There are two very different country parks to explore, one Stansted Park is one of the South’s most beautiful stately Introduction at each end of the Way. There is Queen Elizabeth Country homes, a real ‘upstairs downstairs’ experience showing the The Staunton Way is a 8.5 to 20.5 mile long-distance Park with its acres of quiet woodland and over 20 miles of social history of an English country house in its walking route passing through some of the most uninhabited trails for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. Or the Edwardian heyday. beautifully restored, places in Hampshire. It will take you from Queen Elizabeth The little church of St Hubert at Idsworth is a curiosity Country Park, near Petersfield at its northern tip, high onto landscaped park and pleasure gardens of Sir which once belonged to the old manor house. When the the South Downs and down to Staunton Country Park on the London-to-Portsmouth railway line was built in the fringes of Havant. You can walk the whole route or make a George Staunton complete with a lake, mysterious 19th century, the owner series of shorter walks by using the two connecting paths abandoned the site and shown on the map. follies, original glasshouses and walled garden. built a new mansion on The Way is named after Sir George Staunton, an MP for higher ground to the west. Portsmouth in the early 19th century who created a country History Staunton Country Park Part of its former stables estate, which now forms the country park that bears his is converted into a cottage, and a great name. The path has been divided into six sections, each The Staunton Way has many historically important and double avenue of lime offering a good day out. Choose between quiet villages or interesting buildings and places to visit along the route. trees climbs the hillside to country parks, downland picnics or cosy pubs, steep hills The area is rich in Roman remains, with evidence of nowhere. with exhilarating views or manicured gardens and potteries, cremation sites, settlements and field systems. Victorian glasshouses. Contour lynchets– accumulations of soil at the downslope field edge created by prolonged ploughing - are also visible. Queen Elizabeth Country Park is a This area has been greatly valued from as far back as the Local fare naturalist’s paradise with 38 species Stone Age with the Mesolithic sites perhaps as much as Hampshire boasts a wide of butterfly and 12 species of wild 4000 years older than the Roman sites. orchid. The downland is rich in wild range of fine local products such as St Hubert’s Church flowers such as wild thyme, rock- The path skirts around the edge of Stansted Forest, a watercress, trout, beef and lamb, wine, cheeses, handmade rose, bee orchids and squinancywort, mixture of woods and small grassy paddocks still retaining chocolates and many more. and a wealth of insect life including the character of the medieval hunting forest. In 1194, For a guide to producers, call 01962 845999 or visit burnet moths, marbled whites and Richard the Lionheart hunted at Stansted while waiting for small skipper butterflies. www.hampshirefare.co.uk on the web. Marbled White butterfly his ships to load at Portsmouth. Butser Hill How to follow the Staunton Way Further information Staunton Way The route stretches Publications Havant 5 miles between Queen For information about the other ten long-distance walks Elizabeth Country Park, near or for leaflets about the following, tel: (01962) 870500, Petersfield and Staunton Country or visit your local Hampshire County Council Information Park, Havant in Hampshire. Staunton Way Centre or Tourist Information Centre. The route is well sign posted with the logo of a Long-distance walks A 8.5 to 20.5 mile roe deer on a green arrow. Finding Your Way Guided Walks long-distance walk from Maps Discover Hampshire Accessible Countryside in Hampshire Queen Elizabeth Country Park This leaflet does not provide navigation Defence of the Realm details. The route is shown on the to Staunton Country Park following Ordnance Survey maps:- Trail guides and event programmes are available from Queen Elizabeth and Staunton Country Parks Explorer map at 1:25,000 scale 120 Chichester Useful websites Reproduced from the OS mapping with permission of the Reproduced controller of HMSO ©HCC LICENCE No LA100019180 www.hants.gov.uk/walking www.hants.gov.uk/countryside The route is indicated on these maps with a green www.hants.gov.uk/countryside/qecp diamond and the name of the route www.hants.gov.uk/countryside/staunton (Staunton Way). www.visit-hampshire.org.uk Further information and a detailed route www.traveline.org.uk description is available on the web: www.metoffice.co.uk