Southampton University Hillwalking Club

Dear Hillwalkers,

Welcome back from Easter break! We’re pleased to invite you to a pub crawl to kick start the Summer Term. We will be meeting in Stags at 20:00, stopping off at a selection of pubs in Portswood and Bevois Valley, including Mitre, Hobbit and Shooting Star. Finally, we’ll be heading to Indie Night at Jesters!

If at any point during the night you become separated from the group, pop a message on the club's WhatsApp or Discord (links in bio). Remember to bring both your regular and student ID’s!

Tickets to Indie Night can be bought on Fatsoma for £5.

As ever, don’t worry if drinking is not your thing - still pop along to have some fun!

Hope to see you there!
Josh & Kizzie (Social Secs 2026/27)

Hello to all Hillwalkers!

After the challenging walk through New Forest, where we crossed rivers, streams and puddles of every size, let’s hope for a sunnier Saturday this time! This weekend we strike back with a Valentine’s edition walk in the fields of the Hart of Hampshire!

This walk will take us further north to the opposite corner of Hampshire! We are going to visit the forest of Eversley, the beautiful Whitewater River and the old Castle of Odiham, a fortress built in 1204 by King John. The route is circular and is going to be a little over 21km. Take all your beloved ones and come join this scenic Saturday hike!

TRAVEL DETAILS
You’ll need an Off-Peak Day Return from Southampton Central to Hook, costing £14.50 with a 16-25 railcard and £21.80 without.
We’re getting the 9:15 CrossCountry train from Central, taking only three quarters of an hour to arrive at Hook (short change in Basingstoke at 9:54)!
** Please try to arrive at least 15 mins before the train departs, to meet the group and buy/collect your train tickets **

KIT LIST
Walking boots/sturdy footwear
Warm clothing and waterproofs!
At least 1 litre of water
Packed Lunch - there is nowhere to buy lunch on this walk!
Rucksack to carry items
Torch (in case we do finish a little bit in the dark!)

We look forward to seeing you there!
Charis (Day Walk Sec) and Sacha (Day Walk Sec & Welfare Sec)

Greetings Hillwalkers!

Funny how Rowlands Castle has become the walk I (Sacha) always seem to miss…

Anyway, assuming that I’m not going to catch another cold, this week we’re off to Salisbury, walking a 20km route that starts at Dean. This route has forest galore, pretty villages and the remains of an old stately home, with Salisbury’s iconic cathedral standing proud above the soft, rolling hills.

TRAVEL DETAILS
You’ll need an Off-Peak Day Return from Southampton Central to Salisbury, costing £9.30 with a 16-25 railcard and £14.00 without.

We’re getting the 9:37 SWR train from Central, with arrival at Dean at 10:02.

** Please try to arrive at least 15 mins before the train departs, to meet the group and buy/collect your train tickets **

KIT LIST
- Walking boots/sturdy footwear
- Warm clothing and waterproofs!
- At least 1 litre of water
- Packed Lunch - there is nowhere to buy lunch on this walk!
- Rucksack to carry items
- Torch (in case we do finish a little bit in the dark!)

We look forward to seeing you there!
Sacha (Day Walk & Welfare Sec) and Charis (Day Walk Sec)

P.S. Next week’s day walk (31st) will be something rather special - you don’t want to miss it!

Greetings Hillwalkers!

This week, we’re going deeper into the South Downs - to a club classic I’ve yet to experience! Starting at Rowland’s Castle, we’ll pitter-patter along an 18km route to Petersfield. It’s another hilly one, but the extraordinary views from Queen Elizabeth Country Park might just make up for this! I could rather do with walking off some more exam stresses…

TRAVEL DETAILS
You’ll need an Anytime Day Return from Southampton Central to Petersfield, costing £16.25 with a 16-25 railcard and £24.40 without.

We’re getting the 8:50 Southern train from Central, changing at Havant to arrive at Rowland’s Castle at 9:58.

** Please try to arrive at least 15 mins before the train departs, to meet the group and buy/collect your train tickets **

KIT LIST
- Walking boots/sturdy footwear
- Warm clothing and waterproofs!
- At least 1 litre of water
- Packed Lunch - there is nowhere to buy lunch on this walk!
- Rucksack to carry items
- Torch (in case we do finish a little bit in the dark!)

We look forward to seeing you there!
Sacha (Day Walk & Welfare Sec) and Charis (Day Walk Sec)

Dear Hillwalkers,

Exams are a busy period for everyone but it is important to take some time to relax and refresh amidst all the revision. To support you with this, we will be hosting a casual pub trip on Friday 16th of January at the Gordon Arms in Portswood, beginning at 20:00. Feel free to take a break, pop in and relax at the halfway point of the assessment period - you either deserve it or need it! Best of luck this coming week.

Hope to see you there!
Joe & Stephanie (Social Secs 2025/26)

Dear Hillwalkers,

To begin our Christmas socials, we are going ice skating! Join us on Sunday 30th of November at Planet Ice in Gosport, for the public session at 11:00-16:00. We recommend booking your own tickets in advance on the Planet Ice website (link in bio). The session costs £10 for students, and skate hire is £2.80. Please wear suitable clothing.

