Blackbushe Airport
Yateley
Children will enjoy spotting aeroplanes taking off and landing, as well as riding their bikes around the disused runways.
Visitors can watch planes taking off and landing
The Basics
Time: 45 minutes
Distance: 3.17 km / 2 miles
Terrain: Mostly paved paths on old runways with a few rougher forest tracks. All flat.
Pushchairs: Pushchairs will make it around.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk.
Refreshments: Pathfinder Café has plenty of seating right next to the runway.
Toilets: There are toilets next to Pathfinder Café.
Public Transport: There is no public transport to this location.
Parking: Free car park, closed overnight from 18:00 - 06:00 (Postcode: GU17 9LQ - W3W: ///diverged.upholds.successor)
Children can ride their bikes safely around the disused runways.
Blackbushe Airport is a busy little airport with private flights coming and going all the time. Parking is free and there are picnic tables to watch the action, or the Pathfinder Café has a large outdoor area right beside the runway. Part of the airport is no longer active, and in that area, walkers and cyclists can enjoy the long surfaced paths of the old runways. Walks can be extended into neighbouring Yateley Common or Castle Bottom Nature Reserve.
The Route
If facing the runway, turn right and walk to the very end of the car park. Just beyond the air traffic control tower, you will see a gateway into Yateley Common. Turn immediately left, and walk/cycle with the end of the runway directly to your left.
Go straight through the woodland until you hit a cross paths. Turn left here and you can ride your bikes over some earthwork ramps.
Continue forward until you see the tarmac of the runway to your left. Turn left and walk across the top of the first runway and then go straight on down a long section of tarmac that looks like a road.
Turn left at the end of this to ride/walk all the way down the length of the runway.
Veer left at the end and onto the rough path through the trees. You will soon find yourself back at the gravelled area with the ‘ramps’.
If you want a longer walk, you can head east directly into Yateley Common where there is a mixture of heathland, ponds and woodland. You can follow the link below to see more about a previous walk we did at Yateley Common.
At the far end of the disused runways, you can head west into Castle Bottom Nature Reserve (we didn’t do this as we had the bikes, so we cannot tell you what this is like).
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Did you know?
Blackbushe Airport was originally called RAF Hartford Bridge and was built on land requisitioned by the government as part of the Second World War defence.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at neighbouring Yateley Common
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