Winchester
Children will enjoy two brilliant parks, visiting the cows at the farm and making their own milkshakes at the vending machine.
Buy fresh milkshakes, ice-cream and other produce from Hiltonbury Jerseys
The Basics
Time: 2 hours (including the diversion to the farm)
Distance: 6.7 km / 4.1 miles (including the diversion to the farm)
Terrain: A mixture of flat, well surfaced paths and some uneven, narrower paths with a short, steep descent that may be slippery in winter. Some quiet residential roads. One stile.
Pushchair: This route is not suitable for pushchairs, however, with an off-road pushchair you may be able to reverse the route and walk directly to Hiltonbury Jerseys and back from the park.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on the walk, but are not allowed in the park.
Refreshments: Hiltonbury Jerseys at Attwoods Drove Farm sells teas, coffees, milkshakes, ice-cream and other farm shop produce.
Toilets: There is a toilet for customers of Hiltonbury Jerseys.
Public Transport: The nearest bus stop is Momford Road, a few minutes walk away from Oliver’s Battery Recreation Ground.
Parking: There is enough space for 12 cars to park for free at Oliver’s Battery Recreation Ground on Texas Drive (Postcode: SO22 4HT - W3W: ///spilled.scorpions.worksheet).
The viking ship at Oliver's Battery recreation ground
This walk on the outskirts of Winchester starts at one of our favourite play areas at Oliver’s Battery. It then traverses Compton Down with views of the rolling countryside before descending to Compton. There, you have the choice to make a diversion to another park and Hiltonbury Jerseys, where you can get light refreshments, buy produce from the farm shop, use the milkshake vending machine and see the Jersey cows in the fields. There are also seasonal events with kid’s activities and goat petting in the summer and Santa visits in the winter.
The Route
Leave the car park the way you drove in and then immediately turn left. Keep left and follow the blue bridleway arrow. There will be a meadow up to your right. When the meadow ends, the path will become more enclosed. Ignore a path that goes off to your left and continue, keeping right along the narrow path.
Soon, you will see a newly surfaced bridleway to your left and should switch to this. Follow the new path along Compton Down with views to your left. At an information board about the Southampton Main Link, the bridleway will go up to your right and then continue in the same direction. Just after a house called Spring Hill, the surface of the path will change to tarmac. Continue until the entrance to a dwelling called Shepherd’s Crown. The next house after this is currently under construction (Autumn ‘26) and directly opposite it, there is a footpath leading off to your left.
Take the footpath and after just a couple of metres, branch left. When the path forks, keep right and begin a short, but steep descent. At the bottom, you will come to a large yew tree and a cluster of paths. Go around the yew tree and then through the little metal gate into a field straight ahead of you. Please make sure to shut the gate and keep dogs on leads as there are sheep in this field. Cross the field with the hedge to your right. Go over the stile at the other side and continue along the track and meet the road, Compton Street.
To make a there and back again diversion to Hiltonbury Jerseys (ten minutes each way): Turn right at the road and then turn left up Attwood’s Drive when you reach the junction. Look our for another play area on your right. Continue past all the houses and join the farm track at the end going into the Compton Estate. Continue in a straight line, past Yew Tree Farm until you reach Attwood’s Drove Farm/Hiltonbury Jerseys Farm Shop. Retrace your steps for the whole of step four.
Turn left at the road, Compton Street, if you are not going to the farm, or continue straight along Compton Street of you are returning from the farm. The road will soon end and turn into a footpath. Continue straight and soon ignore a footpath branching off to your left. Walk straight along the path for around twenty-five minutes.
When you reach a cross path, turn left. Look out for a sign along this path for Oliver’s Battery Wildlife area. Go through the gate here and after the little nature area, you will reach the recreation ground again.
Pleas note, you will need change for the vending machine.
Gain access to the member's only area of our website where you will find the complete A-Z library of all our PDF files. This includes over 220 self-guided walks ready to print or download, as well as various children's activity sheets. You will also find a digital membership card, giving you access to our current discounts.
Oliver’s Battery Recreation Ground:
The walk over Compton Down:
Hiltonbury Jersey’s and Compton Recreation Ground:
Did you know?
The Oliver whose battery is referred to in the place name is Oliver Cromwell. It is thought that he had an encampment in the area during the siege of Winchester in the English Civil War.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try connecting it to this one at Compton Lock for a longer walk.
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