Walks from Hook

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).

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.

Countryside footpaths, bridleways and byways through woods and across arable fields, usually wide and well-trodden. Can be soft after rain, the Hook end (around Gaine's Wood and Hook Common) is exceptionally wet and boggy and where it is best to skirt around the access land. One field path is not visible on the ground. The Great Park in the middle is a highlight, with bluebells in flower in spring.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 5h30–11h30

Warnings: The route crosses a field with a small herd of Highland cattle about 2km before Alton. The Hook Common area is exceptionally wet and boggy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A walk across heath, quiet fields and woodland with a fair amount of road walking, particularly between Crondall and Odiham on quiet but single-track and unpaved lanes. The field in and out of Hook has badly defined paths through thick grassland. Odiham is a good en route stop for food and drink.

Time: 5h–9h30

Lunch: Odiham village, about midway, has options for food and drink.

Warnings: Cattle graze the field at Bartley Heath. Much of the route between Crondall and Odiham is on single-track unpaved roads.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A mix of easy paved sections and cross-country walking on field paths, tracks and gates and with cultivated stretches that turn sticky after rain and several stiles. One section across Hook Common is totally undefined across very boggy ground.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Warnings: The path across Hook Common, between the cricket club and Rectory Road, is undefined and crosses very boggy ground — it is better to stay on the A30 pavement. Several stiles and gates; a section near Old Basing may be diverted for housing construction. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.