The Gully walk

This featured walk takes place in and around the village of Newtown, Hampshire, situated in the north west of the county.

The medieval borough of Newtown was formed from part of the parish of Burghclere, and flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries. By the 16th century, the town had begun to decay, although the reason for its decline is not known. No traces of the medieval borough can be seen above ground today. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Length: 1.5 miles
OS Explorer: 158

Download the route map 250kb pdf

Start point: Car park on the corner of Jonathan Hill, Newtown.
Accessibility: No stiles but many kissing gates. Slightly hilly terrain which may be slippery when wet.
Public transport: The nearest train station is Newbury.
Buses: Hampshire Stagecoach or Newbury offer hourly bus services. You will need to get off in Newtown and walk down to the start. Stagecoach in Hampshire tel 0845 121 0190, Newbury Buses tel 01635 567500.

The walk

From the car park on the corner of Jonathan Hill, cross the road and follow the path for 150 yards or so. Take the right fork leading downhill towards the gully — be careful as this part can be slippery in wet weather. In spring there is a large area of Yellow Skunk Cabbage which you may both see and smell. After crossing a small stream, follow the path through woods, turning right when you reach a gate marked ‘Private’; just before this you may notice the rare Purple Toothwort on your left. You should soon reach kissing gates on either side of a small field.

After the second set of kissing gates, bear left at the end of an uphill, sunken path, passing cottages on your left. Follow the path through woodland, across heathland and a narrow tarmac lane until you reach Sheepwash Lane — an unmade road. Turn left and follow this road downhill and over a footbridge by a ford. Follow the road as it climbs until you see a footpath branching off left, just short of the brow of the hill and the Newtown to Burghclere road. Follow the path through mixed woodland and past occasional houses on your left, until you emerge on the corner opposite Jonathan Hill.

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Resident’s review

The walk is well drained apart from a small muddy patch and of course the ford, which was a small puddle with a dribble of a stream feeding it at the bottom of Sheepwash Lane.

It is also slightly hilly so needs some small effort in places. There is an abundance of holly trees and bushes throughout the walk, which sometimes encroach onto the path.

We saw a couple of deer crossing our path and disappearing into the thick bracken; this was the highlight of the walk.

Nigel and Debbie Wright from Chineham