Great country walks: the South Downs, Hampshire — theguardian.com

Difficulty Easy Distance 11.4 miles/18km Typical duration 4 hours 30 minutes Start and finish Start at Petersfield train station and finish at Rowlands Castle Map OS Landranger 197 Step-by-step details and maps ramblers.org.uk/petersfield From the pretty market town of Petersfield in the South Downs national park, this linear walk crosses idyllic Hampshire countryside, meandering south through the woodland of Queen Elizabeth country park, passing picture-perfect rural hamlets and ending up at Rowlands Castle village. One of the oldest pubs in Hampshire is on the route – a great lunch stop – and it’s worth taking a short diversion to admire the medieval wall paintings at 11th-century St Hubert’s Chapel.

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