Fareham: Waterside Walks, History and Town Life

Fareham offers a range of reasons to visit: town history, a historic waterfront and the landscape around Fareham Creek. If you’re looking for a hotel in Fareham, first consider whether you’d like to focus on town history, waterside walks or events. The town-centre shopping area stretches from High Street via West Street to the railway station and includes around 100 local shops and businesses. From the town centre’s shops, it’s just a few minutes’ walk to the railway station.

Walking along Fareham Creek

The Fareham Easy Access Trail is one mile long and paved. It leads to a viewpoint overlooking the waters of Portsmouth Harbour. A paved section runs along the estuary and offers views of Fareham Quay. From the town centre, follow the signposted route via West Street and East Street to the official start of the trail. From there, it continues as a gravel public footpath alongside Cams Hall.

The banks of Fareham Creek have retained a natural landscape of wooded shores and grassland. The estuary is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its importance to wildlife. A walk here therefore takes in both views of Fareham Quay and a designated area of particular importance to wildlife.

Town history and architecture

Fareham’s origins date back to a pre-Roman settlement at a river crossing near today’s High Street. A market has been held in Fareham since the 12th century. High Street retains several fine examples of Georgian architecture. The timeline thus stretches from the early settlement and medieval market to the Georgian houses still visible on High Street today.

The Tipping Scales is a wrought-iron sculpture completed in 2000 as part of the Henry Cort Millennium Project. A manor house at Cams Hall is documented as far back as the 13th century. These historic connections add different themes to the townscape: settlement history, architecture and the history of a manor house.

Markets, events and food

The pedestrianised section of West Street is regularly used for markets and events in the town centre. Fareham Live hosts a varied programme of community events. If you’d like to plan your trip around an event, check the dates in advance. Restaurants, cafés and takeaways can be found in the town centre on High Street and along West Street. The Westbury Manor Café offers a varied menu and cakes.

Golf and nearby places to visit

For golf enthusiasts, the number is specific: Cams Hall Estate Golf Course has three 18-hole courses. Nearby, Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve offers birdwatching across wetland habitats and rare flora. The history of Titchfield Abbey is also part of the surrounding area: it began as a 13th-century abbey and was later converted into Place House. The walls of Portchester Castle are the most complete surviving example of its fortifications in Northern Europe. This allows Fareham’s town attractions to be combined with nature and history in the surrounding area, without suggesting that these places are the same.

Discover more destinations: Cheriton, Littleton, Shedfield, Sherfield On Loddon, Ellingham, Exton, Beaulieu, Twyford.

For the wider travel guide: Hampshire.