Walks near Petersfield by train

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).

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)

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Recommended

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Highdown Gardens (30 mins in)

Cissbury Ring Hill Fort: The most historic hill on the South Downs (National Trust; 3h45 in).

2 lunch spots: the Black Horse (3h in), or the Gun Inn (3h in)

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Reverse direction: Railwalks.

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.

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).

Linear countryside walk on bridleways and country lanes through woodland and an arboretum, finishing along the Wey Navigation towpath.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Hydon's Ball and Heath: Memorial to Octavia Hill overlooking the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (National Trust; 1h15 in).

Winkworth Arboretum: National Trust arboretum with over 1,000 species of trees and shrubs, noted for autumn colour (National Trust; 1h45 in; 2h to visit).

Busbridge Lakes: Ornamental lake gardens with rare waterfowl.

Hydon's Ball: Hilltop viewpoint with an Octavia Hill memorial and views toward the South Downs.

Wey and Godalming Navigations: Historic navigable waterway opened in 1653, now owned by the National Trust.

Phillips Memorial Park and Cloister: Riverside park with a cloister commemorating Titanic radio operator Jack Phillips.

Godalming: attractive market town.

4 lunch spots: Godalming — the Rose and Crown, or the Star; plus Winkworth Arboretum café (1h45 in), or Winkworth Arboretum Tea Room (National Trust café serving hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks, with mostly outdoor seating)

Warnings: A new housing estate at Tuesley has been built over the footpath with no signage; walkers can cross the estate to reach the road. Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Walking Post (inc. GPX).

Open fields, holloways, mixed woodland, old churches, riverside path along the River Wey, and historic market town. Quiet and isolated.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Watts Chapel: Beautiful Arts and Crafts creation of Mary Watts (1h30 in).

Godalming: attractive market town (3h15 in).

2 lunch spots: the Tea Shop (1h15 in), or the Withies Inn (1h45 in)

4 end-of-walk rewards: the Star, Godalming Delights (great ice cream), the Fox & Finch, or the Richmond Arms

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.