I walked this route in March 2024 as part of a 3-part loop from Southampton, and the conditions were the same as what the other two reviewers indicated. The walk from the Totton town center through the nature preserve was lovely. The industrial area that followed needed a bit of caution as there was considerable vehicle traffic, but there were safe and marked places to cross. The trek across the athletic field was a bit soggy as it had rained a few days earlier, and it was nice to arrive at the shopping center in Lordshill for a bit of refreshment and battery recharge. :-)...

Laura Zurowski

As other reviewers have noted, this is a noisy walk along a heavily traveled roadway that has a combination of industrial and commercial businesses. There is a bit of a residential section right as you leave Southampton, but that's about it. The reason I'm giving this route 4 stars is that if you're at all interested in transportation infrastructure, these 6kms offer a real smorgasbord! :-) I'm not a cyclist, but it was amazing to see how designated bike & pedestrian lanes/sidewalks can be incorporated into an area that has heavy vehicle traffic. It was also very nice to reach the end and find a nice coffee shop for a bit of refreshment and battery recharge. Photos of the traveling conditions (because there were a few hiccups along the way) will be included in my survey....

Laura Zurowski

I'm sure it's not always like that, but we had to step between some mini-islands to avoid getting wet feet....

pilea

Loved walking this route, especially seeing a big group of gorgeous donkeys! It was a real treat to do in during autumn too. I recommend this route for sure....

pilea

I really enjoyed walking this route between Totton and Ringwood. If you dislike walking on lanes, you might not enjoy this route....

danravenellison

I loved walking this route and would 100% walk it again. I loved the views, forest, ponies and stars!! We walked this route at night after a long wet period. We faced two challenges, both 1-2km south of Ashurst.....

danravenellison

Not pretty, but efficient....

jonathansbean

The lanes were very quiet but because we’d had a lot of rain and tractors had been going up and down, it was a bit muddy under foot so decent walking shoes where required. This time of year, good walking shoes or wellies would be required as there are areas of mud and water. Not suitable for prams/wheelchairs and I would say that due to the uneven nature of the off road, anyone with walking restrictions may find it hard going. Straight away the path was muddy and there was lots of puddles which went over walking shoes from the start....

Jane Costello

The road has a 60mph limit and can be very busy serving as a main artery for motorists travelling to all corners of the forest and beyond. Approaching as I did from the east, whilst I could see that I needed to cross the road I had no idea what was waiting on the other side and whether it would be suitable. As it happens below the level of the road there is a wide verge, though it is clearly not designed with pedestrian or wheel traffic in mind. I was fortunate that the grass had recently been mown, but still it was quite uneven and had several perpendicular gutters dug into the earth along its length to capture run-off from the road - had the grass not been cut I doubt I would have noticed then until upon them. (The latter could also serve as a natural stopping point breaking the route in two if suitable in- and out-bound paths exist.) At the time of writing however I haven't explored either of these detours. 5) Leaving Totton itself wasn't nearly as unpleasant as I'd expected. The pavement/cycle path along the A336 is for the most part wide with some sections separated from the road by a verge. 9) It also has two old narrow footbridges, one crossing Ringwood Ford Bottom and another on the Right of Way approaching Ringwood. The latter resolves to a narrow 50m-long footpath studded with tree roots and a stile access. 14) Leaving the Highland Water Enclosure and taking the road under the A31 feels a little strange as a non-motorist, but the road is wide, visibility is good, and vehicles were infrequent and seemed to drive with care. 14) Footbridge on Right of Way approaching Ringwood...

Charles312

From there one walks on paved roads for about 2.5km to and through the Long Beech Hill Campsite. The route leaves Brook by ascending a very muddy uphill path with a large tree trunk blocking it to any four wheeled transport when reaching the top of the hill. The route carries on via a mix of footpaths and small country roads to Newbridge. After having crossed the motorway, the route again carries on over a mix of footpaths and country roads before reaching the outskirts of Totton. Personally, I found the section from Godshill to the Long Beech Hill campsite to be most enjoyable one of the whole route....

Haymo Thiel

At the end of the Test Boardwalk section (on the Test Way but within HIOWWT reserve) there is a short section of deep mud and bog most of the time due to fluctuating tides. It has been in disrepair for more than 6 months and makes passing difficult without waterproof footwear....

VivAlex

However it is not wheelchair accessible for it's full length - part of the section through the Lower Test Nature Reserve has narrow gates at both ends, so although the walking through there is easy, largely on a boardwalk, you wouldn't be able to get in or out in a wheelchair unless you could arrange for the vehicle gates to be open....

Karen M

This is not an attractive walk but it is definitely the most efficient way to walk from Totton to Southampton and is very safe and accessible. Whilst one is walking beside the main road there is good separation from the traffic, and whilst some of the pavements are shared between pedestrians and cyclists we did not find this to be a problem....

Karen M

It's definitely not a pretty route, and next/near to busy roads the whole way but if you are trying to walk from Southampton to anywhere in the New Forest then this is certainly the most direct route avoiding Ferries....

MarkB

It's a pretty walk across the marshes and fields. Be careful when it is a very high tide as areas of the marshes footpath flood....

Amelia Brice

Beautiful low-lying test valley walk that runs past the back of Broadlands (home of the Lord Mountbatten) and then zigzags through some more marshy farmland before heading south into Totton....

spadgershat

A pleasant walk, mainly alongside fields of pasture and livestock, as well as some woodland and the River Test. Very easy to follow from the Slow Ways map. Unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs due to numerous kissing gates, narrow footpaths and uneven surfaces (one area of footpath was also flooded today (early May) and had to be skirted round)....

Peter

Just one possible improvement: north of Totton, road walking ca be reduced by branching off the Test Way at lat 50.9255 lon -1.4870 and following the permissive path southwards to reach the main road at 50.9187 -1.4822, close to Totton station - then turn right to reach the town centre....

nickw4426

Nice route, could possibly be diverted west of Brook by following the south side of the golf course to hit the (quiet) Rufus Stone road, and then north to Brook. This would avoid the section along the busy in summer B road....

nickw4426

Most direct route, but I wouldn't like to walk this way, as though you are not directly on the side of the A35 you are walking parallel to it along main cycle route and through industrial sites. Main car and cycle network out of Southampton, so not really walker friendly or enjoyable....

James Brown