Walks you can reach from Hilsea by train
Hampshire · South East England
MapA day hike is just a simple train journey away — plan your next day of green.
Fishbourne Circular via Chichester Harbour (Sussex)
30 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Beginner-friendly: Just follow the coast and come back along a straight walk. It’s almost too simple! Flat, short and plenty of choices for lunch. Chichester Harbour is a little-known National Landscape. Its protected saltmarsh landscape feeds an abundance of birdlife. It’s a major recreational harbour but somehow has a romantically melancholy and isolated air — you can imagine sea shanties being composed here.
Coastal: three fifths along the coast.
Chichester Harbour (1h15 in)
Bosham (1h30 in)
Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens (2h30 in)
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
4 lunch spots: Bosham (1h45 in) — the Anchor Bleu, Timberley's, Marwick's, or the Berkeley Arms
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Bull's Head Pub, or the Woolpack Inn
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Liphook to Haslemere (Hampshire)
30 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Mixed oak, beech and chestnut woods, bridleways, streams, open countryside, horse paddocks and a final climb into a market town.
Woodland: half under tree cover.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: Fernhurst (2h30 in) — the Red Lion Pub, or the Fern Café
1 end-of-walk reward: the Harper's Steakhouse
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Horsham to Haywards Heath (Sussex)
1 hour direct from Hilsea.
Forest, fields, Sussex villages and views; St Leonard's Forest, historic Slaugham village, Cuckfield, South Downs views.
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
St Leonard's Forest: An expansive forest of ancient woodland between Horsham and Crawley.
Slaugham: Very small, but picturesque.
Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Rowlands Castle Circular via Hooksway (Hampshire)
15 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Park- and woodland, steep lonely valleys, open fields, hamlets, beech avenue and South Downs escarpment views.
Time: 8h (6h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
Warnings: Steep climbs and descents.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Winchester Circular via Wolvesey Palace (Hampshire)
45 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Historic cathedral city streets, watermeadows, iron age hillfort, downland ridges, river valley and ancient meadows.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: M3 motorway noise.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Portsmouth to Havant (Hampshire)
7 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Flat coastal walk, seafront promenade, sandy beaches, short ferry crossing, disused railway path and harbourside shore path.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Southbourne to Emsworth (Sussex)
15 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Flat coastal sea wall, tidal harbour, salt marsh, sand dunes, beach, mudflats, tidal lake and historic village high street.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Check tide timings.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Southbourne to Chichester (Sussex)
15 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Flat tidal harbour shoreline, raised sea walls, mudflats, fields, light woodland, duck pond and pedestrianised historic city centre.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy. Best at high tide.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Petersfield to Rowlands Castle (Hampshire)
30 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Undulating ramble through western South Downs, gentle hills, hilltop views and farmland.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Petersfield to Liss (Hampshire)
30 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Rolling Hampshire countryside, wooded hangers, steep hillside ascent, unspoilt farmland and quiet villages.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Steep ascent, slippery winter.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Netley to Botley (Hampshire)
30 minutes direct from Hilsea.
Coastal country park, stony beach, light woodland, mudflats, riverside causeway with marinas, open farmland and village lanes.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
3 lunch spots: the Harpers Steakhouse (2h45 in), Little Canton (2h45 in), or the Jolly Sailor (3h 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.
St Denys to Chandler's Ford (Hampshire)
45 minutes direct from Hilsea.
River Itchen and Monks Brook with little road walking — Riverside Park, woodland, North Stoneham Park and waterside meadows.
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Four stiles; can be muddy in places; not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs; take care at road crossings.
Walk details: Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership (PDF).