11 - 12 miles Ham Green, Up Somborne and Pitt Down

This is a circular walk from Ham Green. We start by making our way through West Wood before leaving the trees for open field tracks and paths. Enjoying views of fine Hampshire countryside, we will descend into Up Somborne for our morning break. From there we follow the paths across more fields and skirt the village of Ashley before following the road climbing up to Pitt Down. At the top we will have a well-deserved lunch break. In the afternoon we work our way through West Wood and ancient Crab Wood, returning to our starting point along Ham Green itself.

The basic walk is 11 miles. If the weather plays ball and the group are up for it, we have the option of walking to the Horse Monument at Farley Mount for lunch. There are plenty of places to sit there but it would add a mile, there and back. We can see how we all feel about it on the day.

The walk covers a variety of terrain, from farmland, local tracks and some road walking (on quiet roads). Quite a lot of the walk is in the various woods which will hopefully provide some shelter, if needed, in December. As is so often the case in Hampshire the walk is not entirely flat. There are several ups and downs across the rolling countryside but nothing particularly taxing. The only climb of significance comes just before lunch as we walk up the road to Pitt Down.