Watership Down, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
, at Ecchinswell
Ecchinswell
Ecchinswell is a village in the civil parish of Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green in the English county of Hampshire.-Geography:Watership Down, location of the famous Richard Adams' novel of the same name, is just South of Ecchinswell. Ladle Hill on Great Litchfield Down, also lies to the...
in the civil parish of Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green
Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green
Ecchinswell, Sydmonton and Bishops Green is a civil parish within the district of Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire, United Kingdom....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It rises fairly steeply on its northern flank (the scarp
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
side), but to the south the slope is much gentler (the dip
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
side). .
The Down is best known as the setting for Richard Adams
Richard Adams
Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
' 1972 novel about rabbits, also called Watership Down
Watership Down
Watership Down is a classic heroic fantasy novel, written by English author Richard Adams, about a small group of rabbits. Although the animals in the story live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language , proverbs, poetry, and mythology...
. The area is popular with cyclists and walkers. A bridleway, the Wayfarer's Walk cross county footpath, runs along the ridge of the Down which lies at the south-eastern edge of the North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty
North Wessex Downs AONB
The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire...
. Other nearby features include Ladle Hill
Ladle Hill
Ladle Hill lies on Great Litchfield Down, near the village of Burghclere and Watership Down, in north Hampshire. It is immediately to the East of Beacon Hill. Part of the hill is a biological SSSI, number 1000642, first notified in 1978. It is 232 metres high and has a hill forts and Tumulus...
, on Great Litchfield Down, immediately to the west. Part of the hill is a 10.37 hectares (25.6 acre) biological SSSI, first notified in 1978. The hill has a partially completed Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
on its summit, and the surrounding area is rich in Iron age tumuli, enclosures, lynchets and field systems. Further to the west lies Beacon Hill.
Watership Down is accessible via the village of Kingsclere
Kingsclere
Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Kingsclere is located near to Watership Down, the setting of Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down.-Geography:...
. There are no signposts nor guide boards on the Down itself, and there is no official guide or visitor information. This is partly because much of the area is privately owned (by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
).