{"id":"69847929533dbb4b7311860c","title":"Walk 646 Fleet Pond And Pyestock Hill","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2024/volume-48-apr-to-jun-2024/walk-646-fleet-pond-and-pyestock-hill","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 646 - Fleet Pond and Pyestock Hill\n\nOn Saturday 29th June, ten of us assembled at Fleet Railway Station for a 7½ mile walk around Fleet Pond and Pyestock Hill (starting slightly late due to a delayed train). This was a modified version of a walk I've led here many times before, and is a good summer walk as much of the route is under the cover of trees. It was 24°C today, with a gentle breeze - a pleasant temperature in the shade.\n\nA few steps led us from the station car park onto a footpath by the northern edge of Fleet Pond, the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire, surrounded by 140 acres of nature reserve. We saw fish, ducks, geese and swans in and on the pond.\n\nLeaving the edge of the pond, we ventured into \"Managed Access Land\", woodland and heathland used occasionally by the army for training, but usually open to the public. One section is also used by the local model aircraft club, and we saw a couple of radio-controlled stunt planes doing aerobatics.\n\n![View of Fleet Pond from the north-east corner.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume48/images/fleet_pond_north_east.jpg)\n\nWe headed south, following a strand of Fleet Brook, until we reached the Basingstoke Canal. We followed its towpath westward for a short while before crossing the canal on a road bridge on the outskirts of Fleet and entering the Forest of Eversley.\n\nWe stopped to eat our packed punches in the woods, finding a number of suitable logs to sit on. After lunch we stopped for refreshments at The Foresters pub, sitting in their pub garden.\n\nContinuing our walk, we followed forest paths to Norris Hill, where we crossed a large roundabout that bridged the Basingstoke Canal. We left the road for more woodland footpaths at Pyestock Hill.\n\n![Walking through access land between Fleet Pond and Southwood.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume48/images/fleet_pond_southwood.jpg)\n\nAlong the way, we came across a few ant nests. From a distance, these looked like piles of dead pine-needles and small sticks, but as you got closer, you could see the continuous movement of many wood-ants, often carrying bits of woodland debris many times their own size.\n\nNext, we followed another section of Fleet Brook to Fleet Pond, stopping for a group photo on a bridge over the brook. After that, we stopped for a break at an area that used to be nick-named \"The Beach\" due to the very sandy soil there, although it doesn't seem as sandy as it used to.\n\nThe rest of the walk followed the south-western and western edges of the pond, back to the railway station. See our route on Google Maps. Along the way, there were a number of viewing platforms, but the reeds were so tall it was hard to see the pond, but we did get to see some ducks with their young waddling along one of the jetties.\n\n![Stopping for refreshments at The Foresters pub.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume48/images/foresters_pub-stop.jpg)\n\n![A footbridge south of Fleet Pond.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume48/images/fleet_pond_bridge.jpg)\n\n*Thanks go to Rob and Emma for leading the walk and Rob for writing it up.*\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 48\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 646 - Fleet Pond and Pyestock Hill

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On Saturday 29th June, ten of us assembled at Fleet Railway Station for a 7½ mile walk around Fleet Pond and Pyestock Hill (starting slightly late due to a delayed train). This was a modified version of a walk I've led here many times before, and is a good summer walk as much of the route is under the cover of trees. It was 24°C today, with a gentle breeze - a pleasant temperature in the shade.

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A few steps led us from the station car park onto a footpath by the northern edge of Fleet Pond, the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire, surrounded by 140 acres of nature reserve. We saw fish, ducks, geese and swans in and on the pond.

\n

Leaving the edge of the pond, we ventured into "Managed Access Land", woodland and heathland used occasionally by the army for training, but usually open to the public. One section is also used by the local model aircraft club, and we saw a couple of radio-controlled stunt planes doing aerobatics.

\n

\"View

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We headed south, following a strand of Fleet Brook, until we reached the Basingstoke Canal. We followed its towpath westward for a short while before crossing the canal on a road bridge on the outskirts of Fleet and entering the Forest of Eversley.

\n

We stopped to eat our packed punches in the woods, finding a number of suitable logs to sit on. After lunch we stopped for refreshments at The Foresters pub, sitting in their pub garden.

\n

Continuing our walk, we followed forest paths to Norris Hill, where we crossed a large roundabout that bridged the Basingstoke Canal. We left the road for more woodland footpaths at Pyestock Hill.

\n

\"Walking

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Along the way, we came across a few ant nests. From a distance, these looked like piles of dead pine-needles and small sticks, but as you got closer, you could see the continuous movement of many wood-ants, often carrying bits of woodland debris many times their own size.

\n

Next, we followed another section of Fleet Brook to Fleet Pond, stopping for a group photo on a bridge over the brook. After that, we stopped for a break at an area that used to be nick-named "The Beach" due to the very sandy soil there, although it doesn't seem as sandy as it used to.

\n

The rest of the walk followed the south-western and western edges of the pond, back to the railway station. See our route on Google Maps. Along the way, there were a number of viewing platforms, but the reeds were so tall it was hard to see the pond, but we did get to see some ducks with their young waddling along one of the jetties.

\n

\"Stopping

\n

\"A

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Thanks go to Rob and Emma for leading the walk and Rob for writing it up.

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📸 Back to Volume 48

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Return to volume index

\n"}