Le sentier circulaire d'Overton – Dans le berceau de Jane Austen

Go back in time with the Overton Circular Walk taking through Jane Austen’s birthplace and childhood backyard that is the Hampshire countryside. From the village where she was born to the house where she met her first love passing by the church where her father was the rector, this walk takes you back in time!

Growing up in France, I never heard of nor read a single book by Jane Austen. I discovered the author when doing a walk near Box Hill, as the hiking leader briefly mentioned she used to come here. Of course, I have heard of the movie Pride and Prejudice but never watched it either.

Don’t throw stones at me just yet. I am trying to improve my knowledge of British literature, and when I heard about the Overton Circular Walk, I thought it was an opportunity to mix exercising and learning.

Disclaimer: The walk described below is a popular trail called the Overton Circular which can be found on many websites and social media. If you don’t want to do it alone, some London-based hiking groups may offer the same walk or a similar version of it.

Logistics of the Overton Circular Walk

Highlights of the Overton Circular Walk

The Overton Circular Walk

Maintenant que nous avons couvert les bases, passons à la marche !

Overton

The village of Overton where we start this walk is located in Hampshire. It has a rich history tracing back to the Stone Age when the site was settled. The discovery of pieces of pottery shows the village had been under Roman domination.

The village strived during medieval times. In the twelfth century, a royal residence for King Henry II was built in Overton so he could make a stop on his journey between Winchester and Southampton, where he used to take a boat to go to France. In the thirteenth century, King Henry III granted the village the right to have a market, a privilege at the time.

The village expansion continued during the Tudor and Georgian eras with the apparition of more mills on the River Test as well as the introduction of papermaking by the French Huguenot, Henry Portal, in 1712.

The arrival of the railway during the Victorian era had a negative impact on the village and many businesses closed. Nowadays, the local economy is mainly driven by the papermaking industry, producing high-security paper for banknotes, as well as the presence of the Bombay Sapphire Gin visitor centre in an old refurbished mill.

Quidhampton

Funny enough the Overton train station is located in the village but in the nearby hamlet of Quidhampton. When you come out of the station, go down Station Approach road and at the end, turn left onto Polhampton Farm Road. Take the second street on your right and a little bit further down you will find a footpath on the left leading to the fields.

I did this walk in wintertime, as you can see by the frost on some pictures but early enough in the season to still enjoy some autumn colours.

Follow the footpath across the fields and you soon arrive at the hamlet of Ashe.

Ashe

There is not much information to be found on the hamlet of Ashe, Hampshire, but there are two landmarks that are unmissable:

• The Holy Trinity & St Andrews Church
• Ashe Rectory House

Holy Trinity & St Andrews Church

This nineteenth-century church replaced a much older one which was on the verge of collapsing. The church is linked to the famous author, Jane Austen, who used to visit her dear friend and mentor, Anne Lefroy, at the church.

Robert Portal, a relative to Henry Portal, who build a business of paper making for banknotes in Overton, is buried in the Church Yard.

When I went there, the church was unfortunately closed. However, if you are lucky enough to go on a day when the doors are open, don’t forget to look for the Little Robin’s Nest on the wall. During the renovation, a little robin came to share lunch with the workmen and eventually build her nest in the Church where she hatched her little ones. In memory of the little robin, behind what looks to be a random cupboard, is a carving of the robin and her nest. Here is a little Tresor to hunt for you to do when in the Church!

Ashe Rectory

After the church, make a little detour on Ashe Lane. The road is so pretty during the autumn season, as the pictures show.

Further down the lane is Ashe Rectory House, where Madam Lefroy used to live. Jane Austen would come and visit her at the house and this is where she probably met the lady’s nephew, Tom Lefroy, who is said to have been her first love.

Dean

We are now back on the trail, passing through a horse farm and endless green fields.

You soon start to see a church’s top hiding playing hide and seek behind the tree branches. This is All Saints Church, an eighteenth-century church built on the site of an old medieval church. The architecture of the church is very singular with the crenellated parapet on the top of the tower.

Next to the church is the impressive Dean Rectory House. The rector is someone who looks after the parish and its people and of course, he needs somewhere to live: the Rectory House!

In 1764, George Austen, father of Jane Austen, was appointed rector of Deane and lived in this house until the family moved to Steventon in 1771. And this is exactly where we are going next.

Contenu connexe: Box Hill Walk – Complete Guide & Map

Steventon

We are back on the road, towards Jane Austen’s birthplace, the village of Steventon.

This little village of approximately 250 inhabitants, is the home of St Nicholas, a thirteenth-century church, where George Austen was the rector for 44 years. Jane Austen’s parents are buried in the churchyard, however, with respect to the dead, I took the decision not to take pictures of their graves.

The Steventon Manor, where Jane Austen’s friends the Digweeds, used to live is long gone and the one you can see next to the church is a new build. The original manor was destroyed by a fire in 1932 and reconstructed. However, it suffered damages during WWII as well as dereliction and vandalism. It was entirely demolished in 1970.

Steventon Rectory, the home where Jane Austen grew up suffered the same destiny but much earlier and was demolished soon after her death in 1820.

Behind the churchyard, you find a field, the perfect spot for a lunch break.

Whilst Jane grew up in Steventon, she lived the last years of her life in Chawton, a village near Alton in Hampshire. You can visit the house where she lived for 8 years with her mum and her sister Cassandra. Learn more about the Jane Austen’s House museum in the detailed review ici.

Back to Overton

After lunch, you start making your way back to Overton. There are no more Jane Austen’s related landmarks to see on this leg of the walk. However, there are still some interesting things to discover.

The way back of the Overton circular walk is composed of fields, farmlands and countryside roads.

Farmlands and fields

You walk across a meadow where sheep are grazing and resting. However, you can feel by the way they are running away from you that you are disturbing their peace.

And you are not yet done with the animal kingdom: the best is yet to come!

As you continue your journey back to Overton, the footpath gives way to a countryside road called Berrydown Lane. Your eyes might catch sight of the signpost warning you of the presence of Buffalo in the area. You might laugh when you see it (this is exactly what we did), but this is not a joke. A little further down the lane, you arrive at one of the sites of the Laverstoke Park Farm. At the time we were there, they were quietly resting in their barn, but I’ve seen videos of hikers spotting them roaming freely on the nearby fields.

Video: Watch this video for a short introduction to the work done at the Laverstoke Park buffalo farm in Overton.

River Test

As we get closer to our starting point, we divert from the path we took at the beginning to see the source of the River Test. The 40 miles (60 km) long river originates from a spring with a chalk bedrock near Ashe and flows to Southampton. We end the walk by following the road alongside the river and then turn onto Station Approach to get back to the station.

If you wanted to make a pub stop by Overton before travelling back to London, I recommend the White Hart. It is the oldest pub in Overton, first recorded in 1442 and has been recently refurbished to restore its traditional British character and charm.

Bon appétit !

The Overton Circular Walk Map

Do you want to do the same walk? Simply download the GPS by clicking on the link below. Check my step-by-step guide ici pour savoir comment télécharger la carte dans votre application de navigation.

Final Thoughts on the Overton Circular Walk

Do you want to do more walks in Hampshire? Check these walking guides for more walks in this part of the country.

Promenade dans la forêt d'Ashdown sur les traces de Winnie l'Ourson

Alice Holt Forest Walk & Map

Burley To Brockenhurst Walk Via Blackwater Arboretum – Guide & Map

Winchester Circular Walk: A Great Challenge For Hikers

And you, what is your favourite walk in Hampshire? Let me know in the comments below.

Cette promenade vous plaît ? Épinglez-la !