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← Back🌳 Broadleaved woodland

Spital Bushes

✦ Ancient woodland5 ha

📷 Peter Jordan · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

WildlifeBirdsSeasonal
Free entryDogs welcome5 ha

Getting here

51.12508, -1.40579

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Visiting this summer

Seasonal nature notes and what to look for now

  • 🌞Midsummer — early morning visits most comfortable; look for deer fawns in quieter clearings
  • 🌿Foraging is at its best in summer here
  • 🐕Dogs welcome — bring water in summer; the site has enough space to find shade on hot days

Good to know

  • £Free to visit — no entry charge
  • 🐕Dogs welcome
  • 🌿Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat

Best for

7 activities

Wildlife

Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles; Multi-group wildlife — Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles

Free

Bird watching

Birds — Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon +53 more · last seen 2026; Birds — Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon +53 more · last seen 2026

Free

Seasonal nature

Ancient woodland — bluebells, fungi and autumn colour; Plants — Cleavers, Groundsel, Hawthorn +17 more · last seen 2019

Free

Insect spotting

Insects — Large Yellow Underwing, Riband Wave, Setaceous Hebrew Character +204 more · last seen 2026; Insects — Large Yellow Underwing, Riband Wave, Setaceous Hebrew Character +204 more · last seen 2026

Free

Foraging

Deciduous woodland — fungi, berries and wild garlic; Plants — Hawthorn, Bramble, Hogweed

Varies

Heritage

Ancient woodland — historic landscape

Free

Trails nearby

Within roughly 5 km
🚶

Walking

3 signed routes nearby · 1 public path nearby

Signed route nearbyPublic paths
Test WayWalking route
Named routeListed length 79Regional walking route
River Anton WayWalking route3.2 km
Named routeLength 3.2 kmPoint-to-pointLocal walking route
Stockbridge Down Wildlife and History Walk, SW HantsWalking route2.4 km

Explore characteristic chalk downland & discover a wealth of history (burial mounds, ancient field systems & an Iron Age hillfort). Find fascinating flora & fauna & views of the Test Valley towards Salisbury Plain. Steep inclines & avoidable rough ground

Named routeLength 2.4 kmDuration 00:30-01:00Round tripLocal walking route
🚴

Cycling

11 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
National BywayCycling route
Named routeRef NBRegional cycle route
Whitchurch Jubilee 2012Cycling route
Named routeRegional cycle route
Route 246Cycling route
Named routeRef 246National Cycle Network
Main RouteCycling route3.6 km
Named routeRef 246Length 3.6 kmNational Cycle NetworkTraffic-freeSurface unsealedfirm
Main RouteCycling route23 m
Named routeRef 246Length 23 mNational Cycle NetworkTraffic-freeSurface unsealedfirm
Main RouteCycling route163 m
Named routeRef 246Length 163 mNational Cycle NetworkTraffic-freeSurface unsealedfirm
🚵

Mountain biking

5 signed routes nearby

Signed route nearby
Farley Mount Off Road Cycle TrailMountain bike route
Named routeHampshire off Road cycle trails
Farley Mount Off Road Cycle Trail (Shortcut)Mountain bike route
Named route
Winchester Off Road Cycle TrailMountain bike route
Named routeHampshire off Road cycle trails
King Alfred's WayMountain bike route

King Alfreds Way is 350km (220 miles) off road route designed to be ridden clockwise. It starts & ends in Winchester. It is suitable for gravel or cross-country bikes.

Named routeRegional cycle route
Sparsholt Off Road Cycle TrailMountain bike route
Named routeHampshire off Road cycle trails
🐴

Horse riding

5 public paths nearby

Public paths
Ox Drove(Drift Road)restricted byway · 1.6 km
Public pathrestricted bywayLength 1.6 kmSurface dirtPath type: track

Wildlife to spot

Photos

Field southeast of Spital Bushes

📷 Peter Jordan · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Field southeast of Spital Bushes

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Weather for this location

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Nearby places

Useful places within 5 km

✦Settlement site at Brockley WarrenHistoric site200 m→✦Woolbury Ring, StockbridgeHistoric site3.7 km→🌱West DownUrban park4.1 km→✦Bowl barrow 400m south west of Woolbury hillfort: one of a dispersed group of barrows on Stockbridge DownHistoric site4.2 km→✦Bowl barrow 400m north east of Green Place: one of a dispersed group of barrows on Stockbridge DownHistoric site4.4 km→✦Leckford Down FarmHistoric site900 m→

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