Itchen Abbas Loop, Hampshire


Day 22 of Group B Strep Support (GBSS) Walk 100k in March.


I revisited Itchen Abbas to check out a possible off-road wheelchair accessible route. And yes, provided you can negotiate the banked gap next to the gate at the entrance to the dismantled railway and The Watercress Way , and are happy wheeling along the narrow but quiet Lovington Lane, this is a wheelchair accessible route. Open OS Maps in a new window.


Starting from Itchen Abbas Village Hall carpark, this 6km/3.7 mile walk follows the Watercress Way along the dismantled Mid Hants Railway (Watercress Line) to Martyr Worth, then across the Itchen to Lovington Lane, and back along to Avington and back to Itchen Abbas along a section of the National Cycle Network’s Route 23


The gap to the side of the locked gate at the entrance to the old railway line in Itchen Abbas is going to take a bit of negotiation/help in an off road wheelchair, as will the uphill slope to Bridgetts Lane at the end of this section. After crossing the River Itchen there os a bit of a step, and few 1m wide gates before reaching the paved Lovington Lane.


Parking - Itchen Abbas Village Hall or in the residential streets


Toilets - The nearest public toilets are in Alresford or Winchester. The nearest Changing Places toilets are Winchester Science Centre, Telegraph Way, Winchester, SO21 1HZ, Tesco Winchester Extra, Easton Lane, Winchester SO23 7RS, The Discovery Centre, Jewry Street, Winchester SO23 8SB.

Refreshments - The Plough Inn, Itchen Abbas Main Road, SO21 1BQ. If walking the longer route towards Easton there is The Cricketers Pub Easton Hampshire and The Chestnut Horse.

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