The estate at Hinton Ampner

Exploring the estate with your dog

You're very welcome to enjoy the estate and all the space it has to offer with your four-legged friends. Below is some information to help you get the most out of your visit.

 

Keeping control of your dog

Our definition of close or effective control is: ​

• Being able to recall your dogs in any situation at the first call
• Being able to clearly see your dog at all times (not just knowing they have gone into the undergrowth or over the crest of the hill). In practice, this means keeping them on a footpath if the surrounding vegetation is too dense for your dog to be visible
• Not allowing them to approach other visitors without their consent
• Having a lead with you to use if you encounter livestock or wildlife, or if you are asked to use one

The Canine Code

We’ve worked with our partner Forthglade to come up with this Canine Code, which helps to make sure everyone can enjoy their day:

• Keep them close: using a short lead avoids tripping up other visitors and helps to keep your dog from disturbing ground-nesting birds and farm animals. It's essential to use a short lead around sheep. But if cattle approach you, it's best to let your dog off the lead, and call them back when it's safe to do so.
• Pick up the poo: please always clear up after your dog. If you can't find a bin nearby, take the poo bags home with you.
• Watch the signs: keep an eye on local signs and notices wherever you're walking. They'll tell you if a beach has a dog ban, for instance, or if a path has been diverted, or if you're in an area where dogs can run off-lead.
• Stay on the ball: remember that not everyone loves dogs, and some people fear them. So make sure your dog doesn't run up to other people, especially children.

Seasonal wildlife spotting

Spring

• Frogs and toads in the ornamental pond.
• bluebells in the woodland – please enjoy from the paths, take care not to trample them.
• Farmland birds: yellow hammer, skylarks, linnet and greenfinch.
• Spot hares performing boxing displays, as females fight off persistent males.

Summer

• Butterflies are numerous and can be spotted in the garden and across the wider estate. Look out for the small heath and common blue butterfly which thrive on chalk downland.
• Crepuscular species such as bats and barn owls are most active during the summer.

Autumn

• Look out for waxcap fungi in the parkland and woodland fungi such as the fly agaric in the woodland.
• Did you know? Folklore suggests the fly agaric inspired Santa’s red-and-white suit. In Siberian shamanic traditions, shamans reportedly wore red and white while collecting these fungi to use in midwinter rituals.

Winter

• Look out for overwintering birds such as woodcock, redwing and fieldfare.

Improvements to access

Reimagining a Hampshire Estate is a long-term project to expand Hinton Ampner and improve the parkland for wildlife, the environment and people. Visitors will be able to roam over a larger and more varied landscape, while a new trail, fewer fences and gates, and improved paths will make nature accessible to everyone.

We’ll create new woodlands, grasslands, scrub and wooded pasture that will give wildlife more places to thrive and visitors more space to roam and get close to nature.

Easier access

Hinton will become a larger and more open parkland, with fewer fences, improved paths and gates and new walking trails.

There will be benches alongside all the trails and, as the project progresses, we'll create an accessible route so that everyone can enjoy the estate.

The new public and permissive footpaths and bridleways will connect with national trails and long-distance paths so visitors can make Hinton part of a more ambitious adventure.