Section 37
Hawkley to Selborne
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
FOLKESTONE TO FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE
Section 37 Out
Hawkley to Selborne
Map: OS Explorer 133 Haslemere & Petersfield
Distance/Time: 5.5 miles/2.5m hours
Start: The Hawkley Inn in Hawkley
Comments: Some tough walking here with climbs, stiles and marsh. Some paths not easy to find so allow plenty of time to make careful decisions. Always know where you are on the OS map.
With the Hawkley Inn on your left, go up the road to a T-junction at the top. Cross with care, to an enclosed but pleasant footpath, and follow this to a road.
Turn left on this road for 100 metres. By a pond, turn right, through a metal fieldgate, to a field.
Bear right along the field edge, with trees on your right. At the far end, leave the field, down a steep bank, on a curious set of steps in tree roots (this is a bridleway !).
Turn right on a roadway, to soon enter farm buildings. Keep straight ahead (ignore footpath dropping down a track to the right).
Pass the end of buildings, and keep ahead, on a gravel track.
After some way, emerge from trees, into a field. Keep along, by a fence and trees on your left, to soon reach a wooden fieldgate and a wooden kissing gate on your left.
Turn left, out of the field, through the kissing gate, into woodland. Several footpaths diverge here. Ignore a track going off, up left. Go straight ahead, past two very tall pine trees, then gently downhill.
Soon reach a stile, cross and go on, over an open grassy (marshy) area, to a further stile, by a metal fieldgate. Go forward to yet another stile, into a small pasture, then over one more stile to exit the pasture.
Enter a sloping, grassy area with tall trees. Just ahead is the gable of a house. Turn sharp right here, down to a stile by a telegraph pole.
Cross to an enclosed path, go over a footbridge and out to a road. Turn right a short distance, then left, up a bridleway.
This climbs for some way, then levels out. As it begins to descend, look for a footpath going off right, by a large tree. This path heads towards distant cottages. Turn right along it and cross the field, aiming towards a tall conifer, to the right of a stone cottage.
Reach a stile and cross to a road. Turn left, looking for a footpath going off right.
The path goes off the entrance drive of the stone cottage. It is in the hedges, up the side of the cottage garden. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS AN ATTEMPT TO DETER WALKERS FROM USING THE PATH.
Note: There is a ladder stile into the garden of Stone Cottage off this path.
The path is just usable and soon reaches a stile into a field. Go forward a short way, then bear right, diagonally across the field to the far right corner, going under power lines.
Cross a stile into a pasture and go straight up, by a fence on your left, to a treeline ahead. Turn right to follow the edge of the field, with fence and trees on your left.
Go a good distance to the far corner of the field. Cross into the next field, and keep going, along by the fence on your left.
Look for a stile in the fence, by a metal fieldgate. Here turn right, downhill, to a stile by a metal fieldgate. Go forward, up the field ahead, to a road.
Turn left on the road, to a T-junction. Cross carefully to a metal fieldgate. Go forward, across the field, very slightly left, to a double stile.
Over this, bear left again, across to a further stile, then on, in the same direction, to a gate onto a road.
HERE TAKE GREAT CARE. Immediately right is a broad gravel track going up through double gates. IGNORE THIS. Just beyond is a lodge house, with a drive running up in front of it.
Between these two drives is a path hidden in undergrowth (although there is a concealed fingerpost). If you can make it onto the path, it is little used but walkable. Follow it to the top and exit, left, to a roadway. Go across to a stile by a metal fieldgate (if the path is impossible, go up the drive, passing the house, and look for the fieldgate and stile on your left).
Cross the field beyond, alongside power lines on your right. Over the brow of the hill, aim over left, towards converted farm buildings.
Cross a stile at the foot of gardens, and follow an enclosed path around the edge, to an entrance drive down to a road.
Cross the road and bear left to a metal kissing gate. Go forward on an enclosed footpath, between fence and hedge.
After some way, reach a corner, and follow the path right, on a zig-zag down through trees.
At the bottom, regain the original direction and keep forward, with a field on your right (ignore a path coming in left).
At the field corner, cross a stile into woods, and go down steps to a wide footbridge. Over this is a stile. Cross, and follow the footpath to the right, then left, as it weaves around the edge of a lake on your left.
After boggy sections, reach a fence and stile into a field. Cross to a stile, just to the left, in the fence ahead.
Here, go forward (ignore a footpath off left), up a long valley. At the very top, just short of the top left corner, find a stile on your left, concealed by brambles.
Cross to a footpath going steeply uphill, to a wire gate into an orchard.
Cross a gravel track, to a fine hedgerow. Go to the far side and walk along with the hedge on your right. At the top meet a cross track and hedge ahead.
Turn left on the track and walk along looking for a wire gate on your right, leading down to a road. Turn left on this road.
Pass a new conversion of a massive Hop Kiln, and keep on for some way further (ignore a track up the side of the conversion).
