This is a walk over the South Downs through the Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP)  to the Visitor Centre café from the lovely village of Buriton. It does involve 705 feet or 215 metres of ascent and descent. When wet keep off any exposed areas of chalk in the paths as they can be very slippery and avoid tripping up on tree roots.

The start is a car park in Buriton next to the church and an attractive pond. Proceed anti-clockwise around the pond and go up South Lane on the Hangers Way. Follow it passing cottages and then it starts to climb the South Downs. Go under the railway line (0.26 Miles) and follow the steep path ahead. Fork right avoiding an entrance in to the Buriton Chalk Pit Nature Reserve and then avoid another entrance on the left (0.36 miles). Ignore another chalk pit walk on the right. Go straight across a crossroads with Chalk Pit paths. Pass a pond and go out into a road (0.49 miles).

Bear right into Halls Hill Car Park and then immediately left to go through a kissing gate and then another. Continue across the field ahead in the same direction passing above Fagg’s Farm to the kissing gate in the far right corner. Then keep to the path adjacent to the tree belt on the right climbing to reach a kissing gate and enter woods (0.83 miles). Keep climbing to reach a wide track (a bridleway) and turn left along it. At the end of a short straight there is a junction with four paths ahead, take the second from the right signposted South Downs Way. (1.04 miles) Fork left (cyclists go right) and keep climbing on the main track.

When the path levels out (1.39 miles) the top of Holt Down at 200 metres in height is just to the left in the trees. Now it is level for a while and then the descent to the café begins. Go straight across a crossroads of tracks (1.64 miles). Next fork right continuing downhill. Near the bottom of the hill take a vehicular track to the right (2.03 miles). Thirty metres later take a bridleway on the left downhill. At the bottom there is a BBQ place and picnic tables. On reaching the Countryside Service compound turn right along the road. Bear right on reaching a junction of roads, crossing the main entrance road by a zebra crossing and go anti-clockwise around a car park keeping it to the left. Pass a cycle track and pond on the left aiming for the right end of the buildings ahead where there is a café, toilets, and a visitor centre shop. (2.38 miles). Time for a coffee and a cake before heading back.

Go back the reverse of the earlier route and after passing the car park and just before reaching a road fork left along a path and cross via a zebra crossing over the road. Go into Gravel Hill Car Park ahead (2.57 miles) and go anti-clockwise around it keeping to a path just above it. The wide path runs parallel to the road on the other side of the valley which it eventually joins (2.84 miles). The road bends around to the left but this route continues straight on up the valley. Keep to the path that goes anticlockwise around the car park ahead which joins the wider shared use track. (2.93 miles) at a barrier. Follow this track gradually uphill with a mountain bike skills training area to the right. Keep straight on when a wide track joins from the left and the cycle facilities end (3.11 miles). A cycle track crosses the wide track (3.45 miles) and immediately after an equestrian track crosses. When reaching what appeared to be the top of the hill (3.58 miles) bear left along another wide track, part of the South Downs Way and still gradually climbing.

Next fork right on the wide track where there is a seat and a lovely view over the Rother Valley to the north. Next a cycle track goes off to the left (3.73 miles) and the wide track starts to descend. Pass a Shipwrights Way sign. The wide track leads to the Halls Hill Car Park (4.03 miles). Go out the entrance and cross over to the path used earlier. Immediately just by the pond, turn right on a path that is part of the Chalk Pit network which runs parallel with a road on the right. Ignore a path on the left and do not attempt to go across the fence on the left as there is a steep drop into the quarry. Having passed the chalk pit and crossed carefully lots of tree roots go left through a kissing gate. (4.25 miles) A path goes steeply downhill into the nature reserve with steep slopes on both sides. Fork left down a path into the chalk pit (4.32 miles), keep straight on until reaching the outward route (4.43 miles). Go right and keep straight on along the reverse of the outward journey and on reaching the pond by the car park go anti-clockwise around it to the car park (4.79 miles). The Five Bells is a five-minute walk up the High Street if in need of further refreshment.

The Ramblers organise numerous walks like this one every week. Find your local Group at hampshireramblers.org.uk. Walk contributed by Richard Kenchington, Hampshire Area Walking Environment Officer of the Ramblers’ Association.