Test Way: Eling to Romsey

Notes

General Data

The Test Way starts at Eling Quay, situated on a creek leading off Southampton Water. From Eling it heads north through the town of Totton before joining the River Test for the first time at the northern side of the town. Saltflats on the floodplain of the River Test are crossed on boardwalks, before a diversion under the M27 is made to reach Nursling church. A pleasant stroll then takes you from one side of the river to the other, getting glimpses of Broadlands House before reaching the A3090 on the outskirts of Romsey.

The southern end of the Test Way was originally positioned at the Salmon's Leap, to the north of Totton. This was then moved to Eling, a very pleasant and interesting spot for such a walk to start. Unfortunately this means that you have to head through the centre of Totton to rejoin the river. Having said that, Eling is a wonderful spot to start a trail.

It should be noted that the section north of Totton can be waterlogged after heavy rain.

Distance		9 miles
Ascent		180 feet
Descent		151 feet
Est. time		3 hours 9 minutes
Difficulty		easy

Map of the leg

Maps courtesy of Google Maps. Route for indicative purposes only, and may have been plotted after the walk. Please let me have comments on what you think of this new format.

Directions

From Eling Wharf head back along the road towards the tide mill and bridge. From here, continue on westwards along a road with Eling Creek on the left. When the road soon ends, continue through a gate and continue along a footpath with Bartley Water on the left. When a footridge over the water is reached, do not cross it but turn right to start heading northwards with the water still on the left. A path runs along the top of the little flood bank, and this is drier than the surrounding grass. The bank ends at a recreation ground; continue straight across this, aiming to the right of the pavilion. Pass the pavilion and head out to the A35 road.

Turn left and walk westwards for fifty yards to reach Rum bridge. Cross the road using the pedestrian crossing, and then head along a footpath that runs northwards along the western bank of the river. Soon a footbridge is reached; cross this, and follow the footpath as it reaches a footbridge over a railway line. Cross the bridge to Maynard Road on the other side. Turn left up this for a few yards until it ends at a T-junction with the A336 Ringwood Road. Turn right along the A336 to a large roundabout; continue straight on, and then turned left up Testwood Lane.

Follow Testwood Lane as it heads north through Totton, and when it curves to the left turn half-right to join a footpath that carries the Test Way slightly east of north. It immediately passes a pub, before reaching a bridge over the river. It turns to the left to skirt the eastern bank of the river northwards for a short distance until a causeway is reached on the left. Here turn right, and start following a footpath that heads northeastwards across the Lower Test Nature Reserve for a little over half a mile, crossing tributaries of the river on bridges before reaching a railway line.

Turn left and skirt the western side of the railway line northwards for a short distance, before the footpath curves away to the left to head northwestwards, with what I believe to be the remnants of the old Andover to Redbridge canal to the right. Eventually the path curves to the right before ending at a road. Turn left and follow Mill Lane northwestwards for a few hundred yards, and then opposite Manor House Farm turn right along a track. This heads northwards for 0.4 miles until it suddenly reached the embankment that carries the M27. Here the path turns sharply to the right, and heads eastwards for a fifth of a mile, skirting between the embankment on the left and fences on the right.

The path ends at a road. Turn left to follow the road northwards for a short distance as it passes under the M27 until a crossroads is reached. Turn left here, to head westwards down a road for a third of a mile, passing Nursling church on the right. When the road ends, turn right along a tack. This heads northwards, soon skirting to the west of an area of woodland. After a mile the track passes immediately to the west of Longbridge Farm, and then turn left to cross the River Test on a bridge. Continue on along a track that soon turns to the left to head southwards, before curving to the right to head westwards towards a farm at Moorcourt.

Pass through the farm and continue on for a short distance until the track ends at a road immediately to the north of Wade Bridge over the River Blackwater. Turn right to had north along this road, and after a few yards when the road turns to the left continue straight on along a footpath. This skirts some woodland on the left, before entering open fields. A little over two miles after the road, the footpath ends at the A3090 to the west of Romsey.

