Walks
Route 1: Gaston Wood and Oxdrove Way
- Distance: 6.7km
- Time: 1½ hours
- Degree of Difficulty: Easy
- Start Point: Bentworth Village Green, at front of The Star pub (currently closed)
- Ordinance Survey Map: OS Explorer 144 Map Reference 664402
Take the road signposted to Medstead. On the right you will see a gold postbox (placed in the village to mark the gold medal won by Bentworth resident, Peter Charles in the 2012 London Olympics). 25 metres beyond the postbox, take a left down a broad path to the South (called Tinkers’ Lane) and walk for 400 metres downhill till you see a Footpath sign on a post on the right of the path. Walk up a narrow set of steps, through the hedge and into a field, turn right, then immediately left and walk along the edge of the field with the fence/hedge on your right. After 400 metres you will come to a tarmac track. Cross over this and climb over the stile immediately opposite. Walk straight across a field in which there are often horses, keeping to the left of the field. After 100 metres you will come to another stile. Cross this and walk straight ahead, keeping the cricket pitch to your right. A few metres after you pass the end of the cricket pitch, walk through a gap in a fence and enter a wooded area, cross a stile and walk down a short, narrow enclosed path you reach an open area (Holt Green), Turn right and take the gravel track in front of a house to the main road. Turn right again and, within a few metres, cross over the main road and through a gap to the right of an iron gate.
Take the Footpath (there is a fingerpost) diagonally (heading West) across a field for 300 metres and enter a wood; there is a Footpath sign on a post to the left. Walk for 50 metres, when you will leave the wood. Turn half-left along a track, keep, but to the right of a hedge and walk diagonally across another field for 350 metres until you come to a gap in the trees on the far side; again there is a Footpath sign on a post to the left. Enter the wood (Gaston Wood) and, after about 25 metres, bear right on a narrow path. Follow the path for 150 metres until you join a farm track from the right. Turn left onto this track and walk for 50 metres until you come to a wide clearing (filled with bluebells in the spring). Carry on, bearing half-left on the same path for 200 metres until you come to a wooden gate. Walk on, passing a large house (Gaston Grange) behind a low wooden fence on your left, going through a second wooden gate after 75 metres. Keep going, with a fence on the left, and head downhill for 300 metres (there is a deep pit on the left) until you reach a gap in the hedge. This is a cross-roads of paths.
Turn right onto a wide track marked Byway (this is called Dirty Lane, part of the ancient route Oxgrove Way). Walk along this track for 900 metres until you come to an iron gate. Pass to the left of the gate, and you will be on a road. Walk straight ahead and keep straight when the road bears 90 degrees left after 75 metres. You will now be on a concrete track and will see on your left a sign for Ashley Farm, which you will pass on the right. After 75 metres you will see a wooden barrier on your left, behind which is a wide footpath between two high hedgerows. Take this path (Bullfield Lane, also part of Oxdrove Way, which is indicated on a post on the left) and keep going, slightly uphill, for 800 metres, until you see a Footpath sign on a post on the right. (There will be an earlier opening to the right, but do not take this, as it leads onto private land. If you miss the Footpath sign, you will come to a four-way crossroads with a pond on the right; in this case turn around and walk back for 50 metres till you find the footpath sign, which will now be on your left.)
Take the Footpath, through a hedge, to the right and go straight ahead. You are now heading East. Walk for 600 metres diagonally across a field. On leaving the field, take a broad deeply-rutted track to the right and head downhill for 250 metres. At a T-junction turn left and walk for 250 metres with a fence on your left and a hedge on your right. Ahead you will see an iron gate, behind which is a wooden gate and then a horse statue. Just before the iron gate, turn 90 degrees right, up a narrow Footpath, indicated with a rickety fingerpost. The fence on your left will stop after 200 metres and you will be walking along the edge of a field with a hedge on your right. After 400 metres you will come to a road. Take the narrow gap to the left of an iron bar and cross the road, bearing slightly to your right. Pass through a gap to the right on another iron bar and head diagonally to your left across a field. After 200 metres go through a kissing gate, keep straight ahead through a second kissing gate and bear right across a small meadow with young fruit trees and through a third kissing gate. You are now back at the Village Green!
