20.4 km (12.7 miles) Toughness 4/10
A long but gentle Hampshire walk through the woods, pastures and downland that surround Selborne (about which Gilbert White wrote his famous Natural History). After lunch in Selborne you ascend a zig-zag path, constructed by the man himself, and head across Selborne Common for Chawton, once the home of Jane Austen. You won’t have time to visit her house (unless you do the short walk) but you can see the outside and have a nose round the garden.
Trains: From Waterloo, get the 09:05 (Clapham Jct 9:15 Wimbledon 9:22) Alton & Basingstoke train (it may divide en route). Arrive Alton 10:31. Return xx:15 xx:45 direct.
Lunch: An early option after 2.5 miles is the Three Horseshoes in East Worldham (01420 83211) which serves food from 12.00pm to 2.30pm.
The recommended stop is in Selborne after 6 miles. The Selborne Arms (tel 01420 511247) serves food from 12pm to 3pm. There is also a tea shop attached to the Gilbert White Museum, serving lunches and accessible without paying admission.
The museum itself costs £14 (online booking only) and is open till 4:30. It also commemorates Lawrence Oates, the ill-fated Antarctic explorer.
Tea: Cassandra's Cup in Chawton closes at 4.30pm. If too late, the The Greyfriar pub (01420 83841) next door will be open. Allow about 50 minutes to reach Alton station.
Other options exist in Alton itself. Caffe Nero and Costa Coffee in the High Street , and the nearby Swan Hotel (tel 01420 8377).
Directions: here. T=2.10
Sunday, 18 June 2023
Sunday Walk: Alton Circular
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3 comments:
I was at Alton Station at 10.30,and didnt do the walk. I was considering it, having walked the previous day locally, and been on the Real Ale Train, on the Watercress Line the night before.
Someone i know, who has walked with swc on some occassions, started the walk earlier. I didn't see anyone I recognised at the station. A couple of walkers, who I didn't go to check if they were swc or not. I realised I was too tired to walk, on such a hot day. I might have if it had started raining and woke me a bit.
So, I caught the train home. I've done the walk many times before, and its a great walk.
I stayed in Alton overnight at the Crown Hotel, which was good.
so is that #1?
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