Local amenities and attractions

The Holybourne village shop & post office is about ten minutes away on foot. So too, is our friendly, local pub, The White Hart, and a visit here is recommended - the food is good. Bookings are advised and can be done online.

Other not so local pubs include The Hen and Chicken on the A31 in Upper Froyle (about a mile), the Anchor in Lower Froyle road (about three miles) and several pubs and restaurants in Alton itself.

One of the pleasures of staying at Neatham Barn is that you can step out of the door and be in the countryside within minutes. There are several walks of varying lengths right on our doorstep, with footpaths leading through the surrounding farmland and countryside of the Neatham Estate.

A public footpath runs along the lane from the village, past Neatham Barn and on through the adjacent farmyard and into the countryside beyond. There are also a number of other tracks and paths in the area, but please take care to follow the signs and do not use tracks marked “Private”, as these are not part of the public footpath network.

This is particularly important during the shooting season (1 September to 1 February). The countryside around Neatham is a working estate, and you really don't want to find yourself being enthusiastically questioned by the keeper about why you are walking somewhere you shouldn't be!

For a longer walk, there is a lovely route through the farm to West Worldham, where the excellent Three Horseshoes pub provides a very welcome opportunity for refreshment. The walk takes approximately 45 minutes each way, and we will be very happy to explain the route to you.

Alton is a bustling and friendly little market town (open air market every Tuesday) and although not quite on the same shopping par as say, Farnham (nine miles) it has several supermarkets (Sainsburys, Waitrose, Lidl and Aldi) and a Boots Pharmacy. The Cathedral city of Winchester is less than half an hour away by road and there is a direct rail link to London Waterloo.

When not pub crawling or shopping there is much else to see and do in this lovely area of Hampshire. The south coast is also not a million miles away – about forty in fact.

Culturally, there's Jane Austen's house in Chawton (pretty village just off A31 west of Alton) and Gilbert White's house in Selborne (on the B3006 Alton to Liss road). Museums include the Curtis in Alton, Milestones in Basingstoke, the Oates in Selborne and Rural Life in Tilford.

For Houses and Gardens, there is the Royal Horticultural Garden in Wisley and the National Trust properties of Hinton Ampner, The Vyne, Petworth House and Uppark.

Railway enthusiasts can hop on a steam train and take the Watercress line from Alton to Alresford, or visit the Steam Collection in Hollycombe near Liphook.

For 'twitchers', there's plenty of variety in the area including, dare we suggest, Birdworld on the A325 near Farnham.