Route 2: Wivelrod and Jenny Green Lane
- Distance: 8.1km
- Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Degree of Difficulty: Easy
- Start Point: Bentworth Village Green, at front of The Star pub (currently closed)
- Ordinance Survey Map: OS Explorer 144 Map Reference 664402
Take the road signposted to Medstead. On the right you will see a gold postbox (placed in the village to mark the gold medal won by Bentworth resident, Peter Charles in the 2012 London Olympics). 25 metres beyond the postbox, take a left down a broad track to the South (called Tinkers’ Lane). After 1.2 km the track bears to the right. On the left you will see a wooden post indicating a Footpath forking off to the left. Take this footpath, crossing a stile after 100m and head straight ahead, uphill and diagonally across a field, to a further stile. Take a moment here to admire the view behind you across the valley to Bentworth. Cross the stile and straight ahead, across a field, at the other side of which you will see a gap in the hedge. Go through this gap and walk across another large field, passing a large beech tree on the right. 100 metres after the beech tree, follow the path through a gap in the hedge. After this gap turn right and follow the path for another 100m until you come to a metal kissing gate. Go through the gate and you will enter a wooded area. Take the path through the wood, crossing a small wooden footbridge. At the end of the wood, you will pass a farm building to the right and come to a broad track. Turn right onto the track and after 50m you will arrive at a metalled public road. (On your left you will see a fingerpost.) Turn right onto this road.
Walk along the road past Priors Down House and Thedden Farm on your right. The road will take you through the hamlet of Wivelrod. Pass Wivelrod Farmhouse and you will see a high black wooden fence and then a brand-new brick and flint wall on your left, which is the wall of Wivelrod House. Keep on the road for another 300m, where there is a farm track off to the right. If you look closely you will see a fingerpost marked Footpath on the right of the track. Go through the gap to the left of a metal gate and walk for 100m. You will see a large barn ahead. Just before this, take a stile across the wooden fence. Go over the stile and head half-right. After 30m exit the field through a gap on your right and bear left. Keep the hedge on your left and follow the left edge of the field for 300m. When you come to a T, walk 50m to the right and then turn left, through a gap in the fence (there is an old stile on the left, but it appears to be disused). Turn immediately right and follow the right hedge along the side of a field, slightly uphill. At the corner of the field, you’ll see a gap in the hedge, which will take you into a narrow wooded area. Follow the path till you come to a small metal gate. Go through the gate and keep straight ahead along the left side of the field. After 100m you’ll come to a gap in the hedge leading onto a wide farm track. This is Jenny Green Lane
Turn right onto Jenny Green Lane and walk along this. After 500m you will come to a metal gate. Walk through the gap to the right of the gate for and walk on, on a narrower path until you emerge onto a broader track. To the right is a Byway, but ignore this and walk straight on for 50m until you come to a rough metalled road. Keep straight ahead, slightly uphill, along the metalled road. After 250m you will see a turn-off to the left. Opposite this is a wide gap in the hedge. Go through this gap (if you look carefully, you will see a Footpath sign on a post) and turn immediately left along the edge of the field. After 200m, when the field ends, turn right and walk along the left side of this field for 600m. Follow the path through a narrow wooded strip until you come to a wide farm track. Turn left and you will pass a farm machinery complex on the right. Keep on this track for 300m until you come to a public road.
Turn right, past a small postbox, and keep on the roadside verge for 50m, when it will bear right along a path through a wooded area. Take this path. After 75m you will see a house ahead and one off to the right. Between the two houses runs a narrow footpath with a fence on each side. Take this footpath and cross a stile after 75m. 25m after the stile you will emerge from the wood. Follow the path, which bears half-left, along the edge of the village cricket pitch. At the far end is another (rather rickety) stile. Cross this and keep to the right of a field, which often contains horses. At the far side of the field is another stile. Cross this, go over a metalled track (which leads on your right to Bentworth Hall) and go straight ahead through a gap in the low wooden fence. Keep to the left of this field, at the far end of which the path turns right along the hedge. Follow the path for 25m out of the field and through a gap in the hedge, which leads down a short flight of wooden steps. You’ll find yourself on a wide track, which is Tinkers’ Lane. Turn left, up the hill and walk up the 400m to the Bentworth-Medstead road. Turn right, cross the road and you’ll pass the gold postbox. You now back at the Village Green.