9.30 train from Waterloo, arriving Petersfield at 10.33
From Clapham Junction, catch the 9.27 Exeter-bound train to Woking, changing there (arrive 9.46, depart 9.55) to the above train.
Buy a day return to Petersfield.
If doing the Alton ending, you might just get away with using the Petersfield return, since that is more expensive than an Alton return, but as South Western Railway can sometimes be a bit hardline about tickets it is probably best to get a single from Alton to Woking (£8.85 with railcard).
This very pleasant walk in a wooded area of the South Downs has a bit of a kicker mid morning in the prolonged and steep climb of Shoulder of Mutton Hill - an ascent of Scottish proportions. (There is a more gentle zigzag way around it, but I have never tried this). The views from the top are worth the effort.
These exertions means that lunch, at the lovely Hawkley Inn, is not quite as early as it seems (4 miles into the walk). This place is always popular, and I have made a booking for four people (it would not let me do a bigger table...) for 12.45. It might be an idea if someone added another four: if so, please post a comment, so we don't end up overbooking.
Ending in LISS 16.6km (10.3 miles)
After lunch you can do the circular walk to Liss, which is very pleasant, if not quite as scenically exciting as the morning. The walk directions are here, the GPX here and a map of the route here.
Trains back from Liss are at 12 past the hour
Ending in ALTON 23.9km (14.8 miles)
For more red-blooded walkers, since the Great Darkness (not to mention the Great Muddiness...) will soon be upon us, I propose doing a little-used variation to this walk, which is to follow the Hangers Way to Selborne and then on to Alton. A GPX and walk directions are provided for this as far as Selborne, and then you use the Alton Circular route (walk directions, GPX and map).
The Selborne Arms is a possible refreshment stop, or, if you can get to it before its miserably early closing time of 3.30pm, White's Cafe, attached to Gilbert White's House
After Selborne it is a further 10.7km (6.6 miles) to Alton. There are two options here:
- Do the afternoon of the Alton walk. There is a substantial climb up the zigzags onto Selborne Common at the start of this, but after that it is easy going. You pass two more pubs (in Upper Farringdon and Chawton) and the last 1.8 miles (from Chawton onwards) are on lit streets, so doable in the dark.
- Reverse the morning of the Alton walk using the GPX: arguably a tad more scenic than the afternoon route (though both have their moments), but you avoid the big climb up onto Selborne Common, and the approach to Alton is more rural.
Trains back from Alton are at 14 and 43 past
2 comments:
I deleted the following comment when I reloaded the walk, but repost it here. We now have 8 places for lunch (I booked four)
tartanrug has left a new comment on your post 'Petersfield to Liss or Alton - Shoulder of Mutton Hill and the Hangers Way':
Have booked the second table for four at I o’clock. Nice to tarry on the hill and enjoy the view.
N=8 on this walk. If others were out off by the weather forecast, they were not entirely wrong. There was W=a-fair-bit-of-rain, much of it during lunch, but also for about an hour after.
As for doing this walk before the Great Muddiness starts, my bad, as the young say. The slithery kind was well in evidence, as were large puddles of standing water. The bit in the valley after Shoulder of Mutton Hill that is often very gloopy in winter was….very gloopy.
But it was not all negative. The sun shone for a time in the morning, particularly on the stunning climb up Shoulder of Mutton Hill, and those of us who walked to Alton had sun for a time later in the afternoon. This is also gorgeous territory, rich with woods and pasture. There were good amounts of autumn colour, for example on beech and field maple.
We had booked two tables at the Hawkley Inn, but only one was needed, as only four lunched. One other joined us for a drink, while the other three presumably went on to Liss. One of the lunchers broke protocol and ordered a starter, so in the end we all did. The starters were delicious, inventive and generously portioned. The mains that followed were too. We all agreed that rarely have we had such nice pub food.
After lunch all five of us set off together. At the decision point one decided to walk to Liss, leaving four of us to walk to Alton. Near Noar Hill forestry contractors had made a mess of the path, so three went one way and one another. We met up on the far side, however, and had a scenic walk to Selborne.
Here we avoided the village and headed straight for the Zigzag Path up onto squelchy Selborne Common. We ploughed on across the downland to Upper Farringdon, avoiding the pub there. But once in Chawton we felt a drinks/tea stop was in order, so we spent a cosy half hour of so at the Greyfriars pub.
On then through Alton where one dashed for the 7.14 train and three of us dashed to Waitrose for wine and humous. The train dasher missed the train anyway, so all four of us got the 7.43. The train manager grumpily accepted our Petersfield returns “though they are not really valid”.
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