{"id":"69847926533dbb4b731185ca","title":"Walk 685 Winchfield Dogmersfield And The Basingstoke Canal","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2025/volume-51-jan-to-mar-2025/walk-685-winchfield-dogmersfield-and-the-basingstoke-canal","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 685 - Winchfield, Dogmersfield and the Basingstoke Canal\n\nOur first walk of the year was on Saturday 4th January and was a walk that we should have done at Christmas time last year, as it involved mince pies, stollen cake and mulled wine! However, it was postponed twice due to family commitments and then illness. Anyway, we still had the mulled wine and mince pies, so we led the walk on a crisp, cold January day instead, where the festive treats were just as well appreciated.\n\nTwelve of us set off from the free car park at Barley Mow bridge in Winchfield. We briefly followed the Basingstoke Canal before branching off into Round Copse, crunching our way along a frosted footpath through Hellet's Copse and back on to the canal at Stacey's Bridge. Further along the towpath, at Sprat's Hatch Bridge, we crossed the canal to follow a high footpath overlooking the canal.\n\n![Crossing a frosty field from Round Copse to Hellet's Copse.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume51/images/hellets-copse-winchfield.jpg)\n\nAt Sandy Hill Bridge, we stopped for mulled wine and mince pies! I had a 1.5 litre thermos flask of mulled wine in my rucksack and Emma had a smaller flask of mulled fruit juice for those not wanting a wine-based drink. We also had a dozen mince pies - exactly one each, which was lucky!\n\nSuitably warmed by our festive treats, we left the canal again, following a woodland path and then crossing frosty fields to Odiham Common. We stopped for a look at Odiham Hunting Lodge and the partly frozen Wilk's Water. Crossing the canal at Broad Oak Bridge, we headed into Dogmersfield Park, stopping at Tundry Pond for lunch. We also finished off the mulled wine and shared some Stollen cake.\n\n![Posing for a photo on Sprat's Hatch Bridge.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume51/images/sprats-hatch-bridge.jpg)\n\nAfter lunch, we re-joined the canal towpath at Blacksmith's Bridge and followed it back to Barley Mow Bridge and the car park. See our route on Google Maps.\n\n![Stopping on Sandy Hill Bridge for mulled wine and mince pies.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume51/images/mulled-wine-stop.jpg)\n\n![Crossing Odiham Common on our way to Broad Oak Bridge.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume51/images/odiham-common.jpg)\n\n*Thanks go to Emma and Rob for leading this walk and Rob for the write-up.*\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 51\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 685 - Winchfield, Dogmersfield and the Basingstoke Canal

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Our first walk of the year was on Saturday 4th January and was a walk that we should have done at Christmas time last year, as it involved mince pies, stollen cake and mulled wine! However, it was postponed twice due to family commitments and then illness. Anyway, we still had the mulled wine and mince pies, so we led the walk on a crisp, cold January day instead, where the festive treats were just as well appreciated.

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Twelve of us set off from the free car park at Barley Mow bridge in Winchfield. We briefly followed the Basingstoke Canal before branching off into Round Copse, crunching our way along a frosted footpath through Hellet's Copse and back on to the canal at Stacey's Bridge. Further along the towpath, at Sprat's Hatch Bridge, we crossed the canal to follow a high footpath overlooking the canal.

\n

\"Crossing

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At Sandy Hill Bridge, we stopped for mulled wine and mince pies! I had a 1.5 litre thermos flask of mulled wine in my rucksack and Emma had a smaller flask of mulled fruit juice for those not wanting a wine-based drink. We also had a dozen mince pies - exactly one each, which was lucky!

\n

Suitably warmed by our festive treats, we left the canal again, following a woodland path and then crossing frosty fields to Odiham Common. We stopped for a look at Odiham Hunting Lodge and the partly frozen Wilk's Water. Crossing the canal at Broad Oak Bridge, we headed into Dogmersfield Park, stopping at Tundry Pond for lunch. We also finished off the mulled wine and shared some Stollen cake.

\n

\"Posing

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After lunch, we re-joined the canal towpath at Blacksmith's Bridge and followed it back to Barley Mow Bridge and the car park. See our route on Google Maps.

\n

\"Stopping

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\"Crossing

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Thanks go to Emma and Rob for leading this walk and Rob for the write-up.

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📸 Back to Volume 51

\n

Return to volume index

\n"}