Walks near Petersfield by train
Hampshire · South East England
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Petersfield and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Petersfield.
Guildford Circular via Compton (Surrey)
30 minutes direct from Petersfield.
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: A spectacular Arts and Crafts memorial chapel decorated by Mary Watts.
Time: 3h30–7h
1 lunch spot: Watts Gallery café (1h30–3h 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).
Fishbourne Circular via Chichester Harbour (Sussex)
45 minutes from Petersfield, with one change.
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.
Time: 3h–6h
4 lunch spots: Bosham (1h30–3h in) — the Anchor Bleu, Timberley's, the Berkeley Arms, or Marwick's
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).
Gomshall Circular via Shere (Surrey)
1 hour from Petersfield, with one change.
Highly recommended: Extensive woodland.
Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.
Saint James's Church: see the remains of where a devout anchorite was encased within the church walls.
Time: 3h–6h
7 lunch spots: Shere (1h–1h30 in) — the Dabbling Duck Café (excellent), the William Bray, Hillys Tea Shop, or the White Horse; plus the Drummond Arms (1h–2h in), Mandira's Kitchen at Silent Pool (1h–2h30 in), or Carb Up and Go (1h30–3h30 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).
Milford to Haslemere (Surrey)
30 minutes from Petersfield, with one change.
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.
Time: 4h30–9h30
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.
Farnham to Blackwater (Surrey)
1 hour from Petersfield, with one change.
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.
Time: 5h30–11h
1 lunch spot: the Foresters (2h30–4h30 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Crown and Cushion
Warnings: MOD closures apply.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Farnham to Godalming (Surrey)
1 hour from Petersfield, with one change.
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.
Time: 6h–12h
1 lunch spot: the Barley Mow, Tilford Green (2h30–4h30 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).
Bentley to Farnham (Hampshire)
1 hour from Petersfield, with one change.
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
Time: 6h30–13h30
1 lunch spot: the Bel & The Dragon (3h30–6h30 in)
Warnings: MOD closures apply.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Reverse direction: Blackwater Valley Nature Walks.
Goring-by-Sea to Worthing (Sussex)
1 hour from Petersfield, with one change.
Recommended
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Time: 5h30–10h30
2 lunch spots: the Black Horse (3h–6h in), or the Gun Inn (3h–6h in)
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Reverse direction: Railwalks.
Haslemere Circular via Black Down (Surrey)
15 minutes direct from Petersfield.
Mixed National Trust woodland, heathland with bracken, gorse, heather and bilberry, hilltop plateau, open views, rhododendron tunnels and undulating bridleways.
Time: 4h30
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Liphook to Haslemere (Hampshire)
15 minutes direct from Petersfield.
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: 4h–8h30
2 lunch spots: Fernhurst (2h30–5h 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).
Godalming to Guildford (Surrey)
30 minutes direct from Petersfield.
A gorgeous, gentle route; The scenery is stunning. A gentle, mostly flat riverside route along the towpath of the River Wey and Godalming Navigations. On rough paths in places, with a few muddy parts and a sandy and eroded section near Guildford that needs care. Part runs along an old railway line. Mostly follows the towpath of the River Wey and Godalming Navigations; part runs along the old railway line and much of the path is National Trust land. Narrow boats, locks and a pillbox along the way.
Waterway: four fifths along the River Wey.
Time: 2h30–4h30
Lunch: A pub/restaurant with a children's playground roughly half way; note some venues have reported closures.
Warnings: The towpath at Guildford between the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and the rowing club has been closed since 2019 due to a collapsed footbridge, with an unsigned diversion via the A281 and Shalford Road; the diversion includes steep steps and a narrow gate. The approach to Guildford station is traffic-heavy with awkward crossings. A sandy, eroded section near Guildford needs care.
Walk details: Blackwater Valley Nature Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: Wey Valley Community Rail Partnership (PDF).
Godalming to Shalford (Surrey)
30 minutes direct from Petersfield.
Largely level riverside trails along the River Wey, the Wey Navigation canal towpath and a former railway line, passing Phillips Memorial Park.
Phillips Memorial Park: A riverside park commemorating Jack Phillips, the wireless operator of the Titanic.
The River Wey Navigation: A historic canalised waterway with towpaths linking Godalming towards Guildford.
Lunch: Queen Victoria, Shalford.
Walk details: Surrey Hills National Landscape (turn-by-turn directions).