Flood meadows walk

• Distance 3 miles
• Duration 1.5 hours
• Download route map 294kb pdf

The Flood Meadows circular walk takes you alongside the River Way Watercress beds, where there is evidence of Saxon and Roman settlements. Indeed, one derivation of the name ‘Alton’ comes from the Saxon ea-wal-ton ‘the place of beautiful springs’. It was in the Flood Meadows that the brutal murder of a young girl, sweet Fanny Adams, took place in 1867 and her well tended grave is in the old cemetery. Further along you will see the valley in which the Parliamentarian forces surprised and defeated the defending Royalist army in 1643 when they stormed St Lawrence Church.

The Walk

Market Square with the historic Town Hall is the ideal place to begin a varied walk with fine views of Alton and the countryside. Amery Street is opposite leading to ‘Cut Pound’ and the River Wey, then left into Tanhouse Land and Flood Meadow.

Follow the left path adjacent to the old watercress beds. At the path ‘cross roads’ continue for 25 metres, take the right fork alongside a brick wall and into Wentworth Gardens which joins Greenfields Avenue (opposite is a bus shelter).

Walk straight ahead up a broad and rising tarmac path to a children’s playground. From here there are fine views of the town. Go through a kissing gate; continue on down the slope to Greenmount Farm and two wooden gates at the edge of New Odiham Road. Beware of fast traffic coming around the bend. Continue up Southwood Road; a steep climb for 500 metres to a signpost.

Turn left and follow Brick Kiln Lane back with the barn on the right. The hedge lined lane gently descends and changes to tarmac. Continue diagonally across two fields to New Odiham Road. Take the narrow path between houses 16 and 18 into Flood Meadows.

Continue along the tarmac path, with houses on the left; turn right down the hill and the over the grass towards a bridge over the River Wey. The path alongside the Wey goes to Tanhouse Lane.