Adams Richard

Watership Down

It all began as a story told to while away interminable car journeys. Richard Adams re-created for his daughters the calm rolling Hampshire Downs and glorious stands of beech trees of his childhood. Watership Down tells the gripping tale of a rabbit colony fleeing destruction and searching for a better place to live; along the way they successfully resist the lures of a warren bred for farming, and do battle with the warlord General Woundwort.

The story begins at Sandleford Warren, just south of Newbury, and then travels across the river Enbourne (the intrepid rabbits cross one dark night – you might be better doing it during the day). The Hampshire place names in the book are all real locations and you can hop along in the pawprints from Warren Lodge to Nuthanger Farm and Watership Down itself. If two feet are better than four paws then the Wayfarers Walk (Burghclere to Kingsclere) will take you along the ridge of Watership Down and even to the stand of beech trees where a half cut-down tree is engraved with valiant Bigwig’s name. Here, right under your feet, the rabbits dig their Honeycomb network round a central chamber. And if “two feet good, two wheels better” then get a bike onto the Watership Down Off-Road Cycle Trail (strenuous, but a short cut still gets you up onto the down itself).

As Dandelion himself said as he stood atop the Down: “Come and look! You can see the whole world”.