An impressive landscape and enormous scope for great walks help to make Hampshire one of the south’s most popular counties. From its northern tip to where it meets the sea, Hampshire boasts an excellent variety of scenery, including scenic coastline, unspoilt villages, rolling farmland and meandering river valleys. There are also plenty of superb long-distance trails that reach to the heart of the county. The Test Way and the Wayfarers Walk, both running north to south, explore the best of Hampshire, while the Solent Way runs along the county’s well-defended coastline. En route is Southampton Water, Britain’s gateway to the world, and a walk along the banks of this historic waterway offers grand views of passenger liners and Isle of Wight ferries. For 500 years it was synonymous with shipbuilding and the glamorous age of ocean-going travel. For the less adventurous, there are easy, undemanding strolls through William the Conqueror’s glorious New Forest, the jewel in Hampshire’s crown. In fact, much of the county is wooded. Within its boundaries lie the remains of the ancient Forest of Bere, while the Alice Holt Forest and the Queen Elizabeth Country Park offer many attractions for walkers and cyclists. The undulating south-east corner of the county is also a haven for the hiker and more modest stroller. Around the town of Petersfield the countryside is known as ‘Little Switzerland’. This mix of spectacular beech hangers and steeply rising downland greatly inspired the Edwardian poet Edward Thomas who would often roam the area on foot between dawn and dusk.