Walks near Farnborough by train
Hampshire · South East England
Stations: Farnborough North · Farnborough (Main)
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Farnborough and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Farnborough.
Guildford Circular via Compton (Surrey)
15 minutes direct from Farnborough North.
Beginner-friendly: No coast or river to follow, but pretty straightforward long lines nonetheless, and Watt’s Chapel provides a lovely reward for reaching the midpoint of the circuit. The lunch stop is a simple café in the vicinity of Watt’s Chapel, so no messing around with booking a table in advance.
Watts Chapel: Beautiful Arts and Crafts creation of Mary Watts (1h45 in).
Watts Gallery (1h45 in)
St Catherine's Chapel Ruins (30 mins in)
1 lunch spot: Watts Gallery café (1h45 in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Withies Inn, Ye Olde Ship Inn, the Britannia, the White House, or the George Abbot
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: Walking Post (inc. GPX).
Gomshall Circular via Shere (Surrey)
45 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
Highly recommended
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Abinger Roughs and Netley Park: Hidden woods with ancient trees and flower-sprinkled grasslands, just off the North Downs and Pilgrims Ways (National Trust).
Saint James's Church: see the remains of where a devout anchorite was encased within the church walls (30 mins in).
Shere (45 mins in)
7 lunch spots: Shere (30 mins in) — the Dabbling Duck Café (excellent), Hillys Tea Shop, the William Bray, or the White Horse; plus the Drummond Arms (1h in), Mandira's Kitchen at Silent Pool (1h15 in), or Carb Up and Go (1h45 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Compasses Inn, or the Gomshall Mill
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Salisbury Circular via Stonehenge (Wiltshire)
1 hour from Farnborough (Main), with one change.
Highly recommended
Old Sarum Ruins (1h in)
Stonehenge (4h30 in)
Stonehenge Landscape: A World Heritage Site famous for its ancient ceremonial landscape of great archaeological interest, set in over 800 hectares of chalk grassland (National Trust; 4h30 in).
1 lunch spot: the Bridge Inn (2h30 in; excellent)
Warnings: Have lunch a café or pub next to the river. Return from Stonehenge to Salisbury by bus (very frequent & reliable but check times).
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Dorking to Box Hill & Westhumble (Surrey)
45 minutes direct from Farnborough North.
Highly recommended: Vineyard, wooded hills, chalk downland, open grassland. Very beautiful. Magnificent views at Box Hill. Begins fairly quiet, but anticipate a constant Londoner horde near Box Hill itself.
Hilly: two fifths on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Woodland: half under tree cover.
Salomons Memorial Viewpoint (3h45 in)
Box Hill Café & Visitor Centre (National Trust; 3h45 in)
3 lunch spots: Mickleham (2h15 in) — the King William IV (excellent; reservations recommended), or the Running Horses; plus Box Hill Café & Visitor Centre (3h45 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Stepping Stones
Warnings: Relatively busy. Can be muddy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Farnham to Blackwater (Surrey)
30 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
Highly recommended: Deer park, heathland, MOD training area, Iron Age hillfort, reservoirs, stream valleys, woodland, nature reserve, wet meadows, lakeside sandy shores and common.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
1 lunch spot: the Foresters (2h15 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Crown and Cushion
Warnings: MOD closures apply.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Farnham to Godalming (Surrey)
30 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
Highly recommended: River valley, forest tracks, sandy bridleways, open parkland, country houses and wooded valleys.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Mother Ludlam's Cave: Sandstone cave associated with local folklore (1h30 in).
Godalming: attractive market town (5h45 in).
1 lunch spot: the Barley Mow, Tilford Green (2h15 in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Cyder House Inn, the Rose and Crown, the Richmond Arms, the Fox & Finch, or the Star
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Mortimer to Bramley (Berkshire)
30 minutes from Farnborough (Main), with one change.
Highly recommended: Little known but quietly wonderful. Beautiful rather than spectacular, in a humble village pathways sort of manner. Mostly secluded.
Ruins of Calleva Atrebatum: once a thriving Romano-British city that survived into the Saxon period. Now ghostly ruins. Includes an evocative full circuit of city walls, and what's left of a 7,000-capacity gladiatorial arena (1h15 in).
St Mary the Virgin Church: charming medieval church on the site of a Roman temple (2h15 in).
1 lunch spot: the Calleva Arms (1h45 in; excellent)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Bramley Inn
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: Reading to Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership.
Milford to Haslemere (Surrey)
45 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
Highly recommended: Remote heathland, pretty lakes, sandy bridleways, ancient woodland, heather and gorse commons and a dramatic natural amphitheatre.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
The Sailor's Stone (National Trust; 3h15 in)
Devil's Punch Bowl (National Trust)
Lunch: Nowhere to eat en route — pack lunch!
1 end-of-walk reward: the Harper's Steakhouse
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Bentley to Farnham (Hampshire)
45 minutes from Farnborough (Main), with one change.
Highly recommended: Ancient forests, heathland ridges, Scots pine, heather, large ponds with swimming, remote commons and quiet woodland paths and lanes.
Woodland: half under tree cover.
The Devil's Jumps
1 lunch spot: the Bel & The Dragon (3h15 in)
Warnings: MOD closures apply.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Reverse direction: Blackwater Valley Nature Walks.
Henley-on-Thames to Pangbourne (Oxfordshire)
45 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
Highly recommended: Thames riverside, ancient streets, broad valleys, beech woods, fields, small villages, alpaca farm and toll bridge.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
1 lunch spot: the Red Lion (1h45 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Greyhound
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Pangbourne to Goring & Streatley (Berkshire)
45 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
Highly recommended: Woods, hilly, river and quaint village.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
3 lunch spots: Streatley (2h in) — Pierreponts, or the Swan at Streatley and the Coppa Club; plus the Bull (2h in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Miller of Mansfield, or the Catherine Wheel
Warnings: Relatively busy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Pangbourne Circular via View of the Thames from Hartslock (Berkshire)
45 minutes from Farnborough North, with one change.
River Thames valley, wooded hillsides, chalk nature reserve, open fields, quiet lanes and pretty villages.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Lunch: Nowhere to eat en route — pack lunch!
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Greyhound, the Ferry Boat, or the Swan
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.