This is a 70 mile long recreational path which runs between Inkpen Beacon in Berkshire to the village of Emsworth in Hampshire. We started this walk during the COVID lockdown in 2020 and finished it in early 2023 – walking it in a series of circular walks. Initially we planned circular routes to avoid sharing cars to comply with government COVID guidelines, but we were in no hurry to finish the walk and so we carried on with planning loops.
I picked this particular path as I liked the idea that the route was very varied, taking in towns, villages, woodland and open downland. From where I’m based, it is accessible for day trips and it started in an area I’d never explored, the North Wessex Downs. From there we slowly made our way to the Hampshire coast, finishing in Emsworth.
The Wayfarer’s Walk was initiated in 1981 by Bill Bide (Principal Officer for Rights of Way in Hampshire) and, at least in parts, it is based on old tracks that were used by farmers to drive their sheep to animal fairs held in New Arlesford and Farnham.
As we walked I enjoyed researching the history of the places we were passing through. Below is a list of the sections we broke it down into and links to descriptions of our walk, the things we learnt about the places, tips about where to park and where to get refreshments etc and links to the routes plotted on the OS app.
1 – Inkpen Hill to Ashmansworth (10 miles)
2 – Ashmanworth to Sydmonton & Beacon Hill (16 miles)
5 – Deane and Steventon (9 miles)
9 – Cheriton & Tichborne (9.5 miles)
10 – Hinton Ampner (10.5 miles)
11 – Beaconhill Beeches (10 miles)
12 – Droxford and Soberton (8.5 miles)
14 – Denmead to Fort Widley (10.5 miles)
15 – Farlington Marshes (8.5 miles)
Embrace your inner goat 