Alresford
Children will enjoy the park half way along this walk as well as the duck feeding station.
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 15 mins (shorter option possible)
Distance: 3.7 km
Terrain: Flat riverside paths, roads and pavements
Pushchair: Yes
Dogs: On leads around town
Refreshments: There are lots of options around Alresford town centre from pubs, cafes and bakeries to picnic benches at the park. The Alrebury Cafe is located on the first floor of the building beside the car park which also has an indoor play area for under 5’s
Toilets: There are public toilets on Station Road or if using The Alrebury Cafe
Parking: There are a few car parks around the town, but we find the best one for this walk to be Alrebury Park car park, off The Avenue. It is free for the first two hours (Postcode: SO24 9EP - W3W: rooks/keyboard/overused)
This is a fantastic family walk that is the most searched for on our website. It starts from the delightful Georgian town of Alresford, with its independent shops and eateries, before joining the crystal clear river where you will spot one of Hampshire’s most photographed homes.
The Route
Leave the car park and head towards the town centre down The Avenue and then West Street. Turn left onto Broad Street which leads onto Mill Hill. There are lots of independent shops and cafes to catch your attention along this stretch.
Turn left down Ladywell Lane when you see the footpath and signs for The Millennium Walk. The little lane will soon turn into a riverside path and you should keep following this with the river on your right.
You will pass a little memorial garden on your left which is good for picnics and soon after you will come to the idyllic, and much photographed, Fulling Mill.
After the mill, the next point of interest is a little stand where a local girl and her family put out little bags of duck food in exchange for a small donation (bring loose change).
When done feeding the ducks, the river will take a sharp bend to the right. Keep following the river. Soon you will see the entrance to Alrebury Park on your left. This has picnic benches and a lovely play area. If you want to, you could cut the walk short here and walk through the park to the car park on the other side of the football club.
To continue the walk, keep going along the riverside path. Next, you will pass the old eel house. Go along the wooden walkways around the eel house and the look out for a little stone bridge. Cross the bridge.
The footpath now leaves the riverside to go around a private fishery. The path will stay parallel to the river, which will be down to your left the other side of the fishery. Keep going until you reach a road.
Turn left and walk along the wide and quiet road. At the next junction, go left and join the pavement on the splendid tree lined avenue back to your car.
Did you know?
The eel house was used to trap eels as they made their way from the tributaries of Old Alresford Pond, down The River Itchen, into the English Channel and across the Atlantic Ocean to The Sargasso Sea. It is a mind blowing miracle of nature that all eels across the world will make a similar journey to return to breed in that one location. The next open day for this historic building will be 1st April 2024.