Walking
Have your
say
Find your
representative
Our
work affecting walkers
Where can I
walk?
Walkers and
the law
Local walking
groups
Dogs
Have your
say
Find your
representative
Our
work affecting dog walkers
Where can I walk my
dog?
Dog walkers
and the law
Local
dog walking groups
|
Where can I walk?
Most people are surprised at just how many options are open to
them; there is a huge range of areas where you can walk, from the linear Rights
of Way and long distance routes to countryside sites, some commons and areas of
land offered by, for example the Forestry Commission or farmers who have signed
up to the government’s stewardship scheme. Below are some ideas with links
to take you through to further web-based information; to get to your chosen
route, you may also wish to look up
public transport
information, or call:
- the National Traveline tel 0870 608 2608 or
- National Rail Enquiries tel 08457 484950
Rights of Way
As a walker, you can use all of the huge
network of Rights of Way. A Map of
Rights of Way in
Hampshire shows all paths where you have a legal right to walk; this is
updated daily but is not guaranteed to reflect the official legal position. A
copy of the legal Definitive Map may be consulted at the the county council's
Rights of Way office in Mottisfont Court, Winchester - please contact us if you would like to
visit.
- Information on how to find and follow
Rights of Way on maps and on the ground
- Long Distance
Paths – Each of these comprise a number of Rights of Way which have
been chosen for their scenic qualities, history and because they join up to
allow many miles of walking; they are regularly maintained and have distinct
way-marking. Many people walk just a short section of a route.
- In addition to these, you can use ‘permissive’
paths, where the land owner has given permission for the public to walk but no
legal rights exist – unfortunately, there are no maps of permissive paths
although local knowledge is usually good and routes obvious when you are on
site.
Sites
- Hampshire County Council manages a variety of
Countryside sites
throughout Hampshire
- Details of
attractions and places to visit in the countryside, again on the county
council’s web-site
- The Explore More
of Hampshire site gives ideas for days out on foot, bicycle and horseback
for for each area of Hampshire.
- The
Forestry
Commission manage many woodland sites across Hampshire, including the New
Forest, which are open to the public to enjoy; the Forestry
Commission are currently operating some winter 2003/04
temporary car
park closures, so please check before you travel.
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust manage over 50 wildlife reserves representing more than 6000
acres of valuable wildlife habitat particularly representative of the local
area, including wetland, downland and woodland; many are open to the
public
- The
National
Trust manage a variety of historic buildings and gardens in the area,
including Mottisfont Abbey
- English Nature are
a Government funded body whose purpose is to promote the conservation of
England's wildlife and natural features; various sites including national and
local nature reserves and SSSI’s are open to the public
- There is temporary access (often 10 years) to some sites as a
result of schemes such as Countryside Stewardship where government are
sponsoring the landowner to provide access; details of these 'Conservation
Walks' are available from DEFRA
- Southampton’s
parks and open spaces, including large areas such as the common.
- Portsmouth’s
parks and open spaces
- Common land – Those on the commons registers held by local authorities are
now 'Open Access Land' (see below) and so there is a right of access on foot;
please do check the Open
Access Land web-site as some areas that are named or
referred to as common may not appear on the register and so
the right of access will not apply.
- ‘Open Access Land’ - sometimes mis-leadingly
referred to as the 'Right to Roam', this new right of access
on foot applies only on specific areas of heath, down and
common in Hampshire; visit the Open
Access Land web-site for details.
- District and Borough Councils may also have details of land
open to you; below are those who make specific reference to walking routes on
their sites:
Winchester | Basingstoke | Hart | Rushmoor | East
Hants | Fareham | Eastleigh
Information centres
and tourist
information centres provide information on many of the walking
opportunities above, and may have details of local sight-seeing walks
Where to walk in neighbouring counties
These are the
gateways to information in our neighbouring counties:
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