One of the glories of Hampshire is the River Test, which meanders through chalk hills, soothing water meadows and ancient woodland and provides superb fly-fishing for trout, grayling and salmon in the clear chalk waters of the river and its tributaries. The Test Valley has some lovely features such as Mottisfont Rose Gardens, and several picturesque villages, of which Wherwell is perhaps the most charming, chock full of medieval black-and-white thatched cottages, smothered in roses in summer. The River Test running alongside and a war memorial on the green complete the picture.
For a pint
If the village pub, the White Lion, purchased by the owner of Wherwell Priory, is still undergoing renovation at the time you read this, then head for Abbots Mitre, in the equally quaint neighbouring village of Chilbolton, also on the River Test. A simple village inn, it has a hearty food menu and a surprising line in cocktails and mocktails.
Stay here
Head for handsome Stockbridge, four miles away. The wide High Street was once a drover’s road along which vast flocks of sheep were herded en route from Wales. In the 19th century, Stockbridge was famous for its starry racecourse, the Ascot of its day, and landowner Robert Grosvenor, Marquess of Westminster built the Grosvenor Arms, now a fine hotel (thegrosvenorstockbridge.com; doubles from £290) for race goers in 1825. Alternatively, choose the Greyhound on the Test, a charming gastropub with rooms whose gardens reach down to the river (thegreyhoundonthetest.com; doubles from £179).
Did you know?
Legend has it that Wherwell was haunted by a mythical creature called a cockatrice. With the wings of a bat, the tail of a snake and the head of a rooster it unsurprisingly terrorised the locals until a man named Green killed it with a spear. His reward was four acres of land, and in nearby Harwood Forest his four acres, known as Green’s Acres, can be found today.