Fleet Pond Circular Walks

About

Fleet Pond is the largest freshwater lake in Hampshire. The nature reserve has 141 acres (57ha) of varied habitats including heathland, woodland, reedbed and marsh, and is home for many species of birds, butterflies, dragonflies and wild flowers.

This walk takes a full circuit of Fleet Pond and offers excellent views. The path crosses Brookly Stream, one of the two feeder streams into the lake and passed by the oldest section of Fleet Pond’s woodlands which has good specimens of oak and Scots pine. 

Distances:

Short walk: 0.6 miles - This route will take you past the dry heath, one of the two open heathland areas, along wood-land paths. The route visits Boathouse Corner with its fishing jetty designed for wheelchair use and the picnic site with a good view of the lake, the fringing reedbed and the open marsh.

Medium walk: 1.8 miles - This route takes a full circuit of the lake and offers excellent views of the lake from the northern and north-western footpaths and from Chestnut Grove landing stage. The path crosses Brookly Stream, one of the two feeder streams into the lake and into the oldest section of Fleet Pond’s woodlands, at Sandhills, has good specimens of oak and Scots pine.

Long walk: 2.5 miles - This route follows the medium route and takes a full circuit of the lake but extends to include Brookly Wood and Wood Lane Heath. Brookly Wood was once a private garden and contains some of the Reserve’s best beech trees. There are also “exotics” here: bamboo, rhododendron and laurels.

Car parking: Access to the main car park is via the narrow, brick railway bridge off the Cove Road (A3012/3). There is a brown duck sign at the junction. Cross the bridge and turn right. The car park is 400 metres down a gravel track. There is a height restriction of 2.1m at the entrance. The train station car park can also be used and has quick access to the Pond. However this is charged Monday-Saturday.

The route can been downloaded below (PDF).