Malthouse Plantation

The moment you step into Malthouse Plantation, the road noise from Alresford fades away. This isn't some manicured country estate - it's proper woodland, the kind where you can actually breathe between the trees without hitting branded signage every fifty metres.

It's a working forest with beech and oak dominating, though the mix shifts depending which path you wander down. You'll find yourself on trails that range from gently rolling to genuinely steep, all of which loop back on themselves if you're not confident going too far in. The canopy here is thick enough to offer real shelter on damp days, which is useful given Hampshire's temperament.

Walkers will get the most from this. Not the "ticking off viewpoints" type of walker, but people who actually enjoy moving through woodland without a destination nagging at them. The paths are marked well enough, though a quick inspection before you set out saves confusion later. If you've got kids, they'll entertain themselves scrambling about for the first hour or so, but this isn't a destination with benches and facilities - you're coming to walk, not to sit.

The real draw is how close it is to Hampshire Hills glamping park, just 3.8 miles away. You can base yourself there and use Malthouse as a proper woodland walk without driving miles. Free to access, no obvious admission charge, though checking locally before you visit wouldn't hurt. Allow two to three hours maximum unless you're the type who genuinely loves just being in a forest.