Walk Titchfield

Walk Titchfield

Walk Titchfield

Our lovely local walker, Frances Williams, who you can find on Instagram at WhyMummyWalks, has been out and about again on our patch.

This time she’s taking us on the walk from Titchfield Canal to the coast, about 6.2 Miles.

What a fabulous day it was last time I did this walk; blue sky and crisp, cold air, perfect conditions for a wander.

The paths are not too muddy yet, and this walk is ideal for the wetter months as mostly, bar some sections at the top of the cliff, it’s usually decent underfoot. You can walk along the stony beach if you have stronger resolve than me – I take my chances with the mud!

Settling upon Titchfield was easy this morning – most of my followers know I prefer a hill or peak to a beach but a deserted beach midweek in November with not a cloud in the sky?  I was in!

Titchfield is a lovely little place; rain or shine you can appreciate its historic buildings and selection of local businesses.

Titchfield 2

We started our day in Daisy B’s Kitchen, where a selection of home-baked fancies and a warm welcome greeted us.

They’re offering a festive afternoon tea over the coming weeks which sounded tempting; if our cakes today were anything to go by, it should be fabulous!

In the past Titchfield was a bustling market town situated upon the River Meon.  Once the river began to silt up, trade waned and so in 1611 a canal was cut in, taking vital business from its tanneries to the sea.

The towpath makes a beautiful walk towards to the coast cutting between Titchfield Haven and fields packed with produce.

The Haven is a fantastic nature reserve featuring fen, freshwater marsh and reed bed and is absolutely jam-packed with birds, plants and wildlife. There is a shop and tearoom, open daily, at its entrance.

At Meon Shore we turned right and walked behind the row of beach bungalows towards the cliff.

Despite being November, it was a calm day and we sat on the stones in the sun, watching the boats and even spotted a seal swimming just offshore!

I haven’t walked these cliffs since completing the Solent Way in May; the wildflowers of early summer have been replaced with rosehips, gorse, and sloes.

The sun sparkled on the Solent and Hampshire was looking its best. The walk continues to a lagoon and inlet at Brownwich Stream before making its way away from the beach up a concrete track.

Meon Shore

Passing fields of market vegetables, we made our way back towards the village around farmland and then over Posbrook Lane towards Bellfield Play Area.  From there it was only a short stroll back to the village centre.

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Afterwards we visited the nearby Titchfield Abbey, founded in 1232 and converted into a Tudor Mansion House after the Suppression of the Monasteries.  It is free to visit and is worth a bimble around.  It is situated just behind Stewarts Garden Centre which has a Christmas shop and café.