Fishlake Meadows
On this walk, children will enjoy the wooden steps down to the water and the hides for spotting birds.
Looking for fish in the old canal
The Basics
Time: It will take you 45 minutes to explore the paths around the nature reserve or about 1 hour if you try the circular walk.
Distance: 4.1 km / 2.5 m for the circular walk.
Terrain: Flat, even paths in the nature reserve. Plus pavements, steps and uneven paths for the circular walk.
Pushchair: The paths in the nature reserve are suitable for pushchairs, the paths on the circular walk are not.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome under close control in the nature reserve, apart from the inner section with bird hides and wetlands, where they are not allowed. Only use the steps if your dogs are going to enter the water.
Refreshments: There are no refreshments in the reserve, but you could follow the canal into Romsey, where there are many options.
Toilets: There are no public toilets at Fishlake Meadows.
Public Transport: It is a fifteen minute walk from Romsey train station along along the canal to Fishlake Meadows.
Parking: When entering Oxlease Meadows, a housing development, take the first left signed ‘odds 3-11’ to find a small, free car park open 8 am - 6pm (Postcode: SO51 7AB - W3W - ///alongside.re-joins.corporate)
Birdwatching on the nature reserve
Fishlake Meadows is a wetland nature reserve in the southern Test Valley, on the edge of Romsey. There is a wealth of wildlife that has been spotted here including osprey, dragonflies, egrets, kingfisher, orchids, water voles and otters. You can take a simple walk around the reserve, a longer circular route or follow the canal into Romsey town centre.
The Route
There is no circular path around the nature reserve, so we usually just walk to our chosen highlight and return.
To walk to Romsey, turn left when you hit the old canal path and follow the path with the water on your left into the town centre.
To walk through the reserve, turn right when you hit the old canal path. When you reach a bridge, you can continue for a few hundred metres along the path into Ashley Meadows. This will eventually lead you out to the road, which is a good place to turn back.
To walk to the wetlands and wildlife screens, turn right when you hit the old canal path and then turn left opposite the bridge. This path will cut across the reserve and you will need to take the next left, through a gate, to reach the viewing screens and wetland views (this section is dog free due to the wildlife).
If you want a circular route, this is one that we have plotted, but be aware that the second half is on pavements by a busy road.
Enter the nature reserve through the gate in the car park. Turn right and follow the path with the canal to your right. When you reach a low bridge to your right, turn left, away from the canal.
As you walk along this path, there will be an option to take a gate on your left and enter a spur into the main wetland area. Here there are bird screens and a chalk board detailing all the latest wildlife spottings. Dogs are not allowed in this part of the reserve. This is a dead end, so you will need to retrace your steps to get back to the main path.
To make the walk circular, turn left when you get back to the main path, entering a wooded area. Curve left with the river on your right. Cross the footbridge (steps) and turn left to walk along a path bordered by wooden fences. At the cottage, you will be forced to turn right and hit the road.
Turn left at the road and walk along the pavement. Turn left again onto Fishlake Meadows Road opposite the garage, signposted to an industrial estate. Walk over two bridges then follow the pavement with the nature reserve behind scrub to your left. Pass straight on at two junctions on your right with Robert Whitworth Drive and then look out for the footpath on your right behind a metal barrier, just before the next bridge.
This path will shortly bring you back to the canal, where you should turn left under the bridge to return to your start point.
Did you know?
Running along side Fishlake Meadows is one of the few remaining sections of The Andover Barge Canal. Most traces of the canal have completely disappeared, but here wildlife flourishes in the waterway and you may be lucky enough to spot an otter or a kingfisher.
We are passionate about keeping The Ambling Path as a free resource available to everyone, forever. If you have enjoyed using our walking guides, then please consider leaving us a donation. This will help to cover our costs as well as rewarding the considerable time and effort needed to maintain the site. Thank you.
