A WINTER walk provides the perfect antidote to all that time spent indoors over the festive holiday season.

To help, the National Trust has revealed its top walks and winter views, chosen by its rangers in Hampshire to blow away the festive cobwebs and walk off that Christmas and New Year excess.

Whether rambling through wild New Forest heaths, along the blustery ridges of Hampshire downland, or through a frost-rimmed garden, you’ll find beautiful views to drink in.

With the help of National Trust members, supporters and volunteers, the conservation charity looks after some of London and the South East’s most beautiful countryside and coastline. The National Trust offers access to extraordinary outdoor places so people can get up close to nature and wildlife and are moved to help the Trust look after them.

Here are some of the best walking trails and events in Hampshire to give you a spring in your step during the cold winter months:

Hinton Ampner, near Winchester

With its far-reaching South Downs views, Hinton Ampner is a great place. The ancient parkland and magnificent beech woodland are easy to navigate using downloadable trails – there are four to download or you can collect one when you arrive. If you don’t fancy going it alone, join a guided walk. Hinton Ampner’s knowledgeable head gardener will take you on a four mile stroll across this beautiful landscape, and there’s hot drinks plus biscuits for all walkers. Dogs very welcome.

The Vyne, near Basingstoke

Cross The Vyne’s expanse of north lawn, away from the mansion, and you’ll come across a footpath leading to a dramatic winter landscape. At this time of year, The Vyne’s wetlands are eerily beautiful, a low-lying morning mist often cloaking the marshy grassland that surrounds the water, visited by exotic wildlife, which you can enjoy from our cosy bird hide. You might catch a glimpse of a water vole too.

The Vyne’s estate is criss-crossed with waymarked routes, taking in fields, woods and the wetlands, but we’ve also got an easy downloadable woodland walk, which is a very pretty experience in winter. Taking in archaeological remnants from The Vyne’s medieval and Second World War past, you’ll also discover newly restored historic views across the lake to the mansion.

Mottisfont, near Romsey

This former 13th-century priory sits in 1,600 acres of garden, woods and meadows. Enjoy Mottisfont at your own pace and choose from several downloadable walks, including the six mile estate walk, taking in historic farmland, 400 year old woodland and the crystal clear waters of the famous river Test. It’s the perfect way to see some of Hampshire's stunning countryside glistening in the winter frost. Download the walk at

A total of16,000 snowdrop bulbs have been newly planted at Mottisfont to create a wonderful snowy show for early 2018. The snowdrop clusters can be found near the start of the river walk to complement the existing collection. A new woodchip path winds through the bulbs, to allow visitors maximum enjoyment of this beautiful winter scene.

The beautiful wilderness of the New Forest Northern Commons offer adventure seekers an inspirational landscape, with gently worn paths through heathland, woodland, mire and grassland. Conservation work at Half Moon Common has opened up some breathtaking views and created a vast sense of space. Wild landscapes and spectacular vistas can also be enjoyed at Rockford, Ibsley and Hale Purlieu commons.

There's three downloadable walks to choose from, all with splendid viewpoints.

Stockbridge Down

You’ll be buffeted by winter winds as you make your way up Stockbridge Down, but it’s worth it, for the knowledge that you’re walking through a gateway into a very ancient past. Our downloadable walk takes you over ancient Bronze Age burial mounds to 3,000 year old Woolbury Ring fort and ramparts at the very top of the hill. From there, you can take in vast expanses of the Hampshire countryside, and Wiltshire’s famous Salisbury Plain.