Way – a 78 mile long distance trail across North Hampshire from Aldershot to Andover that passes through some of the prettiest countryside that the North Hampshire Downs has to offer.
- Walking in Hampshire
- Tourism in the Test Valley
