Whiove one

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Whitchurch to Overton (Whiove 1) review.

A shorter Slow Way which follows the first few miles of River Test upstream, almost to its source.

The route from Whitchurch follows the south bank of the river (Photo 1) but then leaves it for a narrow footpath into Laverstoke (Photo 2).

The Bombay Sapphire Distillery is by the river in Laverstoke. Well worth a visit for gin connoisseurs!

The B-road towards Overton has a pavement. On my walk overhanging foliage needed cutting back, but was only a minor nuisance.

The Slow Way leaves the road for a footpath into town (Photos 3 & 4).

The walk ends at the village of Overton (Photo 5). The source of the River Test lies about a mile further east.

Overall, a pleasant route when walked in August, crossing the lovely river Test and through some delightful meadows and pastoral paths. Some sections are likely to get muddy in winter. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the road section but in the end it didn’t detract too much.

From Whitchurch, following the Mill Trail over the River Test, the route uses a mix of woodland paths, a meadow walk and field boundary footpaths to climb above the river before dropping down to the village of Laverstoke. The footpaths were narrow in places but easy to follow. There are several gates but no stiles. Some of the fields are used for livestock.
At Laverstoke, there are some benches on the Millennium Green if you want to take a break, but the Bombay Sapphire Distillery which used to have a bus café in its car park currently only offers a café/bar for visitors on distillery tours. (The route isn’t that long though and both Whitchurch and Overton have a selection of cafés and shops.)
There is approx. 1km section alongside the B3400, a reasonably busy back road connecting Andover and Basingstoke, but the pavement is good and wide. Leaving the road, a gap in the woods leads to a kissing gate. The route crosses a meadow up the hill and out on to a woodland path before emerging in the back streets of Overton. The lane which then leads to the High Street has no raised pavement, just a painted line demarcating the walkway.

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