We will be catching the 09:35 SWR train from Southampton Central to Fareham, then taking the E2 bus to Rowner leisure centre. We recommend getting an off-peak return to Fareham for this trip, which costs £5.05 with a railcard and £7.60 without. Please be at the station 15 minutes before the train departs to get your tickets and meet the group.

Hope to see you there!
Joe & Stephanie (Social Secs 2025/26)

Greetings Hillwalkers!

On this week’s hike, we’ll be exploring the upper reaches of one of the UK’s finest rivers - the River Test! This pearl-clear chalk stream drains into the Solent at Southampton, but starts life in Whitchurch and Overton - two quaint little towns nestled on the edge of the North Wessex Downs, and a place we haven’t been to since 2020!

It’s a 21km route this time, with a bit of up and down. You’ll see narrow alleyways in Whitchurch, beautiful parks, and water, water galore! Our route starts in Whitchurch and finishes in Overton, where there are quite a few pubs!

Oh, and we’re travelling on one of the club’s favourite trains - the Class 159!

TRAVEL DETAILS
- Ticket: Off-Peak Day Return to Overton, which costs £15.75 with a 16-25 Railcard and £23.70 without.
- Train: We’re catching the 9:10 GWR train from Southampton Central, changing at Salisbury to arrive at Whitchurch at 10:14.

IMPORTANT: Do not buy a ticket for Whitchurch, or you must travel back to Southampton via Basingstoke and the trains are only hourly! The Overton ticket is exactly the same price, but it allows you to travel back via Salisbury or Basingstoke - the journey times are similar for both.

** Please try to arrive at least 15 mins before the train departs, to meet the group and buy/collect your train tickets **

KIT LIST
- Walking boots/sturdy footwear
- Waterproofs and warm clothing just in case!
- At least 1 litre of water
- Packed Lunch - there is nowhere to buy lunch on this walk!
- Rucksack to carry items
- Torch (in case we do finish a little bit in the dark!)

We look forward to seeing you there!
Sacha (Day Walk & Welfare Sec) and Charis (Day Walk Sec)

Hello Hillwalkers!

After careful consideration Oli has decided to step down to focus on his doctorate. As a result, we are holding an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) to elect a new Away Trip Sec! This will be held at 19:00 on Monday 1st December at 28/1019 but the doors will open at 18:30. While we will not provide food or drink, please feel free to bring some (and we may head to Stags for a celebratory drink afterwards)!

The role involves planning and leading Away Trips with fellow sec Sam, as well as supporting other members of the committee.

Away Trips occur roughly once every 1-2 months and go to a variety of locations including The Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and Dartmoor.

For more details and if you would like to put yourself forward (you’re welcome to turn up on the night), please contact the club or committee in advance.

Lastly, you must be at least a free SUHC member and a student at the University of Southampton to vote, the event will also be streamed on discord if you wish to watch there.

Any questions about the event or how to run? Send us an email to [email protected] or contact us through any of our social media platforms.

We look forward to seeing you all there!
Reuben (Club President)
The SUHC committee 2025/26

Dear Hillwalkers,

On Wednesday 26th of November, we’ll be heading to O’Neill’s, the finest Irish pub in Southampton. We have made a booking, from 20:00 (8pm) until late, to make the most of the student discounts!

O’Neill’s is located at 130-132, Above Bar Street, SO14 7DU. We will be bringing along some cards to play a mixture of drinking and non-drinking games. Make sure to bring both your regular and student IDs!

As mentioned, O’Neill’s offers a variety of student discounts. Check out their website for more details.

Hope to see you there!
Joe & Stephanie (Social Secs 2025/26)

Dear Hillwalkers,

Spoons Brekkie is back! This Sunday (23rd of November), join us in the Giddy Bridge on London Road from 10:30 for a gentle breakfast and catch-up. We will make use of whatever space is available to us indoors.

Hope to see you there!
Joe & Stephanie (Social Secs 2025/26)

Dear Hillwalkers,

It is our pleasure to announce that our annual Christmas Formal will be hosted at this year! The Formal will take place on Thursday, 11th of December. Please be sure to arrive at Trago for 20:30 (8:30pm) sharp in formal attire.

We will meet in Mitre before and after for drinks, please feel free to come along to afters even if you don't make it onto the formal.

Since we are only currently able to offer 18 spaces, sign-up will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign-up will open on our website at 19:00 (7pm) on Sunday 16th of November. Successful applicants will then be emailed a pre-order menu and payment link which need to be completed by Wednesday, 26th of November.

The SUHC website can be found on our linktree.

Trago offer 3 courses for £28.75 and 2 courses for £23.75. Though we will collect your choices in advance, you can upgrade to the 3 course option on the day. Please also be prepared to pay your respective proportion of the service charge if required.

The Trago Christmas menu can be found on slides 2 & 3 of this post.

Best of luck, and we hope to see you there!
Joe & Stephanie (Social Secs 2025/26)