Bishop’s Waltham
Children will enjoy exploring the ruins of the Bishop’s palace on this walk.
The ruins of Bishops Waltham Palace are free to explore
Ambling Path Members get 10% off at Hoxton Bakehouse until March 22nd on this walk
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Sign-up using the link on this page
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Ambling Path Members get 10% off at Hoxton Bakehouse until March 22nd on this walk 🥐 Sign-up using the link on this page 🥐
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Distance: 4.2 km / 2.6 miles
Terrain: Fields which can be muddy, one stile, uneven paths through a nature reserve, town roads with pavements, quiet country lane without pavements and one tricky road crossing over a busy road.
Pushchairs: This walk is not suitable for pushchairs.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome but should be on leads over farmland, in the palace ruins and in the nature reserve.
Refreshments: Bishops Waltham has a range of pubs, cafes, bakeries, tea-rooms and fish and chip shops. A favourite of ours is Hoxton Bakehouse for some delicious coffee and baked treats to take to enjoy on picnic tables at the ruins.
Toilets: Public toilets in Basingwell Street car park.
Public Transport: Stagecoach route 49 from Hedge End, 69 from Fareham to Winchester and 649 from Botley to Swanmore all stop at The Square.
Parking: Basingwell Street car park - one hour free, up to two hours 80p, up to three hours £1, Sundays free (Postcode: SO32 1PA - W3W: ///whiplash.ending.flats)
There is a bridge, but of course children will prefer to cross the ford!
The palace was once the grand residence of the Medieval Bishops of Winchester and with so many of the walls still intact, you can get a really good impression of what the building would have once looked like. Our walk starts out at the ruins and then heads off through the countryside crossing a young River Hamble and then into The Moors nature reserve. The return brings you through the streets of Bishop’s Waltham with rows of pretty cottages and a fine town square.
The Route
This route gives you the option to visit the ruins at the beginning or end of the walk. You will find the main entrance on the B2177 by turning right after crossing the roundabout by The Crown Inn at the end of Basingwell Street Lower. The grounds are open daily between April and September from 10am to 6pm, and daily between October and March from 10am to 4pm
You will need wellies for this walk right now (March 2026)
From Basingwell Street car park, head back down Basingwell Street Lower, past The Crown Inn to the roundabout. Cross over the road and join Botley Road by going straight across at the roundabout. Use the pavement to walk up Botley Road and after the last house on your left, look for a small gap in the hedge and a footpath arrow with a Hampshire Millennium Pilgrims Trail badge.
Take the footpath up the bank and into a field. Walk along the left hand edge of the field. At the corner of the first field, walk through the gap in the hedge and continue in the same direction in the next field. Repeat again when you come to the next gap. In the third field, look out for a pig and some alpacas who live over the barbed wire fence to your left. Continue until you reach a metal kissing gate.
On the other side of the kissing gate you will see the river and a bridge to your left. Cross the bridge and on the other side, veer left and follow the worn path across the middle of the field to the fence and metal kissing gate. Go through the metal kissing gate, cross the track and then immediately go through the next kissing gate. Veer left after the gate, following the worn path across the field towards the houses. Aim for the stile to the right of the largest house with three gabled windows on the top floor.
Go over the stile and approach the road. This road crossing is particularly tricky as traffic comes fast and you do not have a good line of sight. We recommend walking along the verge a little to your left to improve the sight line. When you are confident you can cross safely, join Paradise Lane on the opposite side. Paradise Lane is a quiet country lane and you should follow this until a house called Spring Meadows.
Opposite the entrance to the house is a muddy lay-by and a little wooden plank footbridge. Take the footbridge and go through the gate into the nature reserve. Follow the little path, initially keeping the fields to your right and the trees to your left. Go through the next little gate and continue until a metal kissing gate takes you out from under the trees and into a field. Cross the field to the wooden gate on the other side.
Follow the straight path on the other side of the gate and walk between a pair of fences. This path is very muddy at the time of writing. At the end of the path, exit through the wooden gate. Walk straight on to the next gate and then veer right across an open space towards a bench. Beyond the bench, a number of paths converge. Veer left and go through the smaller gate to the side of the padlocked larger gate.
Continue straight with a barbed wire fence to your left and Hoe Road Recreational Ground through the trees to your right. The area to your left will be awash with wild garlic in spring. Continue to the next gate and then proceed out of the trees into another open space. Keep left of the scrubby bushes in the middle and walk over a plank footbridge. When you approach the houses on the other side, veer right and out of the nature reserve*.
Cross the road and then walk up the footpath that starts next to the bus stop. As you emerge from the footpath, turn left at the road and walk with the Waltham Tandoori to your right. Follow Bank Street and then you can choose to turn left into Basingwell Street Lower to go directly back to the car park, or continue and turn left down Brook Street to reach Hoxton Bakehouse.
* If you veer left here, over the straight section of boardwalk, you can find the ‘Sand Boils’, a spring where water bubbles up from under the ground at the source of the River Hamble.
You may also enjoy visiting Bishop’s Waltham Pond, a few metres further east along the B2177 after the palace.
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Did you know?
Bishop’s Waltham Palace was one of the finest residences of the Bishops of Winchester. Built by Henry of Blois in the 12th century, it was a palace capable of housing the king and his court on a number of occasions. The palace was badly damaged in the Civil War (1642–9) and subsequently abandoned.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one to Titchfield Abbey, where you can find more free to roam ruins.
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