Home Farm
Children will enjoy the giant picnic bench, large meadows and grassy woodland trails on this walk.
The Basics
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 3.6 km
Terrain: Grassy meadow and woodland paths. Extremely muddy in winter which can leave some paths rutted even when dry. Some gentle slopes.
Pushchairs: Probably not ideal due to the rough pathways mentioned above and kissing gates.
Dogs: Yes. There are cattle grazing in some areas.
Refreshments: None, but there is an enormous picnic table.
Toilets: None.
Parking: Two free car parks, the larger one we used being on Spain Lane off the A339 (Postcode: GU34 5RT - W3W: page/stretcher/wheat)
Home Farm is a lovely place to come and walk the dog, have a picnic and enjoy nature. There are three marked trails which you can view by downloading the map from the Woodland Trust website or on noticeboards at the car parks. Our route below is an adaptation of the blue and white routes which passes the picnic bench as well as the woodland of the upper part of the reserve and the meadows of the lower part.
The Route
Begin the walk by going through the gate closest to the car park entrance and walking straight up the hill. This initial section follows the blue markers. At the top of the hill, you will find the giant picnic bench which makes a good place to stop and take in the view of the grassland. We have done this route three times and every time we have looked up to see plenty of red kite hovering above and gliders floating by from the local airfield.
After the bench, continue in the same direction, entering the wooded area. After a short while, you will reach a metal kissing gate. Go through the gate and turn right onto a track. This will bring you out onto a lane, where you should turn left. After a few metres, you will see a gate taking you back into Home Farm on your right.
For the rest of the walk you will follow the white markers (they are very clearly placed at each junction and gate, and you should be able to find your way even without my directions). Walk through the woodland and fork right at the first fork. The next white marker will will take you straight ahead and then a left fork at the next white marker.
At a large clearing, where a number of paths converge, follow the yellow and white marker post and bear right beside a gate stating ‘keep out’. Shortly, go left through a kissing gate where there are yellow and white markers.
Go left at the next fork and walk to the next kissing gate. Go straight on and then go through the next gate where there is an information board to your left.
Veer left and head down the hill, where the landscape changes to more open countryside with scrubby hawthorns and a solar farm in the distance. Keep on the only path all the way to a gate and a bench under a tree.
Go through the gate and continue to follow the white markers until you hit another path where you should turn right and emerge at the top car park. Go through the car park and cross the little lane and re-enter the reserve on the other side.
Cross the large meadow with the mown path going diagonally through the centre to your left. At the very far side of this meadow, the path will descend and go through a gap in the hedge, before rising again on the other side. At the top of this rise, you should see the car park in the distance.
Did You Know?
Home Farm was once a predominantly arable farm that came up for sale in 1965 and was earmarked for use as a landfill site. Significant local opposition, and a donation from Lord and Lady Sainsbury, enabled The Woodland Trust to buy the site in the early 1990s. The trust has subsequently planted 67,000 trees and carefully managed the land to encourage natural regeneration.