Community Menu
Useful Links
Community Bus
Articles
Walk 3 – Hazeley Heath 2 Miles
Hazeley Heath is one of the largest surviving tracts of lowland heath in north Hampshire and is designated as a SSSI and a potential Special Protection Area for its bird life, which includes woodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler.
| 1. | Leave the public car park and when on the High Street turn left past The Lamb Hotel and keep on the left into Hares Lane, which has a Hunts Common sign on the right. Nos 7 and 10 were The Clarence and King’s Arms public houses until the early 1900s, when there was pressure from government to reduce the number of pubs right across the country. |
| 2. | Soon on the right you come to the Vaughan Millennium Orchard. This is named after Pat Vaughan the long serving Parish Councillor and latterly Parish Clerk, who died prematurely at the age of 57 in 2008, having dedicated much of his life to serving the interests of the people of Hartley Wintney. There are over 100 different types of apple tree planted in the orchard and this is a good spot to have a picnic. |
| 3. | Carry on walking through the road-closed barrier and on to Hares Farm, which is over 300 years old. Turn left just past Hares Farm and up through the sunken footpath until you emerge into the woodland. Turn immediately right and follow the footpath keeping the barbed wire fence 5 yards to your right. Rising to begin with and then falling through the trees cross over the bridges over a number of culverts. If you look up the heath to your left you will see the remains of the concrete ramp used by the military during WWII for testing the breaking strains of cables. |
| 4. | At the bottom of the hill, past the noticeboard, detailing the tree felling work that is being carried out as a part of the Hazeley Heath Management Plan which over a period of years aims to return the area to its former glory, carry on until the river Hart is on your right and drop down to walk beside the river. |
| 5. | At the 2 bridges that allow you to cross the river turn left before you reach them and walk out onto the open heath, following the path past the telegraph pole to its left and onto a wooden footway that spans 100 yards of marshy land. Carry on into the copse, over the bridge over the small stream and you now have Hatts Cottage on your right and further on Purdies Farm with its raised square brick barn, which might originally have been on mushroom shaped stones (called staddlestones) and used to store grain beyond the reach of rats and mice. |
| 6. | Carry on following the footpath, which runs parallel to the road to Hatts Cottage and Purdy’s Farm and when reaching the gravel track turn left onto the track. After 300 yards turn left at the footpath marker where there are 3 sunken concrete posts. After 50 yards there is a lovely view to your left over the heath. |
| 7. | Carry on until you reach the crossroads of 4 major paths and take the 2nd from the left, carry straight on when another large path crosses the one you are on and then to your left you will soon see the remnants of the building at the top of the concrete ramp referred to in 3 above. Take time out to walk though the trees to see some of the best views of the heath from what is nearly its highest point. |
| 8. | With the concrete ramp on your left walk on until you reach the major path and turn left and carry on through the holly lined path and down through the woods. |
| 9. | Partially shielded by the trees off to the right you will see Springfield Avenue Play Area, which was refurbished in late 2008. |
| 10. | At the bottom of the path pass through the kissing gate, on past the small Hawarden Place Play Area, passing between the wooden garden fences until you reach Hares Lane again where you turn right to return to your starting point. |