Whitchurch
Children will enjoy spotting trout in the river and getting ice-creams at the halfway point on this walk.
Bridge over The Test opposite Beer Mill
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 10 mins
Distance: 4 km
Terrain: All flat with some small sections on roads and a field with cows. Some narrow paths where nettles grow in summer - long clothing recommended.
Pushchair: No
Dogs: Yes
Refreshments: Bere Mill Butchery is conveniently located half way along the walk and sells ice-creams when open Weds – Friday 10-5pm and Saturday 10-2pm. Otherwise, it is an easy stroll into the town centre from the start/finish of the walk where you will find plenty of options including The White Hart Hotel or the Riverside Cafe
Toilets: Although not on this route, you will find the nearest public toilets at Bell Street Car Park
Public Transport: Whitchurch is served by regular Stagecoach 76 and 86 weekday and Saturday services from Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester. On Sundays there is a service from Basingstoke and Andover.
Parking: At the side of the road on London Street B3400, as close to the junction with Town Mill Lane as possible (Postcode: RG28 7LN - W3W:relay/ultra/puzzles)
Looking towards Beer Mill and the River Test
This walk begins in the small town of Whitchurch and loops around the River Test. Much of the upper Test flows through private land and public access to the river is limited. You won’t be able to walk beside the river for the whole route, but the parts where you can, reveal beautiful old mills, stone bridges and glass-clear water. Our route is a shorter version of The Mill Trail, which is seven miles in its entirety and passes five historic mills. Our route includes two of the mills.
The Route
From London Street, walk in the direction that heads away from the town centre and look out for a small lane on your right called ‘Town Mill Lane’. Take this to start the walk.
Cross the bridge and turn left, to walk with the river on your left. After a few metres you will come to a place where dogs can access the river via a step. Walk along this section of river with private gardens along the opposite bank.
The first landmark you will come to is Town Mill, now a private home. Cross the bridge here and look out for trout in the crystal clear water. Turn left immediately after the bridge and continue with the river to your left.
Shortly, the path beside the river comes to an end and you will need to take the parallel path through a pretty meadow instead (as a side note, there is a BMX track and skate park up the hill to your right and further down Alliston Road there is a play area).
The path cuts across the lower part of the meadow before heading into trees and then out into farmland. All the while, you should just stick to the straight line of the path.
Your first deviation will be where the path begins to climb the field in the direction of the farmhouse. At this point, look out for the metal gate to your left, which takes you back tantalisingly close to the river again. Watch out for nettles here in summer.
Follow the straight line of the path and look up the bank to spot some make-shift rope swings in the trees. The trees will soon clear to your left to reveal a fence and meadow between you and the river.
At the end of this section, you will go through a gate into a field that has cattle in. The path skirts along the top edge of the field and dogs should be on leads. At the opposite side of the field, you will go through another gate and you should then turn immediately left and follow the fence line down to the bottom of the field before turning right towards the farm buildings.
There will be a long garden wall to your left and you should go through the gate (or over the stile) to soon emerge at Beer Mill, the star of many of our photos. Follow the gravelled driveway with the river now visible to your left and look out for the butchery to your right. As well as the obvious meat products, you can buy ice-creams here (opening times above).
After the mill, cross the beautiful stone bridge and proceed down the quiet lane. Just after the lane goes over a stream, look out for the gate and footpath sign on your left. This will lead you across a field, with the buildings of the mill visible in the distance to your left.
At the other side of the field, go through a gate and walk with a fence between you and a field of sheep. At the end of this part, the path will dip down to your left and then go narrowly between a field fence and a bank. This section had a lot of nettles when we walked in late May. It was passable, but we advise wearing long clothing - or bringing some secateurs!
Houses will start to appear at the top of the bank, signalling that you are approaching Whitchurch again. You will eventually emerge onto a paved residential street and when this forks, you should go up to the right to come back out onto London Road/Street. Your car should be to the left along this road.
Did you know?
Of the five mills on the full trail, three are private homes, but two house attractions that are open to visitors.
The first, in Whitchurch, is a silk mill. This is a working museum with demonstrations of the silk making process. It also has a riverside cafe, which is in easy walking distance along the river from our walk.
The second, in Laverstoke, is now a distillery for Bombay Sapphire gin. If you want to do the full seven mile walk, you can pass the mill, which offers tours and experiences to the paying public.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at Avington, which is also on the River Test.
