Andover Tourist Information

Tourist Information Centre in Andover

13 miles North-West of Winchester, Andover today is a town of about 30,700 people. The town has been in continuous habitation since Saxon times and was granted its first charter in 1175 by King Henry II.

Throughout its history it has been situated on important lines of communication; the ancient Harrow Way passed just north of the town, coaches on the Exeter route stopped here and during the railway age there were stations on North-South and East-West lines.

A planning agreement signed in 1961 with the London County Council has nearly doubled the town's population and brought many new firms to the industrial estates.

The Test Way

A 46 mile walk to the mouth of the River Test from the highest point on the downs in Southern England

The Test Way, as one might expect, follows the valley of the River Test for much of its length, starting high on the chalk downs where the pure waters begin their journey underground. The waymarked route enters the valley at Longparish via the valley of one of its tributaries, the Bourne. It includes numerous diversions out of the valley, giving great differences in the character of the walk along the way.

The 46 miles of the Test Way provide four comfortable days of walking. On the way one spends much of the time among the water meadows and villages along the valley. The raison d'etre for the development of the Test Way, however, was the re-use of an old railway line. It was no ordinary line for much of it was built on the bed of an old canal which linked Andover and Southampton. The waterway was first used in 1794 but had fallen into disuse within 50 years. The railway began service in 1865, eventually becoming a route between Southampton and Cheltenham. It was much used in both World Wars to move troops and supplies to Southampton Docks. Twenty years after the closing of the "Sprat and Winkle" line, as the line between Andover and Romsey became affectionately known, the section between Mottisfont and Chilbolton was re-opened as part of the Test Way long distance footpath.

Photos of Andover Tourist Information