Sunday Walk: Overton Circular

Main walk:18.4km 11.6 miles with pub lunch
Shorter walk: 13.8km 8.6 miles (picnic lunch)
Difficulty 4/10
A Hampshire walk, passing quaint churches, country houses and the source of the River Test. Some locations are associated with Jane Austen. Water buffalo don't feature strongly in her works but there are some to be seen at Laverstock Park Farm between points 57 and 61.
Trains:
Get the 09:35 Weymouth train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct. 9:45) and change at Basingstoke for the Salisbury train (arr. 10.28, plat 2, dep. 10:33 plat 4) arriving Overton at 10:42 .
Trains return hourly at xx:17. Earlier ones require a change at Basingstoke. The 17:17.18:17 and 19:17 go direct to Waterloo. After 19:17, there’s a gap till the 20:54.
Lunch.
Steventon churchyard, where Pa Austen was vicar, makes an ideal picnic location on the shorter walk.
The full walk takes you to the Fox in North Waltham 01256 397 288  or, straying further, the Wheatsheaf  01256 398 282. After lunch, you can either retrace your steps back to Steventon or, for variety, return along a quiet road.
Both walk versions pass what used to be the lunch pub. It closed for a while but has reopened as the Palm Brasserie  01256 518160, a possible option but more of a restaurant than a pub. You would most likely need to book.
Tea:  The White Hart 01256 771 431 in Overton does tea. Allow 20 mins to reach the station from Overton. The deceptively reassuring Station Road is 1.2 km. long.
Directions: available here 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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