Southwood Country Park
Children will enjoy the play area and bike friendly paths on this walk.
Easy, flat and surfaced paths
The Basics
Time: 40 mins
Distance: 2.4 km
Terrain: Flat surfaced paths
Pushchairs: Yes
Dogs: Yes, leads are advisable as it is a popular dog walking area. The café is dog friendly and you will find a dog wash next to it.
Refreshments: Chalk in the Park café beside the play area with inside and outside seating
Toilets: Yes
Public Transport: The Stagecoach bus route 9 goes from Farnborough to Southwater Country Park.
Parking: Free car park, Ively Road (Postcode: GU14 0LJ - W3W: pouch/healers/basis)
The play area beside the café
Southwood Country Park is a 57-hectare green space in Farnborough. It is split into two sides, east and west. The east is home to an excellent cafe, a play area, Cove Brook and wilder land and paths. The west side is a former golf course and has an easy, very well surfaced circular walk.
The Route
1) Cross the road opposite the café to the west side of the park. Here you will almost immediately join the surfaced, all weather path. This path will take you on a very easy to follow loop around this half of the park, with open green spaces, pools, bridges and trees. There is little need for any more direction than this as if you keep to the same path, you will eventually find yourself opposite the café and play area once more.
If you want to extend your walk, part way around you will see a little wooden bridge heading into Southland Woodland. There are good, but not surfaced paths through the woodland and if you head directly across the woodland, you can even connect this walk to Hartland Country Park, where there are nice picnic areas, a bike track and a play area.
Did you know?
Rushmoor County Council plan to add more of the formal, surfaced paths to the east side of the park too.
Although surrounded by built up areas and an airport, the park has been designated as a SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Green space) which means that it is protected and will never be built on.
There is continued work to install an Esso pipeline to the airport through the park. At the time of writing (March 2024) there are still signs of construction and some areas have not yet been returned to their full natural state.
If you liked this walk…
…try this one at Hartland Country Park which is just down the road and has similar all weather paths.
