{"id":"69847943533dbb4b731187ef","title":"Walk 459 Odiham Dogmersfield And North Warnborough","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2021/volume-36-apr-to-jun-2021/walk-459-odiham-dogmersfield-and-north-warnborough","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 459 - Odiham, Dogmersfield and North Warnborough\n\nWe did a figure-of-eight walk on Sunday 6th June. Although the route isn't really shaped like that numeral on a map, it does have two loops that join somewhere near the middle, allowing people a choice of walking the whole route (11 miles) or just the first loop (6.5 miles). We had eleven of us on this walk, including a couple of newcomers, trying us out. The walk got off to an inauspicious start, as the road the the car park at Odiham Wharf was closed for resurfacing as we arrived - on a Sunday!\n\nAnyway, we all managed to get to the car park, some on foot having parked in side roads, and some having been let through by the workmen. We started the walk by following the towpath of the Basingstoke Canal in a generally eastward direction to Dogmersfield, its character gradually changing along the way.\n\n![A couple of Suffolk Punch horses at Broad Oak.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume36/images/broad_oak_horses.jpg)\n\nAfter about three miles, we left the canal and entered Dogmersfield Park. We stopped by Tundry Pond, which looks more like a lake to me, and had our picnic lunch while watching the wildlife on and around the water. After lunch, we crossed through the park and passed Dogmersfield Lake, finally crossing some woodland to Broad Oak. Here we was some enormous brown horses (possibly of the Suffolk Punch breed).\n\nPassing a few cottages, we crossed Broad Oak Bridge and were on the canal towpath again, now going the other way. Back at Odiham Wharf, we said goodbye to our visitors, who didn't want to overdo things on their first walk. The rest of us continued following the canal to North Warnborough, where left it. We crossed a field of cows, crossed a busy road, and crossed a ford over the River Whitewater.\n\n![Crossing a meadow between the River Whitewater and the Basingstoke Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume36/images/north_warnborough.jpg)\n\nSoon after rejoining the canal towpath, we stopped to look at the remains of Odiham Castle. Also known as King John's Castle, it was constructed between 1207 and 1214. The castle had fallen into ruin by 1600 and in 1792 the Basingstoke Canal was built through the southern corner of its bailey. The canal passes over the River Whitewater close by on what is technically an aqueduct, but you could easily walk over it without realising. We stopped to look at this, too.\n\nWe left the canal as it entered the Greywell Tunnel. Opened in 1794, this tunnel is 1230 yards (1.12km) long, but was closed in 1932 after part of it had collapsed. When the canal was restored in the 1970s, the tunnel was found to be home to many species of bat. It remains closed and is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.\n\n![On the towpath, heading back to Odiham Wharf.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume36/images/basingstoke_canal_towpath.jpg)\n\nWe followed a lane that crossed the River Whitewater at Deptford Bridge and then followed a footpath through a wheat field. This brought us back to the canal at a swing bridge. On the towpath once again, we passed though North Warnborough and made our way back to Odiham Wharf car park. See our route on Google Maps. We were unable to stop at the Waterwitch for a post-walk drink as all their tables had already been booked.\n\nDespite the number of walkers and cyclists on the towpath, and the number of boats, kayaks and paddleboards on the water, we still managed to see a fair amount of wildlife. We saw ducks with their ducklings, swans with there cygnets, various fish of different sizes, dragon flies and damsel flies. And despite the forecast - it didn't rain!\n\n![Seven cygnets on the Basingstoke Canal.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume36/images/basingstoke_canal_cygnets.jpg)\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 36\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 459 - Odiham, Dogmersfield and North Warnborough

\n

We did a figure-of-eight walk on Sunday 6th June. Although the route isn't really shaped like that numeral on a map, it does have two loops that join somewhere near the middle, allowing people a choice of walking the whole route (11 miles) or just the first loop (6.5 miles). We had eleven of us on this walk, including a couple of newcomers, trying us out. The walk got off to an inauspicious start, as the road the the car park at Odiham Wharf was closed for resurfacing as we arrived - on a Sunday!

\n

Anyway, we all managed to get to the car park, some on foot having parked in side roads, and some having been let through by the workmen. We started the walk by following the towpath of the Basingstoke Canal in a generally eastward direction to Dogmersfield, its character gradually changing along the way.

\n

\"A

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After about three miles, we left the canal and entered Dogmersfield Park. We stopped by Tundry Pond, which looks more like a lake to me, and had our picnic lunch while watching the wildlife on and around the water. After lunch, we crossed through the park and passed Dogmersfield Lake, finally crossing some woodland to Broad Oak. Here we was some enormous brown horses (possibly of the Suffolk Punch breed).

\n

Passing a few cottages, we crossed Broad Oak Bridge and were on the canal towpath again, now going the other way. Back at Odiham Wharf, we said goodbye to our visitors, who didn't want to overdo things on their first walk. The rest of us continued following the canal to North Warnborough, where left it. We crossed a field of cows, crossed a busy road, and crossed a ford over the River Whitewater.

\n

\"Crossing

\n

Soon after rejoining the canal towpath, we stopped to look at the remains of Odiham Castle. Also known as King John's Castle, it was constructed between 1207 and 1214. The castle had fallen into ruin by 1600 and in 1792 the Basingstoke Canal was built through the southern corner of its bailey. The canal passes over the River Whitewater close by on what is technically an aqueduct, but you could easily walk over it without realising. We stopped to look at this, too.

\n

We left the canal as it entered the Greywell Tunnel. Opened in 1794, this tunnel is 1230 yards (1.12km) long, but was closed in 1932 after part of it had collapsed. When the canal was restored in the 1970s, the tunnel was found to be home to many species of bat. It remains closed and is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

\n

\"On

\n

We followed a lane that crossed the River Whitewater at Deptford Bridge and then followed a footpath through a wheat field. This brought us back to the canal at a swing bridge. On the towpath once again, we passed though North Warnborough and made our way back to Odiham Wharf car park. See our route on Google Maps. We were unable to stop at the Waterwitch for a post-walk drink as all their tables had already been booked.

\n

Despite the number of walkers and cyclists on the towpath, and the number of boats, kayaks and paddleboards on the water, we still managed to see a fair amount of wildlife. We saw ducks with their ducklings, swans with there cygnets, various fish of different sizes, dragon flies and damsel flies. And despite the forecast - it didn't rain!

\n

\"Seven

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📸 Back to Volume 36

\n

Return to volume index

\n"}