{"id":"6984794f533dbb4b73118902","title":"Walk 334 Hook Greywell And North Warnborough","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2018/volume-24-apr-to-jun-2018/walk-334-hook-greywell-and-north-warnborough","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 334 - Hook, Greywell and North Warnborough\n\nThe weekend of 15th - 17th June was the National Young Ramblers 2018 event, which was being hosted by our sister group, the Berkshire Walkers 20s & 30s group. We were contributing a walk to go on their programme of twelve walks!\n\nEight of us met up at Hook railway station. Three from our group, four visitors from Hertfordshire - here for the NYR event - and one member of the Berkshire Walkers to act as back-marker and generally look after our guests, which she did with great aplomb.\n\nThis was a walk I had led a few times before, but with some extra bits added to make more use of the time available.\n\n![Posing for a picture at Owen's Farm, near Hook.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/owens_farm.jpg)\n\nWe headed west, through Hook and out of the village through Owen's Farm, before heading south, through Newnham, crossing the A30 into Heather Row. Here we came across a number of white cows with their calves, lying down. (Does this mean it's going to rain? No, not yet!)\n\nWe crossed a bridge over the M3 motorway and followed a track through woodland, down to the village of Up Nately. Here we crossed an unrestored section of the Basingstoke Canal and then followed the Canal to the west entrance of the Greywell Tunnel. The tunnel is closed to navigation (and to curious ramblers) and is now home to various species of bat.\n\nWe followed the course of the tunnel overland, through woodland and fields, stopping for our picnic lunch under a large oak tree on Greywell Hill. From here we could see views of North Hampshire and we could see a number of brown cows lying down. (Does this mean it's going to rain? Still no rain yet!)\n\n![A swan's nest on the Basingstoke Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/swans_nest.jpg)\n\nAfter lunch we inspected the east entrance of the tunnel, which opens onto the restored part of the Basingstoke Canal. Following the towpath, we saw several large fish in the canal, a swan's nest, numerous moorhens, mallard ducks and their ducklings, all enjoying the peace and quiet of this part of the canal, which is a nature reserve and closed off to navigation.\n\nNext we stopped to look around the remains of King John's Castle (Odiham Castle) which dates back to 1207 AD. Leaving the canal by a swing bridge at Warnborough Green, we crossed the River Whitewater by a ford. We saw a few fish in the clear water by the bridge before we continued our way, across fields to our pub-stop at the Derby Inn.\n\nRefreshed, we completed the walk by crossing the M3 on a footbridge into Bartley Heath and then back to Hook railway station. See our route on Google Maps. There was just a hint of drizzle in the air as the walk ended. (Maybe those cows were lying down too early!)\n\n![Mallard ducklings on the Basingstoke Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/ducklings.jpg)\n\n![Stopping for a drink at the Derby Inn, North Warnborough.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume24/images/derby_inn.jpg)\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 24\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 334 - Hook, Greywell and North Warnborough

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The weekend of 15th - 17th June was the National Young Ramblers 2018 event, which was being hosted by our sister group, the Berkshire Walkers 20s & 30s group. We were contributing a walk to go on their programme of twelve walks!

\n

Eight of us met up at Hook railway station. Three from our group, four visitors from Hertfordshire - here for the NYR event - and one member of the Berkshire Walkers to act as back-marker and generally look after our guests, which she did with great aplomb.

\n

This was a walk I had led a few times before, but with some extra bits added to make more use of the time available.

\n

\"Posing

\n

We headed west, through Hook and out of the village through Owen's Farm, before heading south, through Newnham, crossing the A30 into Heather Row. Here we came across a number of white cows with their calves, lying down. (Does this mean it's going to rain? No, not yet!)

\n

We crossed a bridge over the M3 motorway and followed a track through woodland, down to the village of Up Nately. Here we crossed an unrestored section of the Basingstoke Canal and then followed the Canal to the west entrance of the Greywell Tunnel. The tunnel is closed to navigation (and to curious ramblers) and is now home to various species of bat.

\n

We followed the course of the tunnel overland, through woodland and fields, stopping for our picnic lunch under a large oak tree on Greywell Hill. From here we could see views of North Hampshire and we could see a number of brown cows lying down. (Does this mean it's going to rain? Still no rain yet!)

\n

\"A

\n

After lunch we inspected the east entrance of the tunnel, which opens onto the restored part of the Basingstoke Canal. Following the towpath, we saw several large fish in the canal, a swan's nest, numerous moorhens, mallard ducks and their ducklings, all enjoying the peace and quiet of this part of the canal, which is a nature reserve and closed off to navigation.

\n

Next we stopped to look around the remains of King John's Castle (Odiham Castle) which dates back to 1207 AD. Leaving the canal by a swing bridge at Warnborough Green, we crossed the River Whitewater by a ford. We saw a few fish in the clear water by the bridge before we continued our way, across fields to our pub-stop at the Derby Inn.

\n

Refreshed, we completed the walk by crossing the M3 on a footbridge into Bartley Heath and then back to Hook railway station. See our route on Google Maps. There was just a hint of drizzle in the air as the walk ended. (Maybe those cows were lying down too early!)

\n

\"Mallard

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\"Stopping

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📸 Back to Volume 24

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Return to volume index

\n"}