Oakhanger & Shortheath Common
Bordon
Children will enjoy the excellent wooden play area at the start of this walk.
The play area in Oakhanger village is placed next to the entrance to Shortheath Common
Ambling Path Members Get 10% off Food and Drink at The Hanger
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Ambling Path Members Get 10% off Food and Drink at The Hanger 🍽️ Scroll Down to Sign Up 🍽️
The Basics
Time: 50 mins (or an hour if you walk to the pub)
Distance: 3 km / 1.9 miles
Terrain: Mainly sandy paths, a few uneven patches, can be muddy in winter.
Pushchair: In dry seasons an off-road pushchair should be able to get around, but you will find some of the paths rough and sandy.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome but they must stay on the paths during ground nesting bird season.
Refreshments: The stylish Hanger Free House is in the village (10% off food and drink for Ambling Path Members) and can easily be walked to or there are picnic tables on the village green.
Toilets: There are no public toilets.
Public Transport: There is no public transport to this location.
Parking: Shortheath Common car park, Oakhanger Road, free (Postcode: GU35 9JP - W3W: ///ballpoint.shippers.crockery)
Shortheath Pond is a popular place for fishing
Oakhanger is an attractive village near Bordon with a large central green and a brilliant little play area that is right beside the start of our walk around Shortheath Common. The common is crossed by a network of sandy paths and short sections of boardwalk. It is home to a large pond popular with fishermen. A short distance away is The Hanger with a cosy bar, stylish restaurant and beer garden.
The Route
Standing in the car park, facing the pond with the road behind you, begin the walk on the boardwalk to your left marked by a little post with a paw print on. This will bring you around the short side of the pond with the water to your right. When you reach some concrete bollards, turn left and walk along the sandy path heading away from the pond.
After the pond, the path becomes rougher, with deeper sand for a short distance. Those with pushchairs will probably find this the trickiest section. Turn right when you reach an access track and walk along it. The surface will now improve.
Veer left at the first fork and then veer right when the track splits again just before a bungalow called ‘Garlenette'. Proceed along the track and then at Heathfield House, fork right when the path splits again, heading towards a strip of bollards and under the power cables. You will soon reach a short section of new boardwalk, which you should cross.
Just after the board walk, fork left away from the main path. Turn left at a junction with a sandy path and follow it as it bends right. Pass a derelict cottage in a field on your left, then at a junction, turn right and follow the vehicle track until it emerges at Oakhanger village.
You will see the play area to your right, which is in an enclosed, dog free space. There are a couple of picnic tables on the village green. To reach The Hanger Freehouse, walk across the village green and continue down Oakhanger Road for less than a half a kilometre and find the pub on your right.
The walk continues to the right of the play area beside the Hampshire County Council sign. Walk down the main path to access Shortheath Common again, first through trees, then the path will soon open up into a wide grassy space. Continue on the main path straight ahead, back through trees and then onto the common. Look out for the sandstone sculpture ‘Cranberry on the Mire’. Children can look for the QR code on it, which they can scan to reveal a video with some interesting information about the common’s flora and fauna.
Keep left on the main path until you come to the same section of boardwalk you crossed before. Immediately after the boardwalk, at a wooden post, take the first path to the left which will bring you to Shortheath Pond again. Keep the pond to your left and continue along its edge until you reach the concrete bollards from the start of the walk. Turn left and retrace your steps to the car park.
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Did you know?
Shortheath Common is host to 23 different dragonflies. The endangered field cricket was reintroduced to the site under Natural England’s ‘Species Recovery Programme,’ and the ‘song’ of the males can be heard between May and August.
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try this one at Kingsley, which is another nearby heathland walk with a huge pond. You could even link the two walks!
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