Liphook to Haslemere walking guide

Leaving Liphook station by the ticket office, turn right, then take the steps to the bridge.

Cross over and follow the road uphill for 650m until you reach Highfield Lane. Turn left, following the sign for Highfield School, then turn right by the bridleway sign 20 metres after that.

After 100m, follow the Sussex Border Path sign and, about 230m after that, you’ll see a two-armed sign: take the path marked Sussex Border Path 1989. Just 40m after this sign, the wood opens out and the path curves slightly left; stay on it. In another 40m, there will be two parallel paths – take the left path.

In 280m, the two paths re-unite. At this point, there will be a post: follow the blue arrow uphill.

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Remain on the track. It climbs gently, arriving at a gate signed Access Land. Keep straight on, emerging to meet a wider track coming from your left. The track then curves left and over a cattle grid. After 140m, you’ll reach a three-armed sign: leave the Sussex Border Path and turn right onto New Lipchis Way.

Continue on this track for 900m. As you reach the edge of the wood, there will be a four-armed sign, where New Lipchis Way turns right. At this point, go straight on, over a cattle grid, an in 100m you’ll pass a restored farmhouse on your left.

Keep the farm buildings on your left and cross the stile. In 50m there will be a muddy three-way junction: as the main track turns left, go straight on following the footpath sign. The track descends through coppiced chestnut woodland.

Enjoy the views of Marley Common on your left as you go. In 180 metres, follow the track half-right downhill, ignoring another track forking right uphill. In 180m, the path veers sharply to the left, and at the bottom there is a large beech tree by a three-way sign.

About 40m after the bend, take a sharp right down a faint track bordered by a ditch. This path is easily missed, so look out. It goes steeply downhill through a chestnut coppice, and after 150m, you will reach a T-junction. Turn left.

In 220m, there will be a well-hidden two-armed sign by a large beech tree; go straight on. In another 80m, there is another hidden two-armed sign, propped against a tree. At this point, turn right, following the public footpath.

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After 120m, you will emerge by an attractive house and garden. Keep their fence to your right, and after 20m you’ll reach a three-armed sign. Keeping the house to your right, go through the wooden fieldgate and turn right. The stable and lake will be on your left.

Follow the fence and leave the paddock through two wooden fieldgates after 20m, crossing planks into conifer woods on a turf path.

After 100m, the path reaches the bottom of the slope and bends right. Ignore all turn-offs, and follow the wide, grassy path through the plantation.

After 400m, turn left at the two-armed sign onto a wide earth track. In 40m, cross over a stream and continue straight on.

When you reach the tarmac road T-junction after 125m, turn left, passing Shulbrede Priory on your right-hand side. When you get 50m past the Priory’s white gates, turn right onto another wide earth road. There will be a cottage with a birdcage to your left.

After 200m, cross over another stream and follow the earth road round to the right.

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After 150m, you’ll reach a the three-armed sign. At this point, turn left uphill into Greenhill Wood.

Continue for 280m uphill, ignoring any turn-offs. When you reach a three-armed sign, take the right-hand fork.

Now stick to the main path for 900m, ignoring any turn-offs, following the footpath signs. After 900m, you’ll come to a signed path going downhill - ignore this and go straight on.

After another 450m, follow the footpath sign and bear slightly left, as the main track descends downhill.

In 180m, you will come to a stile with a metal fieldgate to its left, then after that to a four-armed sign. Just past the stile, go right downhill on a path. Another path is available for this route a few metres on, in case this one is too muddy to use.
In 50m, you will come out onto a tarmac road beside Updown Cottage. Go to the right down this road, heading south. After 350m, you will come to an old house and garden on your left-hand side. Go 100m past the house’s entrance, and follow the sign down a footpath to the left across a green open space.

Cross the green for 50m, then fork right into the woods themselves. Continue down the steps, across a stream and up the other side, with gardens to your right.

After 450m, go across the main road (the A286), straight over and down Hogs Hill Road, keeping to this road for 400m until you reach the Red Lion pub, which is your suggested lunchtime stop.

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The route is a gentle uphill climb for the first 2.5km; however, the bridleways can be muddy.

Turn left out of the pub and go alongside its back garden, following the footpath sign’s directions. You’ll enter the woods after 40m.

