Hangers Way

21 miles/34km

Rooted in Old English, the word hanger – aside from being something in your wardrobe – describes a wood draped across a steep-sided hill. These shawls of ash and beech, lime and yew, enfold chalk escarpments across southern England. But they’re especially numerous in Hampshire, where the 21-mile Hangers Way weaves across the South Downs between Alton and Queen Elizabeth Country Park. A delightfully leafy trail with a strong literary flavour, it passes the excellent Hawkley Inn, ingeniously situated mid-route.

MORE INFO: bit.ly/hangers-way