A walk around the Wallington River in Fareham will take you from town to country in less than 10 minutes.
You won’t believe this walk starts in an industrial estate and has you in glorious farmland in just a few short strides.
If you like a quieter countryside walk and some escapism, this one’s for you…
Wallington River
Wallington Village Hall, Broadcut, Fareham PO16 8ST
The loop around the Wallington River in Fareham takes around two to two and a half hours and starts and finishes at the village hall car park.
The start has humble beginnings BUT, do not be put off by the 100 metres or so in the industrial estate. It’s not indicative of the rest of the trail at all!
In fact, the walk around Wallington River was a surprise. I really didn’t know what to expect and it turned out to be so pretty and a great length. I went in Spring and there was plenty of blossom out lining the route and the hedgerows in-between farm fields.
Walk the Route
I used the Fareham Council map in the link at the bottom of this post but it was a little vague purely because there aren’t really any landmarks.
But it’s not too difficult to figure out and these directions and my explanation should give you a good overview and the key landmarks of the route.
Route Directions
Once you’re out of the industrial estate at the start and cross over the motorway bridge, you’re surrounded by Hampshire farmland.
The route travels all the way up until you hit a farm and turn right just before it. You cut across the field and travel over a small bridge over the stream and travel up hill for a bit.
Once over follow the route up and across the field and then left through some woodland. You’ll then drop down a little and cut across down through open farm land.
On this path keep going straight until you hit Bere Farm. Once here turn right into the farm, there will be a field of horses to your left and farm buildings to your right.
You’ll then drop back down to the river, cross it on a very pretty bridge to your left. Then you’ll be walking down along the river until you work through some farmland which leads you to a road.
Walk down until you see another footpath and field on your right – there’s a big wooden footpath sign here. Enter and cross over it, watch out for the horses and you’ll reach another gate which leads into a tunnel that passes under the motorway.
Follow the path, cross the road and you’ll see the entrance to the industrial estate ahead of you. But before you hit that, you’ll walk for a very short distance before turning left into another field. Go diagonally across it to the water and follow that path down along the stream into the car park.
Facilities
- No toilets.
- Free parking at the weekend restricted to three hours Monday – Friday.
- A Costa Coffee and Sainsbury’s at the end of the industrial estate the village hall is situated on.
- This is not an accessible walk – the paths aren’t clear, it public footpaths over farmland and woodland.
Fareham Walks
I absolutely loved the Wallington River Walk in Fareham and the true definition of a hidden gem! The sun was shining, the rolling farmland looked beautiful and I felt a million miles from anywhere.
What’s even better is that I got to explore the route with a friend, catching up and having a really great put the world to rights chat.
If there’s one positive thing to come out of lockdown, it’s my continued appreciation of the outdoors and exploring my local area.
Visit the Fareham Council website for a map of this route and more in-depth directions.
If you liked this, take a look at these other great places to visit in Hampshire…
I walked this route using the Fareham council guide today and all went well until after I had got past the bridge and followed the footpath through the next field. If I had found your directions to use along side it I think I would have kept to the preferred route with a lot less double checking! Will look on your web page in future for help and ideas. Thankyou.
Yes, I struggled with that guide too, part of the reason I put this one together because it’s too nice of a route to not enjoy. Walking routes are especially tricky I find when seasonal differences make a big impact on the landscape too. I’m glad you’re a part of this community now, I’ve got a few lovely walks on here which I think you will like. Take a look at the Winchester Water Meadows, it’s particularly beautiful in Autumn.