Walks you can reach from Hook by train

Heathland, woodland, military training lands, levada water channel, canal towpath, residential outskirts and nature reserves.

Time: 4h30

Warnings: MoD closures apply.

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

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).

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).

Leisurely, hill-free chain of green spaces, following the Cove Brook Greenway through country parks and butterfly habitat to Fleet Pond, Hampshire's largest freshwater lake.

Fleet Pond: Hampshire's largest freshwater lake, a nature reserve of reedbeds, heath and woodland.

Lunch: Southwood Country Park visitor-centre café, midway.

Walk details: Blackwater Valley Nature Walks (tips, photos, 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).

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.

Lovely countryside along the Wey Navigation; Lovely views across water meadows. A generally flat, easy-to-follow route along the River Wey Navigation towpath through lovely countryside and water meadows, with well-kept locks and bridges, a few steep ramps where the towpath crosses roads and steps and stiles. One section can become muddy and slippery; the final mile or so into Woking is more urban. Follows the River Wey/Wey Navigation towpath, owned and managed by the National Trust. An hourly bus from Send allows the route to be split. A short detour can be made to Send Church.

Waterway: nine tenths along the River Wey.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 3h30–7h30

1 lunch spot: the New Inn

Warnings: A section between Send and Old Woking can be muddy and slippery with little to hold onto; walking poles and waterproof boots recommended in wet weather. An awkward stile near Woking by the cricket ground. The river dominates the route, so check flood warnings before walking if in doubt.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A pleasant, mostly waterside and traffic-free route following the Blackwater Valley path then the Basingstoke Canal towpath, mostly flat and well surfaced with few access issues, just the occasional gate, narrow footbridge and possibly muddy sections after rain. Surprisingly rural-feeling along the tree-lined waterways and though traffic noise intrudes near Frimley. Follows the Blackwater Valley path then the Basingstoke Canal towpath, including the impressive Brookwood flight of 14 locks. No refreshment stops on the route itself.

Waterway: nine tenths along the Basingstoke Canal.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

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

Time: 2h30–5h

Lunch: No refreshment stops along the route.

Walk details: Slow Ways.