- Leader: Val Wood
- Date: 25 March 2026
- Distance: 10 miles approx.
Bentley circular walk
Sixteen members assembled in the Bentley Memorial Hall Carpark in bright sunshine with a stiff north westerly breeze blowing. We’d had heavy cold showers earlier in the morning but were optimistic that the day would be dry – which proved to be 95% the case.
We set off north up Hole Lane, before turning west at Jenkyn Place along the St Swithun’s Way, where the path was bordered for the large part by grape vines. Over fifty years ago this area heading west towards Alton parallel to the A31 was largely given over to hop fields. Alton was an important brewing town, founded in a modest way in 1763, and was well served by hops grown locally and benefitted from the water drawn from an essential well. In the early 20th century more recognisable names, such as John Courage and Son and Crowley’s (later Watney) took over the brewing. Courage ceased brewing in 1979, but continued bottling, kegging and canning. Other breweries continued until the 1980’s even though hop growing in the area declined.
A little further on we skirted the substantial grounds of Pax Hill. Now a nursing home, it was the home of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, and his wife, who owned the property from 1918 to 1938. The house was originally called Blackacre, and was bought with a gift from Olave Baden-Powell’s father. During their time at the house, the Baden-Powells renamed it Pax (peace) Hill – and added two wings. The west wing was designed by Robert Baden-Powell himself and he also modelled the frieze for the new bathroom, depicting fish in the nearby River Wey. Scouts and Guides used to camp on either side of the drive.
Further on we passed through woodland and up a section of the drive of the beautiful Elizabethan Coldrey House once owned by one of the Watney Mann brewery magnates. Turning right from the drive onto the Lower Froyle road, it’s not long before we turned west again at the Anchor Pub (sadly too early for a pint!) and continued towards Upper Froyle. We left St Swithun’s Way and continued up the drive towards the back of Froyle House, once the home of Sir Hubert Miller whose family had owned it from 1765 until 1947. In 1949 the trustees of Lord Mayor Treloar Trust bought Froyle Place with eight acres of land to turn it into a college for disabled boys. When the school amalgamated with its sister campus, Florence Treloar in Holybourne, the site was sold to developers and Froyle House is now a beautiful and prestigious wedding venue.
We had a welcome coffee stop in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Upper Froyle, where we met some parishioners about their duties whilst the organist practiced and we could take advantage of the facilities.
Refreshed, we walked down the road towards Lower Froyle, noting some of the many statues Sir Hubert Miller brought back from his visits to Italy in the early 20th century.
Shortly after crossing over Ryebridge stream, we took a bridleway left to cross some wide open arable fields, steadily climbing past and through various wooded copses before joining the road that runs west from Lower Froyle. Turning left on the road, we soon took the lane north towards Long Sutton. After a quarter of a mile or so walking down the lane we turned left onto a well-used BOAT (Frog Lane). Thankfully not too churned up by the off-road vehicles that use it, nor too muddy. We stopped for our lunch break along this track. Handily there were ample seats for us on a large log to one side and a chunky rectangular of concrete on the other. However, there the benefits ran out, as we were sitting in the strong cross wind of the wide open fields and a large ominous cloud blew in to deposit a sharp hail/sleet/rain shower on us! But we managed to finish eating under the shelter of some nearby blackthorn shrubs on the track.
Soon we met Well Lane and turned left for a few yards before arriving at the cross-roads in the middle of the hamlet with its iconic well. Turning right for about quarter of a mile, we soon came across a barely made up narrow lane where we turned south. This dropped down fairly steeply and at a sharp bend east we carried straight on down the muddy and stony track which eventually becomes Husseys Lane in Lower Froyle, and past the first of the pretty cottages and handsome houses that line the lane. We took a footpath across some pastures, over a bridge north of Coldrey Farm and just beyond Pax Hill we rejoined the St Swithun’s Way and continued back to Hole Lane and the car park.
A thoroughly enjoyable walk in a part of Hampshire that is not so familiar to our members.
Author: Val Wood
Photography: Val Wood, Claire Anderson, David Roberts, Fiona El Hasnaoui
Photos of St Mary the Virgin church (exterior) and the Well taken from the internet