Droxford
Meon Valley
Children will enjoy dipping their toes in the River Meon, a café in a churchyard and spotting animals as you pass by a farm on this walk.
In the summer, when the water is shallow, children can paddle in the River Meon
The Basics
Time: 35 mins or a longer version of 1 hr 10 mins.
Distance: 1.8 km or a longer version of 4 km.
Terrain: Mostly flat paths with some small, gentle slopes. Lots of kissing gates and brief sections on quiet country roads.
Pushchair: No.
Dogs: Yes, but look out for cows grazing on the longer route.
Refreshments: Wilfred's Café is sited at the church with some indoor and outdoor seating (check link for opening days). The Baker’s Arms is a nearby pub situated on the main street through Droxford.
Toilets: None, unless visiting the café.
Public Transport: There is no suitable public transport to this location.
Parking: Parking area in front of the church (Postcode: S032 3RB - W3W - gather/horses/bulky)
A ford at the River Meon
Droxford is a pretty village situated on the River Meon. You will find a pub, a playground, a quaint churchyard café, access to the Meon Valley Trail and fords across the river. You have the option to take a longer walk, or cut it shorter if you want something quick and easy.
The Route
Walk down to the church and enter the graveyard. Keep the church to your right and pass by the building, heading towards the back wall of the graveyard. Take the gate in the left hand corner and exit into a meadow with a fenced path at the top.
Turn left, following the footpath across the top of the meadow and then through another gate, soon passing a ford on your right (and dog poo bin). You will pass by an attractively restored mill where children can see the river water gushing through a weir.
Pass by the mill on your left and continue along the riverside path. You will cross a little bridge before coming to another ford where it is easy for children to have a splash.
After the ford, the path turns into a quiet country lane. Follow this for a short time until you spot the footpath on your right.
The narrow footpath will head up hill between two paddocks. Children can look out here for chickens, sheep, pigs and other animals belonging to the smallholding.
At the top of the field, go through the gate and turn left. After a very short distance, you will see a worn path that hops over the low embankment on your right. Nip over this, cross the drive on the other side and go around the wooden gate opposite. This will take you up to the Meon Valley Trail, an old disused railway that has been turned into an excellent multi use pathway.
Turn right and follow the railway trail until you reach the large stone bridge. Go under it and on the other side there are some information boards detailing the original station’s role in the Second World War.
For the shorter walk, turn right, signposted Droxford Village and climb the steps up onto the bridge. Go left and go through a boarded kissing gate and cross the top corner of a field. Go through the second kissing gate on the opposite side and follow the path downwards, through another gate. This will lead you down the edge of a field to the river.
The banks around the river are privately owned, so stopping to picnic and lingering for the day is not encouraged, but we have usually found that a quick play in the river around the bridge and rocks at this spot only has been tolerated. Once you have enjoyed this lovely little place, cross the bridge and follow the path back up to the church.
For the longer walk, do NOT go up the steps by the bridge in section 8, but instead continue straight along the Meon Valley Trail. At the point where the next bridge starts to come into view, look out for the unsigned path heading up to your left. This will go parallel to the old railway track for a short while before taking you up onto the road and the top of the bridge. Turn right and follow the quiet country lane. Cross the river, continue, and then cross the river again. Look out for the first cottage on your right and then take the footpath (not along the gravel drive, but through the kissing gate) into the field.
The field has cows in, but they seemed like a peaceful bunch when I passed by them! You will see the direction of the footpath worn into the field and should follow it all the way across until you come close to a house with a large deck platform. Follow the path through the gate here and walk along a section of path with fence either side. Dog walkers should look out for the ‘lick, stick, pick’ station for dog water, sticks and poo bags! Children might like to look out for the quirky chicken run.
Keep walking straight along the enclosed path until you reach the church. You can turn right immediately before the churchyard here if you want to go to enjoy the section of the river as detailed in section 9.
*If your children fancy a treat at the end of the walk, then you can take a five minute extension up Park Lane from the main street in Droxford to the playground. It is just beyond the junior school and does have its own car park if you want to drive.
Did you know?
Droxford station used to be a stop on the old Meon Valley Line and world leaders including Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle met in a railway carriage at the station in 1944 to discuss the D-Day invasions. It was considered a safe spot to meet due to it’s relative obscurity. You can find a bench in the village to commemorate this historic meeting and will pass the siding where they stopped on this walk.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one just along the River Meon at Soberton
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