Romeas one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked this route east from Romsey and was very grateful for the recommendations of the previous reviewers. On the map it looks like half of the route is urban, but in fact although there is a lot of tarmac, there is also a good quantity of footpaths, woods and countryside, so it's a very pleasant walk.
I walked it on a sunny October day after a dry spell so there were no wet or muddy patches, and the path was clear. Leaving Romsey you have a choice of routes across Tadburn meadows following the stream - I recommend keeping down in the nature reserve until the end, instead of climbing up to the edge of the houses! I also followed the good idea of using the footpath across the fields from Halterworth to Highwood, reducing the amount of road.
Green Lane was surprisingly busy with traffic, but not a problem since the road was wide. Baddesley Common was gorgeous; you can follow a footpath inside the woods instead of the marked narrow overgrown one.
I took note of Jane Costello's alternative route to avoid Flexford Road, and I understand why! It is a nasty stretch with almost no refuge from the frequent traffic. But I did stop at the lovely church shown in the photo (at Old North Baddesley), for a nice picnic lunch (the church itself seems to be open only a few hours on weekends).
I was glad I put up with the traffic on Flexford Road, because the next stretch, through Knight Wood, was wonderful. As you approach Chandler's Ford, the bridge over the Monk's Brook was broken and hence closed; I had to turn right (south) to follow a path to the train station crossing. It's not a bad alternative since it keeps you away from the road for longer.
The last miles are suburban and the roar of the M3 motorway so not so pleasant, but the route keeps you away from major roads as much as possible.
Overall a good route, but I would be interested to try the alternative mentioned (via Fleming Park and Templars Way) one day.

We did this walk a bit different, firstly we started at Eastleigh, but we wanted to cut out Flexford Road. It’s not a road you can walk along safety as it doesn’t have any footpath. Instead, we went from the train station, along Leigh Road, cut across Fleming Park up through the old golf course to Cambridge drive and then when we got to Bournemouth Road we followed the path around to Templars Way, along the cycle path on Castle Lane, turning right onto Botley Road, then right onto Nutburn, picking the route up at the top of the hill.
This is a nice walk, but a large part is on roads/lanes, so not overly scenic. Going across North Baddesley Common was lovely with a couple of styles and gates to get through, so not suitable to pushchairs/wheelchair users.
It was a bit wet on the common, but considering the amount of rain we’ve had, it could have been a lot worse. Walking boots were fine.
The new route was 9.27 miles.

Good route - walked it on a very sunny day. A large chunk of the route goes through concreted areas, though.

Concur with the other reviewer about turning left on Highwood Lane and taking the footpath that runs between two farms as you approach Romsey.

I also found that the route was slightly incorrect when exiting Knightwood Park. The route says to walk further south of the playground to find a crossing point over the stream. However, that does not exist and you should walk next to the playground and through the stile at the end.

A nice route but the amount of road walking could be reduced a little. East of Halterworth, a footpath can be followed eastwards from Halterworth Lane to Highwood Lane, south of the existing route.

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