Walks you can reach from Fleet by train

Wild, open heathland plus the Grade I listed Brookwood Cemetery and Ash Ranges MOD heathland.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Brookwood Cemetery: A vast Grade I listed Victorian cemetery with an eclectic mix of religious sections.

Ash Ranges: Wide-open MOD-owned heathland with occasional public access and far-reaching views.

Time: 3h–5h30

Warnings: Ash Ranges access varies; do not enter if red flags are flying.

Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).

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).

Largely flat Basingstoke Canal towpath, summer water lilies and wildflowers, linking Farnborough, Brookwood and Woking; varying lengths.

Lunch: Station coffee shops at Farnborough and Brookwood, a café in Brookwood, the Rose and Thistle pub at Frimley Green, and many options in Woking.

Warnings: Lords-and-ladies plants along the route are poisonous.

Walk details: Blackwater Valley Nature Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Heath, river meadows, canal towpath, parkland estate, fields and country lanes.

Time: 4h30

Warnings: Can be muddy.

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

Lowland heathland, firing range ridgeline, open grassland, conifer and broad-leaved woods, farmland fields and historic cemetery grounds.

Warnings: Army range closures apply.

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

Heathland, Horsell Common and a Peace Garden; Chobham Common, Rhododendron Walkway, Basingstoke Canal into Woking.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Chobham Common: The largest National Nature Reserve in the South East, a fine example of lowland heath.

Horsell Common: Sandy common made famous as the Martian landing site in H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.

Time: 3h30–7h

Warnings: Longcross has no facilities and trains roughly twice an hour; buy single tickets as the stations are on different lines.

Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).

Waterways, a foot ferry and D'Oyly Carte Island, past Dumsey Meadow, the Thames Path and the Wey Navigation.

Waterway: three quarters beside rivers and canals.

Dumsey Meadow: A rare surviving Thames-side water meadow with open access for wild swimming.

D'Oyly Carte Island: A small Thames island that was the home of Victorian impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).

Coastal country park, stony beach, light woodland, mudflats, riverside causeway with marinas, open farmland and village lanes.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 5h–9h30

3 lunch spots: the Harpers Steakhouse (2h30–5h30 in), Little Canton (3h–5h30 in), or the Jolly Sailor (3h–6h in)

4 end-of-walk rewards: Manor Farm Café, the Dolphin, the Brewery Bar, or the Railway

Warnings: Check tide timings.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Recommended: A relaxing rural walk mainly on traffic-free footpaths through meadows, fields and woodland, with a particularly pretty middle section along the River Loddon. Urban footpaths out of Hook; can be very muddy in places, the Loddon is prone to flooding. Lots of gates and bridges and a few stiles. Follows the way-marked Brenda Parker Way for much of its length, alongside the River Loddon. The plotted route has been diverted slightly between Lilly Mill and the A33.

Time: 3h–6h

1 lunch spot: the Coach and Horses

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

Warnings: The crossing of the A33 (Basingstoke Road) requires a long wait for a safe gap. The riverside section is prone to flooding, so check the way is clear after wet weather. There are gates and stiles.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: One of the most enjoyable routes in that area. A gentle, straightforward and very enjoyable route, mostly along the quiet Basingstoke Canal towpath through a deep cutting and dense woodland and with some residential streets at Frimley Green and Farnborough. The towpath has a fairly small gradient but can get quite muddy after wet weather; the last kilometre into Farnborough is a bit uphill on roads. The towpath switches sides at the Bisley Camp Road bridge. Adjacent army ranges at Deep Cut produce occasional sound effects along the canal.

Waterway: three quarters along the Basingstoke Canal.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

1 lunch spot: the Harvester

Warnings: There are railway lines to cross leaving Farnborough where visibility can be poor; take care. The towpath can be quite muddy after wet weather.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: A really easy-to-follow and direct and pleasant route making the most of the Basingstoke Canal and Wey Navigation towpaths. The first section out of Woking is mostly paved; the stretch along the Wey is rougher ground and can be muddy in places after rain. A gradual rise as the locks raise the canal level; away from traffic and mostly quiet. Follows the Basingstoke Canal and Wey Navigation towpaths.

Waterway: nine tenths along the Basingstoke Canal.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Lunch: There are no refreshments along the way, but it is not a long route.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

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.