Getting started

This walk starts in Inkpen’s Lower Green and then climbs through the village and up onto the chalk ridge forming the southern skyline. It traverses Walbury Hill and Inkpen Hill on an ancient drovers’ track before descending steeply to return to the starting point via Inkpen's St. Michael's church, a relic of the 13th century.

From ‘The Swan’ turn LEFT onto the road and walk past the Green. Take the road RIGHT at the junction by the telephone box and before the road divides again turn LEFT onto a footpath alongside the drive of “Brook House”. Continue ahead where the path narrows to run between two properties and then bear LEFT to follow an obvious grass path around two sides of pastureland. At the end, cross over a bridge and onto a winding path which leads to Manor Farm. Follow the path around the fields, bearing LEFT in front of some out-buildings and then RIGHT to join a fenced path which runs alongside the farm drive. Turn RIGHT and follow the lane to a T-junction. Turn LEFT and then, after a short distance, leave the lane to take a footpath on the LEFT. Head for the top left hand corner of the field, keeping the fence on the left; go through 2 gates and then onto a narrow fenced path between two houses to exit at the lane.

Turn LEFT along the lane and then take the next RIGHT onto a gravel track. After the first house on the right, turn RIGHT to join a footpath; follow this through a gate and across two fields to exit at the T-junction of two lanes. Go straight over to follow the lane into Trapshill. Where the lane starts to descend steeply, turn RIGHT through a gate and follow a marked footpath that runs across the top of Kirby Parkland and then along a headland path beside a large drainage ditch, finally bearing LEFT through a small paddock beside Kirby Farmhouse. Go straight ahead to the gate into the farmyard and then keep LEFT to walk between the barns and join a wide track leading down into the parkland of Kirby House. Continue straight across to a gate at the far side and then follow a track, bending left at the rise, to reach a minor road. Turn RIGHT, follow the road for a short distance to a junction and then take the LEFT fork signposted ‘Faccombe’. Almost immediately, turn RIGHT onto a footpath, which then climbs up through a copse and out onto the open side of Walbury Hill. Continue to climb, following the line of earthworks, to the brow of the hill, aiming slightly left to exit over a stile in the hedgerow at the top.

The earthworks on the hill form part of the Iron-age Hill Fort dating from 750 BC.

Turn RIGHT onto the wide chalk track and follow this westwards over the top of Walbury Hill and then across onto Inkpen Hill.

Just below the car park between Walbury Hill and Inkpen Hill, on the opposite side of the road is a granite memorial to the men of the 9th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment who, in the fields and woods nearby, rehearsed for their assault on the Merville Battery, Normandy in the early hours of the 6th June 1944.

Combe Gibbet, ahead of you, was first erected in 1676 for the hanging of George Broomham (of Combe) and Dorothy Newman (of Inkpen) who were having an affair and were hanged for murdering George's wife Martha, and their son Robert.

Continue on this track beyond the Gibbet towards a clump of Beech trees; just past the trees turn RIGHT over a stile and then keep to the RIGHT across the top of the hill past Wigmoreash Pond up to a dry bowl surrounded by small trees. Look for a cleft in the hillside to the left at this point. Turn LEFT to follow this soon obvious path, which descends very steeply, veering RIGHT near the bottom of the hill to a gate in the hedgerow. The path then enters a hedged section; where the hedges end, continue straight ahead on a path that runs between fields down to a minor road. Turn RIGHT onto the road and then RIGHT again at the next lane and walk up to a footpath signpost on the left.

A short detour to the Right is Inkpen’s church, dating from the 13th century, but largely restored over a 100 years ago. The Old Rectory (or Inkpen House) which stands above the church is a William & Mary house, with interesting gardens laid out in the style of Versailles.

At the footpath sign, cross the stile into a paddock and then head for the far left hand corner to another stile. Continue across the next field, keeping the fence on the right, and cross a further stile to reach a lane. Turn RIGHT, follow the lane round to the LEFT at the T-junction to reach the Green and retrace steps back to ‘The Swan’.

other walks

Not sure if this is for you ? Then choose another walk -

• Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Home

Downloads

Start and end point - the car park of ‘The Swan’ public house at Lower Green, Inkpen.
Terrain - This walk climbs to the chalk ridge above Inkpen and involves the ascent and descent of steep slopes. It has stiles and will likely be muddy outside of the summer months.

PDF

GPX

KML