Lower Froyle and Well

Standing in the parking area with the village hall behind you, turn right to join the pavement heading north alongside the road. At the T-junction, turn left along the road, taking care of occasional traffic. As you draw level with a side road on your right, you will see The Old Malthouse on your left. Look more closely and you will see the inscription The Prince of Wales above the door of this house. A building on this site housed a shoemaker until 1881, when it became the village pub called The Prince of Wales. In 1910 this current building replaced the original and served as the village pub until 1998 when it was converted into a residence. Keep ahead on the main lane and, just after passing Sylrock Farm on your right, turn left onto the narrow signed grass footpath. Follow this enclosed path with a wall running on your left and then pass through the kissing gate ahead to reach the corner of a large crop field. Cross this field at about 11 o'clock. At the far side, go through the kissing gate, footbridge, kissing gate combination to reach the corner of the next field. Keep straight ahead, following the line of the right-hand hedgerow and you will emerge via a stile to a quiet lane alongside Saintburyhill Farm.

Turn right along the lane, passing the farmhouse on your right. Keep straight ahead, pass alongside a pair of metal gates, pass a number of barns on your right and then keep ahead to join the stone and grass track. At the brow of the first small rise, take a moment to look through the gaps in the hedgerows each side, where you will have great views across the surrounding rolling hills. You will also notice how peaceful this area is, a common theme for almost the whole length of this walk. Follow the track for about 0.6 miles, only until a point where the track dog-legs right then left. On this left-hand bend the hedgerows and trees on your right end to be replaced by the start of a large open crop field. Glance into the edge of the final trees on your right and you will see a partially concealed fingerpost. (If you are approaching buildings on the track you have gone too far). Do NOT stay on the main track at this point, instead turn right to join the grass path with the tree line on your right and the crop field on your left. Continue to the field corner and stay with the grass path which swings right, leading you through the trees. You will emerge from the trees to reach the top of a bracken and grass meadow clearing. Keep ahead on the path heading downhill through the centre of this clearing. Before the bottom of the slope, bear left to pass between a cherry tree (on your left) and a large oak tree (on your right). Beyond these two trees, keep ahead for 20 metres further and then bear slightly right (at about 1 o'clock) to join the grass path with trees on your right and an open crop field on your left. Where the tree line on your right ends, continue ahead on the path which leads you through the centre of this large crop field. At the far side, go ahead through the hedgerow (this was quite overgrown when we walked) to reach the road. Turn left (taking care of traffic) for just 60 metres and then turn right into the side road signed to Long Sutton. The lane leads you past the large property, Bumpers, on your right.

Stay with the lane as it leads you downhill, swinging steadily left, to reach a junction with a side road (alongside a single brick cottage). Turn right here to join the stone and grass track, signed as a Byway. You may come across horses and cyclists on this track (so keep your eyes peeled). The track, an ancient lane known as Frog Lane, can be muddy or overgrown in parts, depending on the time of year. At the end of the first grass stretch, the track enters a section of woodland. Bear slightly left on the main stone track which follows the left-hand edge of this woodland. Through the trees on your left you will have glimpses of a set of buildings and sports pitches, this is an independent school called Lord Wandsworth College. Former pupils of the college include a number of rugby union internationals, most notably Jonny Wilkinson. Beyond the woodland, continue on the same path, once again a grass and stone path. At the junction, ignore all paths to the side, simply keep ahead on the main byway track. Beyond the next section of woodland, ignore the footpath to your left. Eventually the byway becomes a rocky sunken track leading you through a section of trees. Take care on this stretch as it can be quite tricky underfoot. You will emerge directly to a T-junction with the road. Turn left along this (taking care of traffic) and it leads you into the tiny village of Well, passing the impressive Well Manor Farmhouse on your right to reach a crossroads. Within the second grass triangle at this junction, you will see the covered well (the present structure dating from the late 1800s) which gives the village its name. Today, this makes a great picnic and resting spot for weary walkers.

Turn right at the crossroads (signed to Dippenhall), passing the buildings of Well Manor Farm on your right. Follow this lane (taking care of traffic) for about half a mile, passing Field View Cottage and continuing beyond this to reach the first side road on your right. Turn right into this side road and follow it ahead. Ignore the first bridleway signed to the right, instead continue on the lane down to the bottom of the hill. At this point, where the lane swings hard left, go straight ahead to join the next stretch of grass and stone track. This is another ancient lane, known as Husseys Lane. Follow this pretty track as it leads you over the brow of a small hill and then descends fairly steeply through a tunnel of trees. The track leads you over the brow of two more small rises, at the top of the second of these you will find a bench carved from a tree trunk in the field to your left, an ideal spot to pause and enjoy the views should you wish. Eventually the stone track becomes a tarmac access lane, leading you past some of the old properties of Lower Froyle on your left (some half-timbered and some thatched). You will notice the first property on your right includes the circular towers of old oast houses or hop kilns. Over the centuries the growing of hops played an important part in the prosperity of the village. In 1800 there were 141 acres of hops and an 1855 directory stated that there were hop yards on all the farms. Nowadays, of course, these are all but gone but the names and designs of the houses still gives an indication of the former scale of this hops and malthouse operation. At the bottom of the lane you will pass the village pond on your right. At the T-junction, turn right along the main village road. Ignore the first left turn (Park Lane), continue past the thatched Sylvesters Farm on your left and then take the next left turn (signed to Upper Froyle). Follow the pavement alongside this road and it will lead you to the village hall where the walk began.