Fancy a walk around a lovely market town with Georgian architecture, swan spottings and plenty of pub pitstops?

Head to Fareham and try out our latest walk of the week. 

Walk out from the Fareham Leisure Centre car park along the path on the field beside the leisure centre, beyond the skate park and children’s adventure playground.

Follow the way as it bends left with the civic centre jutting out over rooftops in the distance. Keep going around the field perimeter until you reach the corner, and then drop down into Park Lane.

Continue downhill until you see the Co-op Funeralcare building. Just in front of this is a narrow alleyway between two walls. Follow the path - advancing straight when it breaks out into garages and driveways – and resume the alleyway walk between two high fences. The path will carry on until you reach railings on your left. The path bends right here and takes you onto Osborn Road, opposite the graveyard.

(Image: David Jones) Head down hill past the Ashcroft Arts Centre and turn right onto the High Street at the junction. This historic area has a wonderful Georgian feel to it, characterised by the town houses on either side of the wide street. Head past the Golden Lion pub, before crossing the road and disappearing up the narrow Lysses Path between tall three-story buildings. This alley leads you beside a car park. Follow this through until you emerge onto East Street. Cross the road and safely follow the pedestrian cycle path route which will take you safely past the roundabout, underneath the A27 bridge and railway aqueduct.

From here follow the signs for the England Coastal Path which will take you alongside Upper Fareham Lake and the gaggles of swans that inhabit it. At the end of the path, follow the sign and cross over onto the cricket field, continuing all the way along until you reach the boats moored up at Upper Quay Marina. Push on to the main roundabout and continue heading left on the England Coastal Path, turning away from Fareham Town Centre on your right. Here you will stumble onto the Castle In The Sky pub, which is an ideal spot to take a break for a drink.

(Image: David Jones)

Turn left again towards the Trafalgar Yard service building, which offers up the opportunity for a coffee at the Tides Coffee Shop beside the water. When you reach the Fareham Sailing and Motorboat Club, head right up a paved road, then immediately left down another narrow alley that will eventually break out into a green park.

Follow the path to progress past the lines and lines of moored boats on the water. Once you pass a children’s play area and football pitch, round the next clump of trees and leave the path to cross across the field to the main road, navigating towards a dog bin at the park exit.

Join Salterns Lane and follow the residential street all the way to where it meets the traffic lights at the A32. Cross over here by the car dealership and follow the roundabout round before turning left up Palmerston Drive. Keep going until the end of this road, then turn right towards Palmerston Business Park. Here you will spot a sign for Fort Fareham, which will take you immediately into a secluded woodland area.

Follow the wooded path right, crunching through the leaves. You will see evidence of the disused parts of the old fort – one of Lord Palmerston’s famed defences, jutting out from the wooded valley below. There are plenty of benches dotted around here if you fancy a rest.

When the path splits in two, head up the staircase which will take you out onto Cams Alders Recreation Ground. Follow the path between the rugby pitches and the tall stand that characterises Fareham Town FC football ground, into the car park beyond. Turn right and walk to the end of the car park to the next narrow passageway. Follow it through until you reach Redlands Lane then turn left. Turn right when you see the pedestrian cyclepath at The Gillies, then head up there.

Keep going straight, pass the allotments and over a bridge that takes you directly above them all. The path continues through a subway which leads to an Aldi supermarket car park. Exit the car park and turn left up West Street. Turn right up Grove Road, then right again along Gordon Road. Continue until you reach Colenso Road on the left hand side. At the end of the street you will come to the entrance of the field at Fareham Leisure Centre, where you can retrace your steps back to the car park.

Written by David Jones, Ordnance Survey

Walk at a glance

Start: Fareham Leisure Centre car park, Park Lane, Fareham PO16 7JU

Distance: 6.44 km

Time: 1 hr 41 mins

Difficulty: Easy

URL: explore.osmaps.com/route/15634782/

Map: OS Explorer OL3 (Meon Valley, Portsmouth, Gosport & Fareham)

Toilets: Yes

Nearest Pub: Castle in the Air, 49 Old Gosport Rd, Fareham PO16 0XH

Nearest Café: Tides Coffee Shop, Lower Quay, Fareham PO16 0RA