www.hants.gov.uk/walking/staunton Useful contacts Hampshire County Council Other long-distance walks Information Centre Winchester 01962 870500 1 Avon Valley Path Met Office (weather information) 0870 900 0100 Inkpen Beacon The Traveline 0870 608 2608 7 2 Clarendon Way 3 Solent Way To u r i st I nfo r m at i o n C e nt res (TICs) Andover Farnham Alton 11 4 Test Way Petersfield 01730 268829 4 6 www.visit-easthampshire.org.uk 5 Hampshire Millennium Salisbury 2 Winchester Pilgrims’ Trail Havant 023 9248 0024 10 www.visit-oystercoast.co.uk 5 8 6 Oxdrove Way 1 Southampton Recreation & Heritage Department 9 7 Wayfarer’s Walk Lyndhurst Havant Hampshire County Council, Mottisfont Court, Ringwood Emsworth 8 South Downs Way High Street, Winchester Hampshire SO23 8ZF. 3 Christchurch Portsmouth National Trail 9 Staunton Way Available in alternative formats Hampshire 10 Hangers Way 01962 870500 DESIGN 03 3331 CORPORATE GRAPHICS TEAM 01962 813802 PRINT BY HAMPSHIRE PRINTING SERVICES ON REPEAT OFFSET RECYCLED PAPER ON REPEAT TEAM 01962 813802 PRINT BY HAMPSHIRE PRINTING SERVICES GRAPHICS DESIGN 03 3331 CORPORATE County Council 11 St Swithun’s Way ©Hampshire County Council. 2004 d Following the Staunton Way Hangers Staunton Country Petersfiel To Way A combination of routes has been developed for you to choose from. Butser Buriton Park to Chalton Hill You can start or finish from either Queen Elizabeth Country Park South Downs or Staunton Country Park. There are two connecting links Way Distance 6 miles (10km) (indicated in blue) one at Chalton and one at Finchdean which Time 3-4 hours allow you to choose from a number of shorter circular routes. From the country park, the War Down Way brushes the outskirts of Havant before turning Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Finchdean northwards up Prospect (T) South Downs Lane, a short section of Distance 5 miles (8km) Time 2-3 hours A3 Way Roman road. The path The Staunton Way can be started at its northern tip in Queen returns to Rowland’s Queen Elizabeth Castle and past the village Elizabeth Country Park. This is the largest of Hampshire’s parks Country Park South Downs P green. Here there was a and sits at the foot of Butser Hill, the highest point of the chalky Coach House Café and Visitor Centre 12th century motte-and- South Downs. Starting at the Visitor Centre, the Way enters the bailey castle, but all that quiet calm of the woodland where there is the site of a Roman Holt Down remains today are two grass- farmstead, designated in 2002 as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. covered masses of wall about Continue along Newbarn Hanger (a steep-sided, wooded hill) and 10 feet thick. Continue on out into the open space of the Downs. Gently descend south to under the railway line and cross the village of Chalton which has been occupied as far back as the the Monarch’s Way again Iron Age. From here you can cross over to the eastern side of the (a short walk east on this Way Way. A short walk off-route west from the village brings you to Ditcham will bring you to the beautiful Park Butser Ancient Farm, an experimental archaeology project and Glass School Stansted Park), before heading to Windmill Hill. Brow back out onto the quiet Downs and briefly into West Sussex. The path then climbs up to a tumulus (an Iron Age burial mound) at the top of Chalton Down. Walk along the ridge at The undulating path skirts round Idsworth Down, where there are nine Bronze Age burial mounds, Stansted Forest and drops down to and down to the tiny village of Finchdean. From here you can the curious sight of the 12th century cross over to the eastern side of the Way. To Portsmouth Butser Ancient church of St Hubert, sitting alone Farm and abandoned in a field. The village Accommodation Petersfield TIC 01730 268829 and the manor house that it belonged Refreshments Windmill to are long gone but you can still see Hill Chalton QECP Café 023 9259 6345 the walled kitchen gardens of the The Red Lion, Chalton 023 9259 2246 Red Lion PH manor house, and the church is famous for its 14th century wall-paintings. The George, Finchdean 023 9241 2257 From the bench in the churchyard you Places of Interest can also distinguish the remains of a Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP) 023 9259 5040 Roman field system. Butser Ancient Farm, Gravel Hill 023 9259 8838 A little further on and the route runs Public Transport: QECP (bus shelters on A3 road) parallel to Chalton village from where Stagecoach 38 0845 121 0170 you can cross over to the western side of Chalton the Way. Down Finchdean to Rowlands Castle Tumulus See QECP to Finchdean for details of Butser Ancient Farm accommodation etc. No public transport at Chalton.