Places of interest

Eling Wharf

Eling Wharf is a beautiful little area nestled away at the northern end of Southampton Water. The wharf is filled with yachts, and beyond that it the Eling Tide Mill, which is often open to the public. This is the only tide mill in the world that still grinds flour. Nearby is the excellent Heritage Centre; small but interesting, as befits the village. Next to this are the Eling Creek tea rooms. The Anchor pub beside the quay is currently (as of 2010) shut.

location UID #92

Redbridge and Totton

Totton is a fairly undistinguised town situated at the head of Southampton Water. Originally a small village, it grew massively in size with the coming of the railway and is now a town.

Redbridge is the first crossing point of the River Test (aside from the Hythe Ferry) is at Redbridge; the modern road bridges hiding the much more aesthetic 1793 bridge behind. It is very much an industrial area, and the cranes of Southampton docks often loom in the distance.

location UID #123

Nursling

Nursling is a tiny and widely-spread hamlet situated just to the north of Southampton. It is believed to be the site of a bridge built by the Romans across the River Test, although no traces remain. A Benedictine monastery was opened in 686, although this was destroyed in a Viking raid in 878. The village was renamed from Nutshalling in the middle of the 19th Century, and the name remains in places. The village is home to a tidal mill.

Unfortunately what must have been a tranquil scene has been rather spoilt by the presence of the M27, which neatly dissects the parish. The part of the parish to the south of the M27 is dominated by a large trading estate, and will soon become the new home to the Ordnance Survey.

Near to the 14th-Century church of St Boniface is Grove Place, an early Elizabethan House that Elizabeth I used as a hunting lodge. The Grade-I listed building is now the centre of a retirement home complex.

location UID #177

Broadlands House

Broadlands House is a grand country house situated by the River Test just to the south of Romsey. The manor house on the site was originally owned by the Benedictine nuns from Romsey Abbey, and after the dissolution of the monasteries it passed through many hands before eventually falling into the ownership of the 1st Viscount Palmerston.

From 1765 the house was significantly altered into Palladian style, fronted with grey bricks, by Capability Brown. The grounds were also altered, forming the broad-lands between the house and the river.

The Queen and Prince Philip honeymooned at Broadlands in 1947; Prince Charles and Princess Diana were also regular visitors.

Although the house is not open to the public, the grounds are regularly used for community functions and for pop concerts.

Broadlands was the birthplace of the third Lord Palmerston, who served twice as Prime Minister, initially from 1855 to 1858 before returning for a second stint from 1859 to 1865.

location UID #86

Romsey

Romsey is a small and picture-perfect town in the Test Valley just to the north of Southampton. It was founded on the lowest crossing place of the River Test, and on routes between Southampton, Winchester and Salisbury.

It used to be home to the famous Strong’s brewery, which finally closed in 1987. Some of the old brewery buildings have been converted into flats. There is a small but good museum above the Tourist Information office, next to which is the exquisite King John’s House, a 13th-Century building.

The town is dominated by the massive town church, otherwise known as Romsey Abbey. A Saxon church was first built on this site in 907, but this was rebuilt several times, including after the town was sacked by the Vikings in 993. The Abbey was abolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, but the church was purchased by the local population for £100 five years later. This explains why such a small town has such a grand church. The exterior shows many scars from the alterations done to the building over the years, including what could be shrapnel damage from a bomb. There are many interesting monuments inside the church, and one slightly weird find: what is believed to be the hair or a Roman woman, found in a sealed lead coffin under the church. Although the rest of the body had disintegrated, the hair was preserved by the chemicals that had been added to it in life.

Romsey was home to Lord Mountbatten of Burma, and also of Lord Palmerston, of whom there is a statue in the market square. Mountbatten was buried inside Romsey Abbey after his assassination by the IRA in 1979.

Although not born in the town, Florence Nightingale has close connections with the town and area. She lived for a long period at Embley Park, and is buried in the nearby village of East Wellow.

location UID #186

Transport

There are railway stations at Totton and Romsey, both of which are a fair way away from the start and end points of this leg. To travel between the two stations, then you will need to change at Southampton.