Altbor two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Altbor here.

Walked on 25 Jan 2025 Bordon to Alton to review Altbor one (out) and Altbor two (back). Dry sunny day. This route has safety improvements over Altbor One but has greater access issues, and right of way has been re-routed (easily followed)

- Route generally easy to follow and waymarked (with usual variety of state of repair of fingerposts, waymark posts etc)
- Right of way footpath at Oakhanger (eastern end of Shortheath common) has been re-routed to be north of St Mary Magdalene church and the neighbouring house, via the small road next to the house. The old footpath route went via south side of the church, and is blocked by bins and parked cars. There is no signage for either old footpath or new at this point.
- First 2km of walk is leaving Bordon, uneventful, with constant pavement and decreasing urban areas after you cross the bypass, though there is a lot of construction and temporary hoarding (photo)
- Generally tracks and farmland footpaths, can be soft over ploughed fields and after rain, and especially Binswood (see below) and Pheasants Wood/Warners Wood (see below). Better in summer, but still soft & mud possible in spring/autumn
- Gibb's Lane marked as byway and cyle path - very potholed and large puddles in unsealed sections, some tarmac in other sections. Some resident car traffic, but still generally safe to walk as an "offroad track"
- Soggy ground through Binswood. Waterlogged, in January, and soft and damp underfoot outside of winter (photo)
- At Binswood, route joins Hangers Way for short section into Pheasants Wood/Warners Wood (photo). Very, very rutted and muddy in January, and known to be muddy outside of winter. At time of walking there was a tree blocking track halfway down that needed to be climbed over. Relatively arduous walking in ankle deep mud for circa 1km to road
- Steepest section of walk is up hanger slope towards West Worldham Farm. At bottom of slope there is a stile with closed but unlocked wide gate alongside (photo). This was steep and reasonably slippery slope in January to climb.
- Water Lane byway was closed at time of walking (photo), but has parallel right-of-way footpath at top of embankment all the way to the other end - this is preferred at all times of year anyhow, as Water Lane is essentially a stream, and a river at the bottom (photo). However access to footpath top of Water Lane very narrow around wide field gate (photo)
- Stairs to road at Alton station easily circumvented by crossing road 100m towards town (photo)

As per methodology:

1) be safe - yes
2) respect local codes and laws - yes
3) be accessible to as many people as possible - problems - 1 stile, very soft ground and very muddy track
4) be direct - yes - less than Altbor One, but no serious detours
5) be off road - mostly, except Gibb's Lane
6) have resting places to eat or sleep every 5-10km - not often, but not long route either. Toilets in Alton Railway Station. No Public Toilets in Forest Shopping Centre, nor Bordon library. Nearest (according to maps) is High Street/Chalet Hill junction
7) pass through train and bus stations - starts/ends at Alton Railway Station (& bus stops). Buses from Bordon in all directions (including Alton) but not all buses stop at Forest Shopping Centre
8) be easy to navigate - yes
9) be enjoyable and beautiful - yes, pleasant tracks and woods/forest/heath
10) use established routes (such as the Welsh Coast Path), but not be distracted by them! - no.

This route was my suggestion. I should have walked it first!

The walk through Shortheath Common is a big improvement over Altbor one. There is still a short walk along the road from the south side of Shortheath Common however, since the bridleway shown on OS maps is now built over.

The weather was good when I walked it but there had been recent rain.
The walk through Binswood, shared with Altbor one, was very boggy. This got a lot worse going through Pheasant Wood. It may be possible to find a way of avoiding this but the best compromise is probably to follow Altbor one from Binstead Wood.

From the Slowways criteria:
1) The route is safe but boggy and slippery in places.
2) The route respects local codes and laws.
3) It is mostly accessible. Pheasant Wood is tough going. There are stiles and gates.
4) The walk is direct, though not as direct as Altbor one.
5) It is mostly off road or on road with pavement.
6) Alton and Bordon have places to eat and drink.
7) There are busses at Alton and Bordon.
8) The route is fairly clear.
9) The walk is enjoyable if you don't mind slippery mud.
10) The paths are all well established. Pheasant Wood is very rutted.

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