More images

More (7)

Romsey and its abbey

Recommended by

Our view

"Explore Hampshire's best-preserved market town and the Test Valley."

Walk directions

From the Market Square head east along The Hundred, passing the police station, and continue into Winchester Road. At the roundabout, turn left just before the Plaza Theatre to join a footpath to Cupernham and Timsbury. Walk alongside the old canal as it passes under the railway and then a road bridge, and leave town into open meadowland.

At a crossing of paths (with a bridge to the right and soon after the canal widens), turn left and walk across the meadows on a gravel path. Bear right across a bridge onto a dirt path until you reach the River Test. Turn left along the riverbank, cross a bridge and walk along the opposite bank to a block driveway by a house. Turn right along the drive to the A3057 and turn right.

View all directions

Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Tow path, field and muddy woodland paths, some roads, 4 stiles

Landscape - Initially urban, followed by water-meadows, rolling farmland and dense woodland

Dog friendliness - Some road walking; keep under strict control in conservation areas

Parking - Pay-and-display car parks in Romsey town centre

Toilets en route - By Romsey bus station

Walks in Hampshire Dog-friendly walks in Hampshire

About the walk

Romsey is the best preserved of all Hampshire’s market towns. Located beside the beautiful River Test, it developed around a Benedictine nunnery founded in ad 907 by Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, whose daughter, Aelfreda, became the first abbess. By the end of the 10th century there... was a small town outside the perimeter walls of the abbey, whose inhabitants served the needs of the growing community of nuns. Much of the great abbey church you see today was built between 1120 and 1130 by Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, but traces of the earlier Saxon church can be seen, notably two beautifully carved rood sculptures dating from ad 1000. The abbey is now recognised as one of Europe’s most impressive Norman churches, and is certainly the finest in Hampshire. An abbey in name only The magnificent abbey was saved from destruction at the Dissolution, although the surrounding convent buildings were not so lucky. In 1544 the town secured an agreement with Henry VIII and bought the abbey and its surrounding land for £100. You can see a copy of the bill of sale, signed and sealed by Henry VIII, in the south choir aisle. How the money was raised is still one of Romsey’s great mysteries as no records have been found. You can marvel at the scale and splendour of the architecture, notably the massive pillars and rounded arches, view medieval paintings and tapestries, and seek out the monuments to Lord Palmerston, a Victorian Conservative prime minister, Sir William Petty, economist and founder of the Royal Society, and Earl Mountbatten. Against the backdrop of the abbey you will find splendid Georgian houses tucked away on winding side streets reflecting Romsey’s days as a thriving brewing and market town. Opposite the abbey stands King John’s House (1240), one of England’s oldest surviving dwellings. The walk leaves town by the only surviving stretch of the Andover and Redbridge Canal. Completed in 1794, it was 22 miles (35.4km) long and rose 164ft (50m) via 24 locks. It was never a real success and the arrival of the railway forced its closure in 1857. The towpath takes you into the Test Valley and you will soon be walking beside the clear waters of Hampshire’s most famous chalk stream. Beyond The Duke on The Test, a gentle climb through Squabb Wood leads you back to the water meadows close to the Test and the restored Sadler’s Mill.

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Hampshire’s varied landscape of hills and heaths, downlands and forests, valleys and coast are without rival in southern England. Hike across the chalk downland of the north Hampshire ‘highlands’, meander along peaceful paths through unspoilt river valleys of the Test, Itchen, Avon and Meon, or explore the lonely salt marshes and the beautiful medieval forest and heathland of the New Forest.

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Route details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

5.9 miles (9.5kms)

Ascent:

207ft (63m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

Find more walks in Hampshire

Romsey and its abbey

Recommended by

Our view

"Explore Hampshire's best-preserved market town and the Test Valley."

Walk details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

5.9 miles (9.5kms)

Ascent:

207ft (63m)

Walk directions

1 of 8

2 of 8

Follow the pavement and cross the River Test, then take the footpath immediately right alongside the river. Pass a bridge, then follow the official diversion left around a house to a track. Turn left to the main road.

3 of 8

Cross the road to join the B3084, signed to Roke Manor. Carefully walk along this busy road (there are some verges) for 0.5 miles (800m), then just beyond the railway bridge fork left for Roke Manor. Pass theentrance to the manor and take the drive on the left signed to Roke Manor Farm.

4 of 8

Pass Roke Manor Farm then, on nearing offices by the manor, bear right along the road for 60yds (55m). Take the footpath right, signed ‘To the Test Way’ (it can be overgrown) and shortly bear right through a hedge, then left between fields. Go ahead into the copse and turn left to locate a Test Way sign.

5 of 8

Walk through Squabb Wood on a bracken-lined path and cross a plank bridge to reach a junction of paths. Keep left with the Test Way and go through the wood, via three plank bridges and a stile, looking for the Test Way markers.

6 of 8

Leave the wood at a bridge with a stile at either end, and bear slightly right across the field to two gates and a footbridge, then bear slightly left to further stiles and a footbridge, heading towards farm buildings. Keep to the left-hand edge of the field, pass through two kissing gates and follow the track as it bears left between houses to the River Test by Sadler’s Mill.

7 of 8

Bear left at the mill and leave the Test Way. Cross the river, follow a tarmac path and soon pass the War Memorial Park. Continue along a road close to the abbey back into the Market Square.

8 of 8

Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Tow path, field and muddy woodland paths, some roads, 4 stiles

Landscape - Initially urban, followed by water-meadows, rolling farmland and dense woodland

Dog friendliness - Some road walking; keep under strict control in conservation areas

Parking - Pay-and-display car parks in Romsey town centre

Toilets en route - By Romsey bus station

Walks in Hampshire Dog-friendly walks in Hampshire

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Hampshire

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Romsey and its abbey

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Sign up to our travel newsletter

Get the latest insider tips and recommendations to make the most of your next trip

Romsey and its abbey

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Been on this walk?

Walking in Safety

Get an AA guide

Sign up to our newsletter

Join over 4,000+ travelers who are getting the most out of their trips