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A Walk From Romsey To Chandlers Ford Start: Romsey Railway Station Finish: Chandlers Ford Railway Station Distance: 5.5 miles approx. Time: 2-3 hours
A Walk between Romsey and Chandlers Ford through countryside and quiet lanes, with a scenic train ride to get you to the start or back from the finish. This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs and can be quite boggy after wet weather. There are 9 stiles to cross. Take care when crossing any of the roads. From Romsey Station forecourt go down the slope, at the bottom turn back on yourself (signpost to Cupemham Lane), go through the tunnel under the station and follow the path until you reach a wooden bridge over the canal. Take the right hand gravel path immediately before the bridge and follow it with the canal on your left hand side. You eventually emerge alongside the Plaza theatre. Cross the Winchester Road and walk south to the next roundabout, turn left into Knatchbull Close. Now follow the path alongside the river (on your left) under the railway line, crossing first Botley Road then Queens Close, where you need to take the path with the river on your right hand side. Now continue along path with the river on your right, crossing a couple of roads and then around a playground before entering Tadbum Meadows Nature Reserve. Stay on the same path through the Reserve (river on right), eventually the path crosses a bridge after which bear left along the path keeping the river on your left. The river soon goes off at 90 degrees but continue along the same path until it runs uphill into Hestia Close, turn left along the pavement to reach the junction with Halterworth Lane, where you turn right,
Walk to the T junction and then turn left into Highwood Lane. Walk about half a mile along here going round a right hand comer and then turn left into Green Lane at the entrance to Stroud School. Green Lane is a quiet country lane but does have the occasional passing car, so take care, go along Green Lane until you reach Emer Farm (this is about 100 metres after Willow Farm, which you will pass on your right). At the entrance to Emer Farm there are two footpaths, one over a stile (ignore this) and the other through the gate, take this path and follow in a straight line passing through two more gates and out into a large open space. Just past the pylon bear left (the main path continues round to the right), and go through a kissing gate at the entrance to Emer Bog Nature Reserve. Follow the path, some of which is made up of wooden, planks, to the comer of the field, ignore the stile, go through the gap and turn immediately right to follow a grass path through the trees keeping the barbed wire fence on your right. Follow this until you reach a kissing gate, pass through and continue on path, again keeping barbed wire fence on your right the path does become more obvious as you proceed, Eventually you exit the Reserve through a kissing gate (next to a larger gate) and then through a metal gate emerging on to Pound Lane.
Turn right and then take the footpath sign posted on the left after 50 metres, this passes through a private field to a stile in the adjacent comer, over the stile go up the bank and turn right for about 50 metres then cross the next stile into a marshy field. Now continue in roughly a straight line across 4 more fields and stiles until you emerge at Flexford Road, where you turn left. Half a mile along the road, opposite the entrance to Castlehill Farm, take the footpath sign posted to the right across a field, this path is not marked but try and follow the general direction of the signpost heading for the rooftops seen in the distance. Go over the stile into a field with a playground, bear left and cross another stile and then follow path with houses on the right, emerging onto Skyswood Road. Turn left and then right at the T junction, before following the Public Footpath sign opposite, this is a gravel path which eventually reaches a cycle path cross straight over and enter the woods. Follow this path in a straightish line (do not deviate left or right) through the woods until you reach the exit at Knightwood Road.
Go over the road and enter Knight Wood, now take the right hand path and follow this slightly downhill and then gently back up generally keeping in the same direction on this well trodden path. After about half a mile look out for a post with a solitary green arrow point left (permissive path), here turn right and then almost immediately left and then a little further bear right before emerging onto Foyle Road. Turn right and then left into Shannon Way, walk down Shannon Way round the bend where you will see a cycle path on the other side of the road and a sign to the Railway station. Cross onto it and follow the signs to the station.
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