Book a break to enjoy the outdoors in the rural Hampshire South Downs (East Hampshire)

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After so many uncertain months it’s good to think ahead to a short break away in the fresh air. The Hampshire area of the South Downs National Park offers wonderful opportunities to get out in stunning countryside and enjoy activities as diverse as walking in the footsteps of literary giants, cycling, exploring forests and gardens, learning unusual new skills in the outdoors and even sleeping as close to nature as you can get!

If you enjoy walking and hiking you can immerse yourself in the beauty of this area by exploring the countryside loved by Jane Austen, the pioneering naturalist and author Gilbert White, the wartime poet Edward Thomas as well as others through a series of 6 literary walks and a Writers’ Way. Or step out on longer hikes taking in part of the South Downs Way, the Shipwrights Way, or the Hangers Way, which gives a flavour of the area’s trademark beech-clad hills, or Hangers – especially glorious in spring and autumn. Cycling opportunities abound – whether you’re up for challenging off-road hills and long-distance cycles or a more leisurely rural ride.

Fishing is another delight in the open air in rural East Hampshire. Nestling in its own valley and far from the hum drum of life is Meon Springs, where anglers of all ages and experience can enjoy the sport. Adhurst Yurts also offers fishing to its staying visitors. For something a bit different, try woodland and bushcraft, wild camping, campfire cooking or clay pigeon shooting at Meon Springs or mushroom and bird walks, outdoor cookery, fire skills, shelter building, deer to venison courses and more at the Adhurst Institute of Artisan & Outdoor Skills.

There are two great country parks in the area that offer cycling, walking and other activities. Queen Elizabeth Country Park has cycling and walking routes, an assault course, adventure playground and play areas, nature reserve with wonderful bird-watching opportunities, orienteering and BBQ sites. Staunton Country Park offers cycling, walking, angling, gardens and a farm to explore, 19^th century hothouse, a play barn, and BBQs. There are also several trails – exploring the follies, birds and trees and there’s even a Mindfulness trail. You can also discover the joys of Alice Holt Forest, with its walking and cycling opportunities, trails, fitness and wellbeing activities including Nordic walking, and more. Also at the forest is Go Ape for those who feel adventurous and fancy a challenge on the high ropes of the Tree Top challenge or the Tree Top adventure.

Discover glorious gardens of every sort; sweeping swathes of formal gardens and estates at National Trust historic properties like Hinton Ampner and Uppark, the carefully recreated historic gardens and features of the eighteenth century naturalist and author Gilbert White’s home, the parkland, estate and gardens of the former home of Jane Austen’s brother, Chawton House where there’s also a walled garden with its recreated Elizabeth Blackwell Herb Garden, inspired by Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal (1737-9). You can even take the Jane Austen trail, launched in 2019. Jane Austen’s beloved cottage garden at her house in Chawton, now a museum, Jane Austen’s House, is the perfect place to while away a summer’s day, picnicking, enjoying the garden wildlife amongst the flowers, herbs, trees and shrubs in a beautiful setting beside the old village green. You can also find peace in the town spaces of the Petersfield Physic Garden and the Allen Gallery garden in Alton and enjoy the hothouse and unusual treasures of the gardens at Staunton Country Park.

For learning experiences in the outdoors try the Sustainability Centre which offers unique courses in wild food foraging, Celtic fire and folklore, building a clay oven, meditation in the woods and making a willow garden sculpture to name just a few. Butser Ancient Farm offers you the chance to immerse yourself in the ancient world and learn some of the crafts and techniques that our ancestors used- like flint knapping, rope-making, spinning and weaving, foraging, herbalism, archaeology-inspired pottery, ancient drum-making and more. At the Rural Life Living Museum you can discover the sights and sounds of bygone life during a number of Working Object Weekends when selected objects will be taken out of retirement to demonstrate their past working lives, learn about a variety of heritage craft skills being demonstrated during Country Craft Weekends, and find out more about the story of the countryside through the Museum’s unique collection of relocated historic country buildings and one of the largest collections of agricultural implements and objects from everyday rural life.

Events in the outdoors are also a big feature of the East Hampshire calendar. Take the annual Watercress Festival in Alresford, a big street party celebrating the area’s famous produce (15 May), various walks (Dawn Chorus 1 and 8 May, Butterflies 31 July, Summer Flowers 26 June, Fungus 13 Nov), a Nature Festival (15 May), Unusual Plants Fair (18,19 June) and more at Gilbert White’s House, Ancient Festivals at Butser Ancient Farm including Eostre with the Anglo Saxons over the Easter weekend, Beltain: The Burning of the Wickerman celebrating the beginning of summer (30 April) and Lughnasa Celtic Harvest Celebration (29 July) as well as Living History events such as Romans in Residence, a Festival of Archaeology (25-29 July) an Equinox Boat Burn with the Saxons and Vikings (24 Sept) and the Celtic Festival of Samhain (28 Oct) among other events. The South Downs Green Fair makes a welcome return to the Sustainability Centre – a fantastic eye-opening family event with entertainment and lots of ideas on how to live a greener life, guided walks and talks and delicious food (8 May).

There are lots of great places to stay in East Hampshire from hotels, pubs-with-rooms, farmstays and traditional B&Bs, but if you fancy getting closer to nature opt for a shepherd’s hut, a yurt or cabin. Meon Springs offers yurts and shepherd’s huts, Two Hoots has huts and eco camping pods for adults only, the Sustainability Centre offers yurts and an Eco Lodge, Adhurst Yurts has yurts and a cabin. Brocklands Farm, Manor Farm, Watercress Lodges and Cedar Valley all have safari tents and Watercress Lodges also has lodges whilst Cedar Valley has luxury ‘kabins’. For something really quirky try Little Place in the Country who have 3 incredible glamping units. The Horse Hut and Lotus Spa is a converted hut which was once mounted on the back of a lorry and used for Polo and Shire horse shows and has now been converted to include a four poster bed, kitchen, dishwasher and shower and en-suite toilet. Outside on the huge veranda is a unique spa situated in a Lotus Elan! There’s also a bar, gas-fired pizza oven and gas BBQ. As well as this 2 other units are available – Wagon in the Woods and Wagon and the Wigwam. The Wagon and the Wigwam has a ‘Star Lounge’, a mezzanine lounge area with roof window and a sunken hot tub under a tepee! And Wagon in the Woods has its own fenced woodland area and a bath hidden beneath a trap door in the Wagon.

For further information about staying in the Hampshire part of the South Downs National Park, visit www.easthants.gov.uk/tourism and the Tourist Information Centre in Petersfield can help with details – email [email protected]

For more information:

Attractions, Accommodation and Events:

Butser Ancient Farm www.butserancientfarm.co.uk

Sustainability Centre www.sustainability-centre.org

Alice Holt Forest www.forestry.gov.uk/aliceholt

Go Ape https://goape.co.uk/locations/alice-holt

Cycling www.easthants.gov.uk/tourism

Hinton Ampner www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hinton-ampner

Uppark www.nationaltrust.org.uk/uppark

Gilbert White’s House www.gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk

Chawton House www.chawtonhouse.org

Jane Austen’s House www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk