Alton and the Writers' Way - a tour of literary Hampshire

The Writers’ Way is a 17-mile trail created by Hampshire County Council & East Hampshire District Council to link Alton with villages in the beautiful Hampshire countryside well-known to three famous writers: Jane Austen, Gilbert White, and William Cobbett. This walk will follow the Writers’ Way for most of its route, visiting places associated with all three.

Update - ASLEF strike

ASLEF have announced a strike for 30th September, as a result of which there will be no rail services to Alton that day. Notwithstanding this I will proceed with the walk as planned on 30th September in order to provide certainty for everyone as to what is happening.

I'm sorry if anyone is unable to come as a result of this, but will look to run the walk again at a future date.

The sights:

Alton: Founded in Anglo-Saxon times, the market town of Alton now has a population of about 18,000. It has many fine Georgian buildings along its long High Street, and is the eastern terminus of the Mid-Hampshire Railway (the Watercress Line).

West Worldham: Lying two miles south-east of Alton, this hamlet of 18 houses contains the grade II listed St Nicholas, a small single-cell church built in the late 12th century.

Selborne: This is one of the most beautiful villages in Hampshire containing a number of grade I and II listed buildings lying in a dramatic setting beneath Selborne Hanger, a thickly wooded hillside towering some 250 feet above the main street.

It is most famous for its association with the Rev. Gilbert White (1720 – 1793), who was born in and lived in the village all his life. After graduating from Oxford University and ordination, White spent a lifetime in Selborne carefully observing and documenting the nature and ecology around him. His research was published in 1789 in ‘The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne’, which is regarded as a pioneering work on English natural history. Such is its importance that the book has never been out of print since its first publication.

White’s home, The Wakes, is now a museum telling the story of this remarkable man. It also houses the Oates Collections relating to the lives of Frank Oates (1840 – 1875), a naturalist & explorer, and his nephew Lawrence Oates (1880 – 1912), a soldier & explorer who perished on Robert Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole.

White’s work inspired the radical politician William Cobbett (1763 – 1835) to visit Selborne during research he carried out into the living conditions of the rural poor in the 1820’s, and he extensively described the area in his book ‘Rural Rides’.

Upper Farringdon: This small village has associations with both Jane Austen, who used to visit friends in the area, and Gilbert White, who was curate here. A later curate, Thomas Massey, was responsible for the construction of Massey’s Folly, a bizarre brick structure built over 30 years, and whose original purpose is unknown. The churchyard of All Saints contains the Farringdon Yew, reputed to be 3,000 years old and therefore one of the oldest trees in Britain.

Chawton: This village lying just to the south-west of Alton was the home of the novelist Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) for the last eight years of her life until her final illness. Her brother Edward had been adopted by a local family as their heir, and inherited Chawton House and other properties in 1794. In 1809, Edward allowed his mother and sisters to move to Chawton Cottage to provide them with a permanent home, and it was here that all six of Jane’s great novels were either written or revised for publication. The cottage was opened as ‘Jane Austen’s House Museum’ in 1949, and now has 40,000 visitors a year. Chawton House, built in 1580, is also open to visitors.

Please note that we will not be actually going round either Gilbert White's House or Jane Austen's House as part of this walk - there will not be enough time.

The route (click the link in red to see it)

From Alton station, we will walk along Papermill Lane and Wilsom Road out of the town, under the A31 and head steadily uphill for a couple of miles to West Worldham. Part of this route is along the aptly-named ‘Watery Lane’ – if it is too wet, we can use a path by the side of Worldham Park Golf Club. At West Worldham, we will follow a quiet country road for about a mile before turning south down the Hangers Way to reach Priory Farm (built on the site of 13th century Selborne Priory).  We turn south-west at the farm to follow the Writers’ Way gradually uphill for about a mile & a half to reach Selborne. Here we will break for lunch.

After lunch, we will leave Selborne along the quaint Gracious Street under Selborne Hanger, and head north-west across field boundaries and a quiet lane to reach Upper Farringdon, to admire Massey’s Folly and the Farringdon Yew. We will then head north along footpaths running parallel to the A32 to reach Chawton, passing first Chawton House, and then Jane Austen’s House Museum. From here it is a further two miles back under the A31 and along the length of Alton High Street to reach the station.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome on this walk, and this is suitable for them, with just one stile to negotiate. However, if we walk through the golf course, dogs must be on a lead as we will be sharing the space with players. If we encounter grazing livestock or walk along busy roads, a lead must also be used.

At other times, a dog off the lead must be obedient.

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Photo credits: Gilbert White's House Museum, Alton Station, St Nicholas Church West Worldham, High Street Selborne, Gilbert White's House Selborne, Gracious Street Selborne, Massey's Folly, The Farringdon Yew, Chawton House, Jane Austen's House Chawton. All photos taken by the leader 26th July & 1st August 2023.