Canal towpath to King John's Castle
The easy, flat canal walk.
Walk 1 of 8 · 4.2 miles (6.7 km)
Odiham, North Warnborough and King John's Castle
Village to castle and back by the canal.
Start point
The Bury, by All Saints' Church, Odiham
Postcode RG29 1ND
How to get there
Follow the route in an app
Works with AllTrails, OS Maps, Komoot and most walking apps. Import the file and follow along.
- Distance
- 4.2 miles (6.7 km) circular
- Time
- 2 to 2½ hours
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Terrain
- Easy to moderate. Pavements, quiet lanes, a stretch of footpath and a long, level towpath. One ford, with footbridges alongside.
- Start
- The Bury, by All Saints' Church, Odiham. Postcode RG29 1ND · Map of the start
- Parking
- Deer Park View car park, just off the High Street, or on-street parking on the High Street. Some bays are time-limited, so check the signs.
- From Laurel Cottage
- About 12 minutes on foot to The Bury. Or join the loop on West Street, a few minutes' walk from the village centre, and finish there too.
- Dogs
- Mostly lanes and towpath, so it's an easy one with a dog. Leads on for The Street, Hook Road and London Road. Cattle sometimes graze Warnborough Green, near the ford. There's water at the ford and all along the canal.
- Pubs and cafés
- The Mill House, a pub in an old watermill, about halfway round. The Waterwitch, by the canal at Colt Hill, near the end (dogs welcome in the garden).
This is the loop we suggest to friends who want to see the best of both villages in one go. You head out past Robert May's School to North Warnborough, take a detour to the ruins of King John's Castle, splash past the ford to the Mill House, and then wander home along the canal to Colt Hill.
A good part of it is on pavements and the towpath, so it's a decent choice when the fields are claggy.
Route map
The numbers on the map match the directions below.
Download GPX
Start point on OpenStreetMap
Open the GPX file in your favourite walking app to follow the route on your phone.
Directions
The Bury to West Street
Leave The Bury along Church Street, which brings you out at the western end of the High Street. Turn left, and at the junction with Alton Road and Dunleys Hill go straight over into West Street.
West Street to North Warnborough
Follow West Street for about 350 metres. Just past Salmons Road, turn right onto the wide tarmac path that runs north beside the playing fields of Robert May's School (founded in 1694). It crosses a residential road, carries on as a footpath and drops down past cottages to The Street, North Warnborough's main road, opposite the Anchor.
Tunnel Lane to the canal
Turn right along The Street, then take the first proper left, Tunnel Lane. It leads you down to the Basingstoke Canal at North Warnborough lift bridge.
A detour to the castle
Cross the lift bridge and turn left along the towpath. After about 300 metres, the flint walls of King John's Castle rise up on your right. Have a good look around, then come back the same way to the lift bridge.
Mill Lane and the ford
Don't cross the bridge this time. Carry straight on up Mill Lane, which crosses the Whitewater on footbridges beside a ford, then bends right across Warnborough Green to Hook Road. The Mill House and its millpond are just on your right.
Back along the canal
From the Mill House, walk south along Hook Road, past Castle Bridge Cottages, and take the path on the left that drops down to the towpath. Follow the canal as it swings north and then east. For the next 2 km or so it's just you, the water and the fields of Odiham's old deer park on your right.
Colt Hill to the High Street
At Colt Hill, with the Waterwitch and the boat wharf ahead, leave the towpath at the road bridge and walk up London Road to the High Street. Turn right, then left down King Street to finish back at The Bury.
Before you set off
We've drawn these routes from OpenStreetMap and checked them against Hampshire County Council's public rights of way map, but the countryside changes. Paths get diverted, bridges close for repairs and fields fill up with crops or cattle. Please treat our directions as a friendly guide, not a guarantee, and follow the signs and waymarks you find on the ground.
- Take a map or app. OS Explorer 144 covers the area, or load our GPX file into your favourite walking app.
- Expect mud. The Common, the moors and the field paths get very wet between autumn and spring. Wellies or proper boots make a big difference.
- Cattle and livestock. Close gates behind you, keep dogs on a short lead near animals, and let go of the lead if cattle chase you, so you can both get to safety.
- Roads. Some routes cross or follow busy roads, including the A287. Take care, keep dogs on leads and walk facing oncoming traffic where there's no pavement.
- By the water. The canal is deep in places, and the towpath edge can be crumbly. Watch little ones and keep an eye on dogs that love a swim.
- Leave it as you found it. Bag and bin your dog's poo, take your litter home, and follow the Countryside Code.
You walk these routes at your own risk. If you spot something that has changed, we'd love to hear about it at [email protected].
More walks around Odiham
See all 8 routes on our Odiham walks page, or browse our local guide for pubs, cafés and things to do.
Greywell Moors, Greywell and the castle
Fen, village pub and canal.
The Mill House, Butter Wood and Greywell Tunnel
Common, woods and the tunnel.
Stay with us at Laurel Cottage
Fancy a walking weekend? Our dog-friendly cottage is a short stroll from Odiham High Street, so several of these walks start almost from the door. Muddy boots and muddy paws are both welcome. Book direct for our best price.
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