Owslebury & Marwell
Children will enjoy spotting animals as they walk around the perimeter of Marwell Zoo.
A red panda spotted from the footpath
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 40 mins
Distance: 5.9 km / 3.7 miles
Terrain: Three stiles, fields with cows, nettles can be a problem in summer and mud in winter, short section on country road with no pavement.
Pushchair: This route is not suitable for pushchairs.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome, but will need to be on leads through farmland where you may meet cattle.
Refreshments: The Ship Inn, Owslebury which has a cosy interior plus a large garden with kid’s play area.
Toilets: There are no public toilets.
Public Transport: Available on Sundays and bank holiday Mondays only, the 69 bus route run by Stagecoach departs from Winchester Bus Station to the Marwell Zoo entrance or Cresta Coaches route 63, runs from Winchester to the Ship Inn on Mondays and Thursdays.
Parking: You can find a limited amount of parking on the roadside in Owslebury (Postcode: SO21 1LT - W3W: ///shippers.reliving.dislikes).
The Ship Inn has a great garden with a children's play area
This walk will take you from the pretty Hampshire village of Owslebury around the perimeter of Marwell Zoo. Public footpaths line two sides of the property and if children keep their eyes peeled, they are likely to spot some of the animals inside their enclosures. We have seen different animals each time including a red panda, rhino, wallabies, an aviary of birds, a herd of Prezwalski’s horses and some grazing banteng, a type of Asian cow.
The Route
1. Begin by the church. Follow the path across the middle of Glebe Field to the right of the church and go through the gate in the far right corner. Walk along a fenced in path and at the bottom of the hill, cross three stiles.
2. The final stile will bring you into another field with an electric fence. Use the handle to open and close it. Cross the field in a straight line. There are ponies and cattle in this field. On the opposite side, open and close the electric fence at the gap. Walk up the bank, through the trees and then turn immediately right and walk on the upper side of the trees. Follow the path along the edge of the field with the trees to your right and a caravan to your left. As you approach the farm, go straight ahead along the farm track to the road.
3. Turn left at the road and follow it up hill. When the road starts to descend, take the footpath on your right, just after a solid metal gate. It runs behind trees parallel to the road. Look through the fences on your right for the banteng, an aviary of birds, the red panda (usually up the tree) and wallabies.
4. At the corner, turn right away from the road and keep the zoo boundary to your right. After 50 metres, the path will bend left. Follow it upwards and then soon veer right and walk along the straight woodland path. When you cross a driveway with a security gate, look out for rhino in the field in the distance. Keep going on the same path until you meet the road at some wooden bollards.
5. Turn right onto the road and then immediately turn right again up the gravel path. Cross the entrance to the zoo and continue on the opposite side beside a picture of an otter. Soon cross the entrance to an overflow car park. Proceed straight ahead, into woodland until a set of wooden steps on your left and right. Go right up the steps and keep straight. Go through the kissing gate. As you reach the edge of the trees, look right for the Prezwalski’s horses.
6. Follow the path across a large field. Just before the houses, turn left up the permissive path. Turn right at the end and keep right until the road. Continue to bear right at Boyes Farm to find The Ship Inn and the village beyond.
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Did you know?
The zoo was founded by Dr John Knowles in 1972. He initially sold a Rolls Royce of his to buy some zebras. Dr Knowles always ran the zoo with a particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and was later awarded an OBE for his services.
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