Selborne, Noar Hill and Selborne Hill
A Walk Around the Countryside Studied by Gilbert White
Selborne sits on a spring line below a wooded hillside. The hills are of chalk, while the village itself is built on clays and malms. There are lovely thatched houses, but Selborne's most important building is The Wakes. Originally a small cottage built around 1500, it was purchased in 1700 by Gilbert White, curate and pioneering amateur naturalist whose classic work The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne was published in 1789. Today, The Wakes houses museums dedicated to White as well as polar explorers Frank Oates and his nephew Lawrence Oates.
Start Point
Selborne Arms
Grid Ref: SU 74240 33549
Total Distance
6.7 miles (10.7 km)
Total Climbing
273 metres
Estimated Time
3 hours
Difficulty Grade
Moderate
Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)
Essential paper map for exploring Haslemere and Petersfield:
