Watercress Meadows

The Watercress Meadows near Alresford are a proper treat if you're after a gentle riverside walk without the crowds. This is the real heart of Hampshire's watercress farming heritage - a landscape shaped by centuries of cultivation, where clear chalk streams run through lush water meadows lined with willows and alder. You'll find yourself wandering between the actual watercress beds, those distinctive rectangular channels where the water runs constant and cold, keeping the crop crisp. It's less of a formal attraction and more a working landscape you can amble through, which is exactly what makes it worth the trip.

For walkers and anyone interested in traditional farming, this is genuinely absorbing. The paths are straightforward and flat - brilliant for families who don't fancy a hill slog - and you can easily spend an hour or two following the water channels and spotting kingfishers and herons if you're lucky. Bring binoculars. The best time is spring or early summer when the meadows are properly lush and the birdlife is most active.

It's free to access and you can turn up whenever you fancy. Based at The Spinney Caravan Park, just 0.6 miles away, you've got a cracking base to explore the whole Alresford area. Hampshire Hills and Woodlands Camping are also close by if you prefer something different. Pair it with a visit to Alresford itself - there's a proper high street - and you've got a solid day sorted. Not dramatic, but quietly brilliant.