Walks you can reach from Brockenhurst by train

Thomas Hardy country east of Dorchester — his thatched birthplace cottage and the woodland and heathland of Thorncombe Wood.

Hardy's Cottage: The thatched cottage birthplace of writer Thomas Hardy, set within Thorncombe Wood nature reserve and cared for by the National Trust.

Thorncombe Wood: A mixed woodland nature reserve surrounding Hardy's Cottage with waymarked trails and heathland.

Lunch: The Under the Greenwood Tree cafe at the Hardy's Cottage visitor centre; pubs and cafes in Dorchester.

Warnings: Hardy's Cottage can only be visited on a guided tour; check National Trust opening arrangements before setting out.

Walk details: Visit Dorset (tips, photos and local insights).

Heath and forest inclosures skirting a golf course, between the villages of Lyndhurst and Ashurst. Strenuous.

Warnings: Tracks can be muddy after wet weather; watch for stray golf balls.

Walk details: New Forest Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Historic cathedral city streets, watermeadows, iron age hillfort, downland ridges, river valley and ancient meadows.

Warnings: M3 motorway noise.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

A scenic, almost entirely off-road walk crossing picturesque estates (War Memorial Park, Hackwood Park), woodland and arable farmers' fields, with a variety of landscapes. Some narrow and overgrown stretches (notably White Lane), a couple of stiles and kissing gates and a small amount of quiet-lane road walking; firm underfoot in dry spells. Not much in the way of resting places; the church at Weston Patrick has seating. A bus runs between the two endpoints.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 5h–10h

1 lunch spot: Avenue Nurseries café

Warnings: Several stiles and kissing gates, and an overgrown stretch of track (White Lane). The B3349 crossing has good sightlines south but a northbound bend, so take care. Cattle, including Highland cows, often in a field near Alton.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Solent Way with an inland section and a ferry crossing to Hythe.

Walk details: Railwalks.

Coastal path.

Walk details: Railwalks.

Coastal path, with a long section from the station to reach the coast.

Walk details: Railwalks.

A long walk leaving Winchester via Riverside Park along the River Itchen, then following the Watercress Way and the route of former railways across rolling Hampshire farmland to Micheldever Station. Mostly farm tracks, quiet lanes and good-quality paths, with a short wooded stretch by the railway; some sections muddy or overgrown and plus a few stiles. Shares the route of the St Swithun's Way and Camino Inglés (St James Way) leaving Winchester, then follows the former Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway. Passes Winnall Moors Nature Reserve on the western edge of the South Downs National Park, with many helpful information boards. Direct hourly train links Micheldever and Winchester (about 9 minutes); the station is 0.2 miles beyond the village sign.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 5h30–10h30

Lunch: A farm shop (Cobbs/Cobbs farm shop) early on for coffee and snacks; otherwise few facilities — Kings Worthy is the last main settlement, with plenty of spots for a picnic en route.

Warnings: Walkers only. A few road sections (notably Old Stoke Road) are straight with good visibility but lack pavement, so you may need to press into the hedge. One narrow path runs parallel to the railway with a steep drop-off; watch for easily-missed steps. Cattle in some fields. Easy to miss turns off the disused railway lines.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A gorgeous route; Beautiful, flat walk through the water meadows; Stunning views. After a dull few kilometres on pavement beside the main road out of Romsey, the route becomes a pleasant walk on forestry tracks, woodland paths and field boundaries through water meadows, with a steady climb and finishing alongside the Itchen into Winchester. Some rough terrain and narrow gaps. Within the South Downs area, passing Ampfield Wood, Hursley Forest and the Itchen water meadows.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 5h–10h

Lunch: Two pubs and a small shop at Hursley (midway), and a tea room at St Cross on the edge of Winchester.

Warnings: A busy road crossing near Badger Farm (Winchester) is best made at a nearby footbridge; a narrow footbridge over the mainline railway near St Cross makes the route walkers-only. Woods can be muddy in winter.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A route of three parts: easy pavement and on-road walking through Bramley and Basingstoke's suburbs, with a more challenging middle section on rural footpaths through woodland that is muddy, rutted, waterlogged and narrow, with open ditches and occasional fallen trees. You need to be sure-footed and brambles and nettles encroach in summer. The medieval parish church at Bramley is worth a short detour.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–4h30

Lunch: No facilities in the middle section.

End-of-walk reward: Bramley has shops, a bakery cafe and The Bramley Inn near the station.

Warnings: Cufaude Lane is narrow with surprising amounts of traffic and no pavement, so care is needed. The woodland middle section has open ditches, flooding and fallen trees. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The beautiful Barton Common (with grazing New Forest ponies); the coast along from Barton is quite rugged and wild. A varied route taking in coast, New Forest countryside, common land with grazing ponies, the town of Lymington and with a ploughed-field crossing that gets very muddy in winter and an exposed clifftop path. The approach into Lymington is along a busy main road on a pavement. Lymington has a regular shuttle train back into the New Forest.

Time: 3h30–7h

Lunch: Food, drink and supplies available at the New Milton start.

Warnings: The clifftop path along from Barton is very exposed and on permissive land with active cliff erosion. Crossing the ploughed field between Lymington Road and Lymington Lane is very muddy in winter. The A337 (Milford Road) approach to Lymington is a busy main road, hard to cross, with a pavement on only one side.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Railwalks.

A beautiful way of entering Southampton; all the way to Eastleigh which is delightful. Easy walking on roads and surfaced paths through parks at first, then an open riverside stretch along the Itchen before a pleasant woodland walk following the Itchen Navigation. The towpath becomes narrow, overgrown and tricky in places and can get very muddy or flooded in wet weather. Follows the Itchen Way along the route of the Itchen Navigation. Refreshment facilities accessible at Itchen Valley Country Park.

Time: 3h30–7h30

Lunch: Refreshment facilities at Itchen Valley Country Park.

Warnings: The Itchen Navigation towpath is narrow, overgrown and neglected in places, with obstacles and dense vegetation; cover arms and legs against nettles and consider boots, as long grass can be wet. The river path can flood in winter. Loud aircraft noise where the route passes beneath Southampton Airport's flight path by the M27. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.