Kimbridge
Romsey
On this walk, children will love choosing cake at Kimbridge Barn and playing on the little play area, crossing the river and looking out for trains.
Lots to choose from at Kimbridge Barn
The Basics
Time: 1hr 40mins
Distance: 5.6 km
Terrain: Fields, tracks, some road and rail crossings, stile with ‘dog hole’
Pushchair: No
Dogs: On leads through farmland and they are welcome at the tearoom
Refreshments: Kimbridge Barn, a charmingly rustic venue serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea with small gift shop, indoor and outdoor seating and basic play area (booking advised for lunches).
Toilets: None unless visiting Kimbridge Barn or the Mill Arms halfway.
Public Transport: You could catch the train to Dunsbridge and Mottisfont station, with services from Chandlers Ford and Salisbury, and join the walk there.
Parking: If you wish to visit Kimbridge Barn, then you can park in their car park (Postcode: SO51 0LE - W3W: ///pill.graditude.fizzy) Other parking is limited but you may find some around Dunbridge or there is a small layby on Lockerley Road where the path crosses in section two of the walk below.
A bridge over the River Test
This walk can be combined perfectly with a visit to Kimbridge Barn, a destination café and tea room which oozes trendy rustic charm. It crosses the River Test and the railway and takes in a variety of woodland, meadows and fields as well as skirting through the attractive Mottisfont village with its sweet Millenium Garden.
The Route
Exit Kimbridge Barn car park onto the road and turn right. Walk along the grass verge and cross the train tracks. Just after the tracks, take the footpath to your right, leading away from the road with a fence and sheep paddock to your left. Continue to a cross paths. Go straight ahead and go over the stile (with a dog hole) and out towards the road.
Cross the road and go through the gate directly opposite. Walk along a fenced path with a large private pond to your left and fields to your right. At the end of this path, go around an old stile and then cross the field using the worn path ahead of you.
Turn right when you reach the boundary at the other side of the field and you will see two white public footpath arrows. Keep following the one pointing right with the field boundary to your left. As you reach the boundary corner, cross over to the opposite fence where there are three more white footpath arrows. Turn right and walk with a barbed wire fence to your left and the open field to your right. Turn right at the farm track, where there is another white arrow, and then go left at the next. Pass a metal drinking trough to your right and cross the field. As you approach the trees, keep left with the trees to your right and just after the field corner, look for the large metal gate and the path going into the woodland.
Follow the path directly through the woodland until you reach the houses on the other side. Veer left at the access track and head down into Dunbridge village. Cross the road at the Mill Arms, and turn left towards the station. Go over the train tracks and continue along the pavement. Cross the river and then take the footpath into a field on your right, signposted towards Mottisfont.
Follow the path straight across the field with a thatched cottage to your left and telegraph poles to your right, then veer left up towards an oak tree and a gate. Follow the path diagonally across the next field to a stile at the other side. Turn right when you hit the tarmac track, then go through the gate at the end and veer left towards the village.
Pass the little millennium garden on your right. Turn right at the main village road and follow the road (no pavement) past the Tithe Barn on your right. Turn right up Church Lane (children should look out for a goat enclosure here) and walk past the church on your left. Follow the lane as it snakes its way past cottages until the tarmac becomes a track.
Stick with the track and go through a gate at the end into a water meadow. Cross to the bridge and the river on the other side.
Make your way up the path on the other side of the bridge, at one point crossing over the trainline. When you eventually reach a crosspath, turn left to return to Kimbridge Barn.
Did you know?
The Kimbridge Estate borders with the Mottisfont Estate, cared for by The National Trust. You can access the property if you continue along Mottisfont Lane from the village, rather than turning right up Church Lane.
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