Where the road begins to bend left, turn right, up a track, to a metal fieldgate with a stile at the side. Cross and go forward to a further stile into a field.
Bear right along the field edge to a corner. DO NOT GO INTO THE NEXT FIELD. Turn left, still down the side of the field, with a hedge on your right. It’s a huge field; go down for nearly ½ mile.
At the bottom corner, turn right, through a gap and over a stile, into a recreation ground. Go down to a tennis court.
Turn right on an enclosed path and follow it out to a road. Turn left up to a T-junction.
Turn right along this road for ¼ mile, to the Selborne Arms and the end of the section.
FOLKESTONE TO FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE
Section 37 Return
Selborne to Hawkley
Map: OS Explorer 133 Haslemere & Petersfield
Distance/Time: 5.5 miles/2.5m hours
Start: The Selborne Arms in Selborne
Comments: The return route starts over Selborne Common and the famous Zig-zag Path. However the common has no waymarks for paths, and it is easy to wander off route. Allow plenty of time to negotiate the common; a moment when a COMPASS is useful.
The whole return to Hawkley may be made by following the Hangers Way from the Selborne Arms. It does not go up on the common and will be waymarked.
With the Selborne Arms on your right, walk a few paces to the roadway going right, down the side of the pub, to a car park.
Turn right for a few paces. The roadway bears off left; the car park is on your right. Between the two is an enclosed footpath, going up, with a horse paddock on your left. Take this path. At the top, go through a gate, into Selborne Common.
Here bear left, to go up the famous zig-zag path (constructed by Gilbert White and his brother in 1753). At the top is a metal seat with fine views of Selborne and beyond.
Go behind the seat to a track. Turn right to follow the track around and still uphill. The track goes through a gateway onto the common proper. Keep forward on a broad grassy track for ½ mile. In some way, at a Y-fork, bear right, still on the broader track….
(It is easy to lose the direct path across the common. Basically, the idea is to go straight across the common through extensive woods to the far side, then turn left straight down the edge to a road)
…. the this soon swings down to the right, and eventually reaches a junction with a bridleway. Turn left on this and follow it for some way, through a gateway, and on, to a junction of bridleways, at the edge of woodland (and the edge of the common).
Turn left here, for some way, to eventually drop down, to a double junction of several tracks. Keep forward, across the junction, to the bridleway going on, and downhill.
Keep downhill, on a well-made track, Green Lane, for some way, to eventually reach a ROAD at the bottom.
Cross to a footpath going into a field, opposite Bear diagonally left across the field, to the very far left corner (the path through the crops was a little off course).
Leave the field, through a gap, onto a road. Turn right a few paces, then bear right, off the road again, up an enclosed earthen track. Keep on this track, to emerge onto a road.
Cross to a footpath, and keep on, in the same direction. Follow the hedge on your left, a good way.
This becomes a treeline on the left. Follow this a considerable distance, keeping with the treeline and the field edge, as it swings down to the left. Keep on, to the far end of this very large field.
Just before the final corner, look for a gap in the trees on your left. Go through onto a well-defined woodland path.
This soon reaches a junction of five ways – DISREGARD THIS; DO NOT TURN ASIDE – go straight across a few paces to reach a second junction with the Hangers Way. Turn right to go steeply downhill.
Leave the woods at the bottom and cross into a field. Bear left, across this field, to a stile in the far left corner.
Cross and follow the hedge on your left, to a second stile, by a metal fieldgate, leading to a road.
Bear right along the road for a few paces, going over a little ford, to a stile up on your left, by a metal fieldgate. Cross the stile into a little enclosure. Soon reach a second stile and emerge into a field.
Go diagonally left across the centre, to a stile by a metal fieldgate. Cross and continue along the edge of the field ahead, with a hedge on your right. Emerge onto a road.
Turn left on this road for 100 metres(ignore a track going off right uphill). Pass a house on your right and a pond. Turn right, just past the pond, up a three step stile, into a field. Turn right, along the field edge, with a hedge on your right.
Cross into a second field, and keep on to a corner ahead.
Here turn left, to follow the hedge on your right. At a stile, cross into an enclosed path. Soon go down steps to a footbridge, and up steps at the far side.
At a junction, bear right, uphill. Keep on up for some way then down again. Near the bottom, where the path swings right with open land ahead, look for a footpath going down the bank on your left, into a field.
Go straight across this field, to a corner of woodland below. On reaching the corner, go forward, into an enclosed path between hedges. At the end emerge into a field, and follow the field edge, a short way, to a corner by a holly bush.
Turn right, through a gap, into the adjoining field. Bear diagonally right, across the centre of this field, towards a house with two chimneys ahead.
At the far side, cross a stile, then over a track to a further stile, onto a path, enclosed between fences. At the far end, go between buildings, and then forward, on a road for some way, up to a T-junction.
Turn right, along to the village green at Hawkley. Just past the church, turn left along the road to the Hawkley Inn and the start of the section.
