Starting at the car park, head past the public toilets to your right with the marina on your left.
Follow the footway down towards the boats along the Solent Way, passing where the pink Hamble ferry makes its regular crossing between Hamble and Warsash.
You’ll soon be greeted with the sight of sailing boats moored up on the left and seagulls and other wildlife going about their day on a nature reserve to the right.
While the occasional boat or two glides past, you’ll pass stationary ones moored up with their bells ringing in the breeze.
There are plenty of riverside properties to admire on the Hamble side of the bank, along with beautiful back gardens on the Warsash side to your right.
Eventually cross a bridge and carry on, ignoring the first footpath that turns off to the right.
Arrive at a clearing just past the reeds on the right-hand side and the next batch of moored up boats ahead on the left.
Follow the sign that points to a foot path on the right.
There are some muddy puddles and soft ground here, so navigate with care to follow the footpath.
The sounds of water and wind will soon be replaced by birdsong as you head inland through woodland.
Pass by fields with horses, ponies and goats and continue underneath the oak trees.
After a little while you will come across another signpost that says byway on it.
Follow that sign, pass a property named Gragareth and then progress up a slight incline to Crableck Lane.
Once you reach the busier Holly Hill Lane, turn left and keep going for five minutes or so until you arrive at Sarisbury Green Conservation Area.
Here’s a great opportunity to have a sit down and relax on the benches to take in the idyllic view of the village cricket pitch and well-kept grounds.
Head right at the crossroads (past the Sarisbury Green Parish Rooms) and make your way down Barnes Lane, passing allotments and eventually Holly Hill Leisure Centre on your left-hand side.
When you see the signs for Holly Hill Woodland Park, follow the yellow pathway which will take you alongside the car park with a cemetery on your right.
At the end of the path, navigate the metal gate shaped like a leaf to enter Holly Hill Woodland Park. Immediately turn right.
Venture down beneath the tall tree canopies, following the steps along the path and cross the bridge over the stream.
Arrive at a clearing, among ducks wandering about, and turn left into Winnards Copse.
This area is characterised by ornamental landscape made from Pulhamite Stone, which has created a series of gentle lakes and waterfalls.
You will come across eye catching exotic shrubs in beautiful shades of reds and pinks.
Continue along the path with a stream to your right until you cross a little bridge.
Head right over another bridge which leads to the lakes and woodlands section of the park and witness the waterfalls in action.
Then continue left again and follow the pathway with the lake to your left.
Avoid the next bridge and fork right instead downwards to another waterfall and then head towards the Hamble foreshore into Cawtes Copse, a native woodland and conservation area.
Ramble along a long pathway (with stream to your right) leaving the gurgle of the waterfalls behind. There are plenty of benches dotted around here if you need to rest.
When you reach the next fork turn right and follow the viewpoint sign.
Continue this path for some time and search out some horizontal branches to duck underneath.
This marks the end of the woodland and the exit will become clear when you catch a glimpse of the boat masts over to the left.
Descend through a clearing which brings you out to a signed gate and back onto the Solent Way to retrace your steps back to the car park.
Finish with a coffee and cake at the Mermaid Coffee Bar in Shore Road, or something stronger in the Rising Sun 100 yards up the road.
Details at a glance
Start: Passage Lane Pay and Display Car Park, Warsash, SO 31 9FR.
Distance: 7.8km
Time: 2hr 04 mins
Difficulty: Easy
URL: https://explore.osmaps.com/route/7812197/
Map: OS Explorer OL3 (Meon Valley – Portsmouth, Gosport & Fareham)
Toilets: Passage Lane Car Park and Holly Hill Woodland Park
Nearest Coffee Shop: Mermaid Coffee Bar, Shore Road, Warsash
Nearest Pub: Rising Sun, Shore Road, Warsash
OS Maps App rating: 5 stars
Three tips to navigate with OS Maps App
1. The red triangle on the OS Maps App is your friend. Hold your phone out in front of you like a torch, and if you turn 180 degrees, so will the triangle. That points you in the direction you need to go.
2. Don’t slavishly follow the red line on the route. Remember, in OS Maps App, this line is only a navigational guide. Pay close attention to the pathways (denoted by black dotted lines on the map). In practice these are the markings you’ll need to make your way around on the ground.
3. Keep an eye on the app whenever approaching forks in the route. Use common sense - if a suggested path looks untrodden or in bad condition, then stay on the main one.
Download OS Maps App from the Ordnance Survey shop. Full annual subscription is available for £34.99.
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