The long way round: Longwood Warren & Gander Down
Keep a few hours free and take the longer route. This is the walk to choose when coffee is one part of a morning spent outside, rather than the only destination.
- Distance
- Approx. 12 km / 7.5 miles
- Walking time
- Allow 3–4 hours, excluding stops
- Route
- Circular; moderate and undulating
- Start & finish
- Cheesefoot Head car park
The plan.
From Cheesefoot Head, take the mapped route south on the King’s Way through Longwood Warren.
Continue east towards Lane End and Beauworth.
Turn north along Holden Lane, joining the South Downs Way across Gander Down.
Follow the mapped return through the Temple Valley area to Cheesefoot Head.
These are broad route stages. Use the full map for junctions, road sections and crossings.
Open the route map Full guide and provider’s GPX download
Before you go.
Allow extra time for stops and short winter daylight. Carry water and the route map; download it before setting out if you need offline navigation. This is a countryside walk with climbs and road crossings, rather than a surfaced accessible trail.
Make time for coffee.
Use Cheesefoot Head as your coffee meeting point when the truck is there. The mapped loop includes the Temple Valley area, but a visit to the roastery is not included as a verified doorstep stop in the quoted distance. Check Visit Us for current locations and opening information before planning your stop.
Follow signed public paths and current diversions. Keep dogs under control, respect crops and private woodland, and leave gates as you find them. Check Hampshire’s rights-of-way map before setting out. Temporary festival arrangements can change local access.
Route notes & mapping
Route information researched on 21 October 2026, using GPS Cycle and Walking Routes’ Cheesefoot Head circuit. These are planning notes, not a field-surveyed navigation guide. Open the linked mapping and follow current waymarks; conditions and access can change.