Walks you can reach from Gillingham by train

Highly recommended

Old Sarum Ruins

Stonehenge

Time: 4h30–9h

1 lunch spot: the Bridge Inn (2h30–5h30 in; excellent)

Warnings: Have lunch a café or pub next to the river. Return from Stonehenge to Salisbury by bus (very frequent & reliable but check times).

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

Dry chalky U-shaped downland valleys, wooded ridges, grassy valleys, picturesque villages, rolling hills and river valley.

Time: 5h

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

A steady climb to two Iron Age hillforts and a toll house, with wide country views.

Warnings: Includes a sustained climb.

Walk details: Great Scenic Railways of Devon & Cornwall (PDF).

Open Hampshire countryside, dismantled railway embankment, riverside paths along River Test, thatched-cottage village, concreted forest tracks through Harewood Forest, farmland and suburban approach into Andover.

Time: 5h

Warnings: Can be muddy.

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

Upper Test valley, water meadows, mill-streams, ancient drove road, parkland, riverside paths and quiet lanes.

Time: 4h

Warnings: Can be muddy.

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

Reverse direction: Railwalks (inc. GPX).

Recommended: Stunning views in every direction, views of green rolling Devon countryside. A hilly walk through the Blackdown Hills, starting with easy, flat walking through meadows beside the River Yarty before a steep climb, after which it stays hilly with a lot of quiet lane walking. The lanes are a relief from mud in winter and but field sections are likely to be muddy after rain. Passes through the Blackdown Hills AONB. Excellent public transport between the two towns.

Time: 5h30–10h30

Lunch: No other facilities outside Honiton and Axminster.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Beautiful; picturesque. Riverside path and flat and easy-going.

Hilly: a quarter on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 6h30–13h

Walk details: Railwalks.

An excellent route; Delightful route; lovely start and end points. A long route with very little road walking (and only minor roads), much of it on forest tracks through managed woodland, taking in several nature reserves and a National Trust estate. Easy walking for the most part, a little gooey in places after heavy rain and with a few gates and some stiles; the main challenge is the length. Passes through Bentley Wood nature reserve and at least two other nature reserves, and takes in the National Trust's Mottisfont estate. Can be shortened by jumping on the train one stop from Dunbridge to Romsey.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 8h–15h30

Warnings: The approach to Romsey crosses an active gravel pit between Awbridge and Squabb Wood, which can require diversions, and the lower end of Squabb Wood can be very wet and difficult in winter.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Starts in Whitchurch on the River Test, heading south on a long footpath through attractive fields, then an overgrown byway and a long roadside walk along the busy Overton Road, before a narrow path alongside the railway cutting and a final field crossing to Micheldever Station. Footpaths can be unclear and narrow and overgrown. Passes the Silk Mill Museum just south of Whitchurch and goes through the Roundwood estate.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Warnings: A long walk alongside the busy Overton Road has only a narrow verge; visibility is good but you need to stay vigilant. The footpath alongside the railway cutting is narrow and overgrown in places, and its entrance is rather hidden after the A303 underpass.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Fabulous walking through interesting places and with some lovely views. Wonderful varied walking on back lanes, field paths and well-used dirt tracks and climbing onto the chalk plain for lovely views. A short steep climb out of Fonthill Gifford; a muddy bridleway through Eastleigh Woods toward Warminster (a drier signposted alternative exists).

Time: 6h30–13h

Warnings: A stretch along the fast, relatively busy B3089 east of Hindon has no verge; the crossing of the A303 needs care and patience (sightlines are good).

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Fine views over the surrounding countryside. A very rural route following the Macmillan Way: pasture and arable farmland, quiet lanes and footpaths through Honeycombe Wood. Poorly maintained and overgrown in places, with muddy fields and field exits and fine countryside views. Follows the Macmillan Way; combines well with the Yetminster-to-Crewkerne route.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: The trail is poorly maintained: expect overgrown stretches and stiles, many through reclaiming hedgerow (difficult and low for tall walkers), and nettles. Fields and Honeycombe Wood get very muddy in the wet, and some paths are hard to spot. Cattle (including a bull on one occasion) graze some fields.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Visit Dorset.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Time: 7h–14h

Walk details: Railwalks.