A 4-mile open landscape easy walk on tracks, starting near the church. Click map to enlarge. Click here for an aerial view. Click here for a downloadable PDF guide of this page. (There is a GPX route option here for phone/tablet download. But only follow this link after watching this GPX help video). Friendly warning: all files relating to walks are published here on good faith but on the understanding that users must be responsible for their own safety and wellbeing.
Start Walk away from church, turn left up Back Lane 100m
1: Walk forward until path on right220m
2: Take right turn and follow path forward 1km
3: Turn and walk forward crossing road 1.4Km
4: Obey signs not to go forward. Take track on left1.5Km
5: Take a left turn and walk forward 1Km
6: Turn left on main road and follow to start 650m
The pictures below are in the order things were seen on this walk. Clicking on any one will enlarge it (and the slideshow)
The walk
If you come by car you should be able to park at the village hall or alongside the church. In the village there is no pub and no shop. At the time of this visit there was no internet access – this might be important if you are using a digital map or GPS to find your route. However, the village is pleasant and the walk is straightforward. No stiles, cattle or challenging inclines. In fact, the reward is the quiet and open landscape characteristic of Salisbury plain – with sone possibility of tank crossings but usually very quiet and deserted.
Chitterne
Its an ancient settlement and once quite prosperous thanks to the sheep farming that served the wool trade. Nothing came as replacement for a slow decline from the late 18th century. The village is now a quiet community with no shop, post office or working pub.
The church where this walk starts is 19th century. A flint building that came to replace the two churches that originally served the village. The more ancient remains of the second you pass on the last part of the walk. However, it is merely a retained chancel of the original. Along with its graveyard.
The village community is served by a website. And a local historian as assembled an extraordinary portfolio of Chitterne-alia on her own website. Many interesting connections are made.