The Wickham Railway Walk is a starting point on the Meon Valley Railway Walk along the Meon Vally Trail. This is a perfect walk with children, as well as a great cycle path that is very safe for children to ride along.
Getting out cycling with three kids can be a bit of a logistical nightmare at the best of times. There are so many things to consider, how do we get to the place with them, the safety of the roads, making sure everyone has the right gear (and it fits!) and most of all where to go cycling as a family in Hampshire!
So with all this in mind, I started to look around to find somewhere to take the kids cycling and happened upon a wonderful place near us in the village of Wickham. There is a disused railway line here called the Wickham Railway Walk which is part of the Meon Valley Trail, but it’s just perfect for cycling as a family.
Why Is The Wicham Railway Walk on The Meon Valley Trail Great For Cycling?
- Flat for little ones cycling legs
- Safety. There are no cars along this walk
- There is a lovely wide path to share with walkers
- Straight and long, perfect for cycling
- Good car parking (though it can get busy at times)
We parked in a good-sized car park at Wickham Car Park, which is located up Mill Lane and behind Chesapeake Mill.
This car park is right on the edge of the path, so easy to start your cycle ride with the children straight away.
The only downside is, it’s an 11-mile straight line! So you will need to turn around and cycle back the way you came. Not circular, however, this is great for timekeeping for the kid’s little legs, as you know how long it took you to do the first half!
We visited on a sunny January afternoon and it was so pretty with the sun shining through the trees.
Expect to get muddy during the winter months!!
Pictures Taken January 2019
Here is an updated photo in February 2022 which shows they have upgraded the pathways and made them much more gravelly and less muddy!
We have also found a few other places to start our walks along here from too, so I will update this post when I upload those walks too. It’s such a beautiful place to walk along, getting kids out and about in the fresh air.
Wickham Railway Walk is so safe for children to cycle along, bring the dog along, and bring the bikes. It can get busy at the weekends and holidays, but that shows it’s a great place to walk along.
Why not pop into Wickham village as well, it’s full of small shops, bakeries, tearooms, and gift shops.
Tips For Wickham Railway Walk / Meon Valley Trail
- Easy pathways to walk along
- No traffic
- Suitable for dogs
- No toilets, tearooms in Wickham to eat at
- Great for cycling along
- Free car park at Wickham
- Shops and tearooms in Wickham
12 Comments
a truly beautiful surroundings and a fantastic way to spend active time with family , we are yet to try this trail
Perfect place isn’t it, we’re sorting out our bikes properly so we can all go together
It’s great to find some bike friendly trails. We need to get a bike rack so we can take the girls out more.
Yes we struggle with 5 bikes to load the car up with them all!
Looks like a great place for a weekend walk or cycle! Love getting into nature and having some exercise at the same time! Looks great fun too!
Lovely place for both walking and cycling isn’t it, very peaceful
This looks a lovely place for a walk/cycle ride. We have a similar former railway line walking/cycle path at the end of our street in Eccles in Salford. – we walk it often and it’s always v v busy with all ages and lots of dogs 😉
They are brilliant for cycling aren’t they, and do walking!
I didn’t realise there were other railway walks around, we’ve got the south Staffordshire railway walk by us which we took our daughter to recently to learn to ride her bike too. It’s great that it’s flat and striaght.
Perfect place aren’t they for cycling, wonder how many there are around the UK
I’m so excited for family bike rides once my boys are bigger! This place looks perfect, flat ground would definitely be a must for beginners and I love that it is away from any cars xx
Yes that is my worry with the kids and their bikes, if they tumble into the road as were going along.