Author Topic: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire  (Read 1564 times)

nesty

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It isn't a recent walk, but a couple of years ago I did a Watership Down walk.
As a child I really liked the film.
Though it wasn't until later on in life I discovered the actual film was animated on real places.
I didn't get up to watership down summit on this. I had then cheapo outdoor gear on and it just leaked. I got wet, cold & fed up had to abandon the rest.
It does help, if you seen the film as you can relate to the locations more.

Village near Nuthanger Farm


The railway arch where Bigwig confronts General Woundwort 


Mural drawings in the railway arch from people featuring the seagull Kehaar


Side of the arch where Bigwig confronts Efrafa gang


Through the railway arch and the field of Efrafa (in film the field is tall crops)


River where Bigwig and others escape with the females from Efrafa


Watership down & Pylon - Features in film where Art Garfunkel singing Theme tune 


Nuthanger Farm - Features in the film, where they unlease the guard dog.


Exit on to road from Nuthangers Farm. Features in film where they head for this doing a relay enticing the guard dog to chase them up Watership down

sunnydale

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Re: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire
« Reply #1 on: 08:37:22, 04/11/17 »
I didn't know these places existed in real life!  Where abouts in Hampshire?
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nesty

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Re: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire
« Reply #2 on: 14:44:34, 04/11/17 »
I didn't know these places existed in real life!  Where abouts in Hampshire?

Between Ecchinswell and Burghclere.
The tree where they all ended up at the top of Watership down. I gather was still standing to mid 90's, but it got infected and the council took it down. Though it's marked by a plague sign.
I was amazed just how detailed the animated places were in the film of the places in real life. Such as the fencing & posts, which ran to the side of the rail arch. Exactly the same in real life & still present.
Naturally, some places overgrown a bit now. Tho when they took the stills in the 70's to work from,, you can get a idea of what they used to be like!

Rather be walking

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Re: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire
« Reply #3 on: 12:17:03, 06/11/17 »
Between Ecchinswell and Burghclere.
The tree where they all ended up at the top of Watership down. I gather was still standing to mid 90's, but it got infected and the council took it down. Though it's marked by a plague sign.
I was amazed just how detailed the animated places were in the film of the places in real life. Such as the fencing & posts, which ran to the side of the rail arch. Exactly the same in real life & still present.
Naturally, some places overgrown a bit now. Tho when they took the stills in the 70's to work from,, you can get a idea of what they used to be like!

I haven't been up on Watership down since 1991 (looking back in my walking logs). I didn't know the tree had gone.  :(

Great photo's.

Jon. 
““The hardest part was coming to terms with the constant dispiriting discovery that there is always more hill.”
― Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

nesty

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Re: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire
« Reply #4 on: 13:00:03, 06/11/17 »
I haven't been up on Watership down since 1991 (looking back in my walking logs). I didn't know the tree had gone.  :(

Great photo's.

Jon.

I am a bit mistaken. The actual Beech Hanger tree I gather, is no more then a 5ft stump. There is some remaining, but it's no where near what it used to be.

I would like to go and do a Watership down Summit walk to complete it all.
Though, have to wait until spring now, as by the time got around the M25. I'd only have a few hours before darkness!
« Last Edit: 13:05:40, 06/11/17 by nesty »

cpjmathieson

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Re: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire
« Reply #5 on: 08:24:59, 27/11/17 »
Love this!  Do you have a viewranger map or other of the walk please.  I would live to walk this.

barewirewalker

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Re: Watership Down - (Film based locations) Hampshire
« Reply #6 on: 11:32:37, 27/11/17 »
I didn't know these places existed in real life!  Where abouts in Hampshire?


4-5 km as the crow flies from where Downton Abbey was filmed or the house bits, which we all know is in Yorkshire, though the real life owner is a bloke, who likes to call himself after a Welsh town and stick earl in front of it. Trouble is there is a whacking great motorway, which separates some walkable routes from important infrastructure such as railway stations and there is a black hole around a place with a posh name. Be interesting to know if the viewpoint shown, Beacon Hill, is publicly accessible, one can infer that this might be so with the car park shown at the base.


I do not think this was so ten years or more ago, on my out of date OS maps. What does seem damaging to the access there and the notion of privacy, established by the old seats of out of date privilege, is the lack of N2S connectivity created by the blocking effect of that estate. The rail stations are on separate rail lines, this creates an opportunity to create routes that do not follow a rail line, valuable for those, who wish to do car free walking.


The added interest demonstrated by the OP with Watership Down interest, shows how a more detailed study of access is important.
« Last Edit: 11:54:28, 27/11/17 by barewirewalker »
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