The fifty-five acre Rowhill Nature Reserve is mainly made up of secondary ancient woodland. The well-signed Nature Trail follows the highlights of the reserve that include bluebell glades, boardwalks, ponds and a large meadow.

In 2023, a new playground was completed in Rowlands Castle. Using this as a starting point, if you walk over the splendid village green, passing pubs and a café, you will find yourself in a forest where long grassy rides frame views of Stansted House.

Forgive the photography, this little chap wouldn’t look the right way! But in this tree, you might be able to spot a red panda. This has to be the only footpath in the country where you have a good chance of spotting red pandas, rhinos and wallabies!

This tiny country park on the edge of Liphook is a valuable habitat for local wildlife. It comprises a small area of woodland and water meadow and The River Wey makes its journey through the centre. Families enjoy coming here to walk the dog and dip their toes in the shallow waters.

What better way to climb the hill up to Selborne Common than via the zig-zag path that naturalist Gilbert White cut into the hillside over 200 years ago? Once you have enjoyed the views from above, make your way back down the beech hanger and enjoy refreshments from the pub at the bottom.

Follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen and take a stroll through Chawton Park Wood to find bluebells and if you’re lucky, a deer or two.

Alice Holt Forest is an extremely popular location for a variety of outdoor pursuits from high ropes courses to mountain biking. For the littlest explorers, there are multiple woodland play areas and Forestry England regularly host trails here based around Julia Donaldson stories. New for 2023 is a Zog trail which is detailed in this guide.

Creech Wood near Denmead is an easy to explore mainly coniferous woodland with a network of firm paths. It has an interesting history having once been part of the Medieval Forest of Bere and more recently the site of a WWII encampment.

On the downs above Winchester, the quirkily named Cheesefoot Head is an area of far reaching views with a network of paths including the South Downs Way. In the summer there are meadows of wildflowers and often fields of blue linseed.