Stick to the main path and enjoy the walk. After 115m, you will cross a stream. About 30m after this, ignore a fork to the right and carry straight on. About 105m after that, ignore the two fieldgates and the stile off to your left.

After 225m, bend right with the main path. You will cross a stream where the water flows from a storm pipe.

After 165m, you will reach a T-junction with a wooden barn opposite. Turn left, following the footpath sign, onto a wide earth track.

About 80m after, you’ll reach a crossing of paths beside a footpath post. Take the wide left fork uphill.

Stick to this track as it winds uphill, ignoring any turn-offs.  Around 380m uphill, you will cross right over a path. Here, take the public footpath as it bends to the right, still going uphill.

After 150m, take the left-hand fork, following the footpath sign. About 340m after this, ignore a fork down to the left, and keep straight on.

After another 150m, you will come to a bridleway T-junction. Take the level way to the left, which will be virtually straight on. Ignore all ways off.

About 120m after, you will reach a major crossroads. Here, don’t go straight but rather take the fork, slightly to the right, onto a sign-posted bridleway. Stick to the bridleway, and after 150m you’ll reach a wooden fence on your left with a distinctive converted thatched barn.

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About 200m past the barn, you’ll see a two-armed sign. Take the left fork here, arriving at a tarmac road 20m below. Cross straight over the road and take the sign-posted footpath downwards.

Follow the path for 120m, and watch out for an easy-to-miss post on your left-hand side with a yellow and green arrow. Follow the yellow arrow, and climb the bank by turning a sharp right on a faint footpath, heading steeply uphill.

After 100m, you will come to a fence where you follow the footpath sign to the left, with the fence on your right-hand side. In about 30m, go over a stile and turn right to go along the edge of a field. In 100m, go over a stile and straight on. Be warned: the horse paddocks here can be very muddy.

At the far right corner of the field, about 200m from the stile, go over another stile and follow the footpath sign on a path with fences on both sides. In 100m, you’ll come out through a broad opening on to a paved road near Wadesmarsh Farmhouse.

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Cross over the road, bearing slightly to the left, and continue on a bridleway. After 30s, you will enter the National Trust’s Valewood Park, with excellent views of Black Down on your right.

Continue straight on for 500m, until eventually you come to a large, isolated oak tree with a three-armed sign leaning against it. Here, you leave the main track to fork left.

After 100m, go through a kissing gate into the wood, and keep going straight on. In 300m, ignore a fork to the right and 35m after that, ignore one sharply to the left.

In a further 125m, take a right downward turn on the Serpent Trail, marked by a three-armed sign. Proceed over a series of planks, and veer left with the path at the bottom of the hill, and continue onwards with the stream on your right.

After 75m, walk across two planks over the stream. About 25m after, you’ll come out onto a road near the entrance to Valewood Farm House. Turn left on the road and immediately take a sharp right to go past Stedlands Farm on your left.

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Go past the entrance drive on your right that leads to The Stables, a large new brick house with diamond-paned windows. At a fork in the track marked with a footpath sign, take the left-most bridleway uphill.

From here, go fairly steeply uphill, ignoring any turn-offs. In 500m, you’ll reach a tarmac road at the top with a house on your left. Turn left and in 20m, turn right again up a tarmac path with an anti-motorbike barrier, with playing fields on your left-hand side.

After 350m, cross another tarmac road, but carry straight on to the main road (the B2131), down a path with steps between high hedges. Turn left, and then in 150m turn right into Haslemere High Street. About 140m along is the suggested tea place, Darnley’s tea room. Feel free to take a break here!

Coming out of Darnley’s, turn right and after 25m, turn right again down West Street, following signs to the police station. In 120m, where the main street curves to the right past the police station, take the road straight on to the fire station - but once you reach it, turn left and take the footpath that goes down the left-hand side of the fire station, signposted as a footpath to the station.

There will be a stream to your right as you follow this path, and you will come out onto a paved road opposite Redwood Manor. Turn left here and, in 40m, turn right on to the B2131,

Haslemere Station is 260m away on your right-hand side. The Haslemere Hotel (with bar) is opposite the station. The London platforms (2 and 3) are over the footbridge.

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