Hampshire &amp; Isle of Wight


<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.hamblevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Hamble-Rail-Trail-Walking-Leaflet.jpghttps://www.hamblevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Hamble-Rail-Trail-Walking-Leaflet.jpg">Hamble Rail Trail</a>, Hamble-le-rice</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="665" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Royal-Victoria-Minature-Railway.jpg" alt="Royal Victoria Miniature Railway" class="wp-image-20202" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Royal-Victoria-Minature-Railway.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Royal-Victoria-Minature-Railway-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Royal-Victoria-Minature-Railway-720x479.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Royal-Victoria-Minature-Railway-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Royal-Victoria-Minature-Railway-789x525.jpg 789w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>As you’ve probably guessed, this trail runs along a disused railway track. It passes through open parkland, countryside, woodland and running alongside a pebble beach. It’s a 4.5 mile round-trip &#8211; pack snacks! &#8211; taking around two hours, so a family-friendly walk but better for slightly older kids and train-mad-dads. Choo-choo choose to make a day of it with a ride on the <a href="https://www.royalvictoriarailway.co.uk">miniature railway</a> (above) in the Royal Victoria Country Park where the walk begins.   </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/countryside/walking/silchesterromantown" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Silchester Roman Town (opens in a new tab)">Silchester Roman Town</a>, Silchester</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="539" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Silchester-Roman-Town.jpg" alt="Silchester Roman Town CREDIT NEEDED" class="wp-image-20223" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Silchester-Roman-Town.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Silchester-Roman-Town-300x162.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Silchester-Roman-Town-720x388.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Silchester-Roman-Town-768x414.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Silchester-Roman-Town-900x485.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lozwilkes/8333369715/in/photolist-dGoGuc-dGu8VN-9zoevH-qCtrGe-oA6YZ1-fgZhea-bvsph1-7KJbcG-7fnhRp-dsFiED-eQjzp-dNrBTj-aaw9au-z7EFJM-aaw8M1-otnbSg-vzRZZP-o4whnh-q8id3N-9zqLms-HRB2Ly-5wEVCd-JipJ7C-cjj5Cb-8jnhLi-aBv4c2-9znUV4-9znSkF-Hmb2qb-cji1Jo-d5dnaG-KbZqM4-9znPX4-aBxGTY-9znXiZ-4Sbgi3-uDtALd-J8icVy-6eVfzL-ov82NP-9zqv2L-cjgW2G-2fH9Bti-otaaej-9zryc9-e989bg-JaB9eB-9znyfk-g23A2S-6eR88g" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Image credit (opens in a new tab)">Image credit</a></figcaption></figure>



<p>Ave! That’s Roman for hello, if you want to impress the kids. Take them on a stroll through Hampshire’s Roman past. The walk takes in the ruins – including Roman walls and amphitheatre – of the large and important Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum. A Roman metropolis, it was home to nearly 10,000 people in the third and fourth century. A flat, two mile family-friendly walk starting at the Silchester Roman Town car park, it follows gentle gradients, so not too taxing for your little soldiers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont/trails/stockbridge-wildlife-and-history-walk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Stockbridge Down wildlife and history walk (opens in a new tab)">Stockbridge Down wildlife and history walk</a>, Stockbridge</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="640" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/stockbridge-down.jpg" alt="Stockbridge Down wildlife walk " class="wp-image-20204" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/stockbridge-down.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/stockbridge-down-300x192.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/stockbridge-down-720x461.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/stockbridge-down-768x492.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/stockbridge-down-820x525.jpg 820w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Views galore at this 1.5 mile family-friendly National Trust trail, with a good smattering of wildlife too. Taking in Woolbury Ring, an Iron Age hill fort with hand-dug ramparts thought to be more than 3,000 years old, it’s 518ft (158m) elevation above sea level makes it the highest point on the Down. So be sure to pack some binoculars! In the Second World War the ring was used as a lookout post for enemy aircraft. Today, you’re more likely to spot native flora and fauna like butterflies and juniper trees. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><a href="https://www.deadwatervalleytrust.co.uk/hogmoor-inclosure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Hogmoor Inclosure (opens in a new tab)">Hogmoor Inclosure</a>, Borden </strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Hogmoor-Inclosure.jpg" alt="Hogmoor Inclosure Deadwater Valley walk" class="wp-image-20201" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Hogmoor-Inclosure.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Hogmoor-Inclosure-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Hogmoor-Inclosure-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Hogmoor-Inclosure-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Hogmoor-Inclosure-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Take the short, Gilbert White trail and discover flora, fauna and wildlife the local naturalist would have loved. This hidden gem of a nature reserve has pushchair-friendly pathways and a fantastic play park. A longer trail (around two miles), reveals facts about the area’s Roman past. Look out too for the superb Gormley-esque sculptures by a local artist (above). Word to the wise: the ‘Tank Crossing’ car park is notoriously hard to find (hint, look out for the cement works, it’s not a wrong turn!). </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Bolderwood (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forestryengland.uk/bolderwood/walking-trails-bolderwood" target="_blank">Bolderwood</a>, New Forest</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="688" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Bolderwood-deer.jpg" alt="Bolderwood deer New Forest walk" class="wp-image-20200" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Bolderwood-deer.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Bolderwood-deer-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Bolderwood-deer-720x495.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Bolderwood-deer-768x528.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Bolderwood-deer-763x525.jpg 763w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Take a stroll through the New Forest and you’ll almost certainly spot a wild pony. In autumn, there’s a good chance of seeing a porker, too, as pigs are freed to gobble up the acorns, a practice known as pannage that dates back to William the Conqueror. Harder to spot – and all the more special for it – wild deer also roam the Forest and are known to hang out in a large meadow overlooked by a deer-viewing platform at Bolderwood, north west of Lyndhurst. It’s less than half a mile to the platform. From there you&#8217;ll find a marked one mile Jubilee trail and two-mile Radnor trail for a longer yomp.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.carfreewalks.org/walks/1129/circular_walk_from_west_meon">West Meon</a>, Meon Valley</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="608" src="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Meon-Valley-Herry-Lawford.jpg" alt="Meon Valley walk" class="wp-image-20214" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Meon-Valley-Herry-Lawford.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Meon-Valley-Herry-Lawford-300x182.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Meon-Valley-Herry-Lawford-720x438.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Meon-Valley-Herry-Lawford-768x467.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/10/Meon-Valley-Herry-Lawford-863x525.jpg 863w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The Meon Valley is incredibly beautiful. It encompasses stunning views of the South Downs without being too far off the beaten track. Combining cute thatched cottages and all the sights, sounds and smells of the Hampshire countryside over not-too taxing terrain, this 5.9 mile circular walk is good for older kids as it takes around three hours and isn’t flat enough for pushchairs. </p>


6 family-friendly walks around Hampshire

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