The Watercress Lodges - Review and Guide

Last Updated on October 28, 2023

Stay at the Watercress Lodges and wake up with the wonderful Watercress Line!

In southern England, our roads and railways radiate from London. We power along routes well-travelled rarely veering from the chosen path. It’s time to boldly go and take a side road to seek out new experiences and destinations!

An hour from London, just off the A31 (destination Winchester and then Southampton) a sharp right turn, will bring you to the Watercress Lodges and Campsite, a little oasis of what at first sight appears to be a Toy Town film set. Six perfectly presented, butter yellow and green, self-catering lodges sit alongside two large safari-style tents in a neat campsite.

Park up, check-in and peak over the hedge and you’ll realise you are in a film set, you’re perched on an embankment above the beautifully restored Ropley Railway Station. The yellow and green are the livery colours of the Watercress Railway, ten miles of restored railway track stretching between Alton in the east and New Alresford in the west, and a captivating example of England’s heritage railways. Once known as the Mid Hants Railway this line closed in 1973 as part of the “modernisation” of Britain’s transport system and is now generally known as the Watercress Line thanks to its proud history of transporting watercress to markets across the UK during the boom in popularity in Victorian times.

The perfection of the railway and its associated stations is down to the army of volunteers who are constantly working on its maintenance. With our, in comparison, clean air it’s hard to imagine the fug and dirt that the coal-fired engines would have created until one steams into the station, and you are treated to a full joyous blast of grey fog gushing and swirling from its glittering funnel. It’s a delight to see and an incentive, if ever one is needed, to jump on board and set off on adventures! With four stations to visit along the line, Alresford, Ropley, Medstead & Four Marks and Alton (with its mainline connection to London Waterloo) visitors hop on and off discovering more of the story of the area and the railway. Watercress has always grown naturally in the area’s streams and ditches. but as it become known for its nutritional qualities, and with the coming of the railway in 1865, entrepreneurial locals started to grow it commercially. Demand remained high until after World War II when a change in import legislation brought in new food sources and its popularity waned.

Alresford station is where the watercress began its journey to London and beyond (reaching Liverpool in seven hours!). The attractive small Georgian town offers riverside walks alongside crystal-clean, fresh water (perfect for watercress growing) and provides a window into bygone times. You’ll find interesting shops, restaurants and plenty of tea rooms offering good cake. Come in May and you could celebrate the Watercress Festival when the town centre closes to traffic to allow for street markets selling local produce, and entertainment including, of course, the annual Watercress Eating Championship! From Alresford to the market town of Alton at the eastern tip of the Watercress Line, is a 45-minute journey through the stunning scenery of the Hampshire countryside. It’s fertile land with a reputation for good food and you’re never far from a friendly, well-stocked farm shop. One such is West Lea Farm Shop where you’ll find fresh green bunches of watercress alongside home-baked watercress scones and quiches and an enticing array of local food products. The nearby cress beds date from 1890 and have been carefully tended ever since. It’s an idyllic setting where you might spot herons, egrets and kingfishers alongside the resident family of swans. For local food served up in Michelin style, factor in a visit to the Crown Inn at Upton, a perfect village pub with a welcome for all and a menu you’ll be delighted to encounter. Under head chef patron, Dave Watts, the Crown Inn is chalking up the accolades, a Finalist in the Trencherman’s Awards the pub/restaurant features in both the Good Food and Michelin Guides. Check out the London-unattached review.

After a day of fresh air and fun, a good night’s sleep is essential and I’m happy to report that the king-size beds in the safari tent deliver as required. The tents are robust and roomy. They’re well equipped with cooking utensils to use on the outside stove, BBQ and internal log-burning oven. There’s electricity and with an electric radiator for that much-feared cold snap, there’s even a fridge freezer. You will neither starve nor be chilly here. Outside there’s a deck with dining and cooking space. The toilets, shower block and dish-washing point are a short walk away.

The self-catering Lodges accommodate up to six people in a king size, twin and sofa-bed arrangement. They are spacious, modern and comfortably furnished throughout and include all the modern appliances you would expect and need during your stay (including a downstairs cloakroom and separate utility room hosting the washing machine, tumble dryer, ironing facilities). French doors lead out onto a patio featuring a picnic bench and a BBQ (upon request).

The joy of staying at Watercress Lodges and Campsite, as well as being nestled in the glorious countryside of the South Downs rolling hills, with great road access to many attractions (Marwell Zoo, Jane Austen’s House, Birdworld and Paulton’s Park as well popular cities including Winchester and Salisbury), is the proximity to the station and trains. There is something strangely soothing to be woken (not too early!) by the gentle noises arising from Ropley station and it’s a privilege to have such easy access to the site. The ticket office, waiting room and platform will bring a wave of nostalgia to visitors of a certain age whilst younger audiences may recognise the Kings Cross bridge which is featured in Harry Potter films. For the more serious trainspotter, here you’ll find the repair sheds and more on how the railway runs. Guests at the Watercress Lodges and Campsite benefit from a 20% discount on bookings for visits to the railway. Once you’ve discovered the Watercress Line, you are likely to be hooked! The line runs a programme of lively events with appeal for all throughout the year, from a Fine Dining Experience to the Countryman Sunday Lunch via family-friendly Thomas the Tank Engine weekends and Real Ale Train (RAT) evenings as well as nostalgia days (War on the Line and a Vintage Vehicles event), spring and autumn Steam Gala days, a spooky Wizard Week in October and of course Christmas and New Year festivities. Visit the Watercress Line website for details and for the operating timetable.