May Fields

You will find Odiham in North Hampshire, about a 15 minute car journey to the east of Basingstoke.

There is much debate amongst locals over whether it should be referred to as either a village or small market town!  It has a rich and colourful history, being a former Royal Manor, which is reflected in the abundance of historical buildings in and around the village.  Odiham is home too to the RAF’s famous Chinook helicopters, an association all the residents revere.

The village has its own Facebook page (Odiham People), totalling nearly 6,000 members.  We reached out to one of them, Claire Foster, to get some insider knowledge on this popular little village.

Thanks also go to Sally Claughton and David Harper, both of whom have read this article.  They too live in Odiham and assist in running the Odiham Community Facebook page.

Claire is an Odiham girl, ‘born and bred’, and apart from a four year spell in Southampton, has lived in Odiham all her life.  Many of her family have and continue to live in the village.  It has a diverse demographic and residents who genuinely care about their surroundings, which she believes fosters the close knit community.

Odiham is close to some great transport links too, which makes it an ideal place to commute from.  Junction 5 on the M3 is minutes away and Hook Station is less than a ten minute car journey, its fast trains arriving at London Waterloo in under the hour.

Retail Therapy

The village has a delightful, eclectic mix of boutique shops to cater for most of your needs: Allsorts has a wonderful array of unusual gifts, The Pickled Pepper Deli, Moutan Flowers, Libelula (ladies fashion boutique) to name, but a few.  Plus, you have your staples: Post Office, barbers, Co-op and hair and beauty salons.  Not forgetting the lovely Fountain Mall with the ever-popular P&K Electrical and Hardware Store and Fountains Coffee Shop.  The high street buzzes too every Friday with a weekly food market.

More retail therapy can be found further afield:

• Festival Place in Basingstoke (approx. 15 minutes by car)
• Farnham, with Elphicks Department Store (approx. 15 minutes by car)
• Guildford
• Reading
• Plus, the allure of Oxford and Regent Streets less than an hour’s train journey

If it’s your weekly food shop you are thinking of then you will find a Tesco in Hook, and Basingstoke has all your key players, e.g., Sainsburys and Morrisons.  Plus, you will find a Waitrose in nearby Farnham.

What’s On

Getting outside and active couldn’t be easier as there is both Odiham Common and the former Royal Deer Park with their lovely countryside and canal walks.  There are also numerous clubs to join from cycling, tennis and bowls to football and cricket.

The whole village comes together several times a year.  There’s the Band in The Bury, where Rawlings Transport kindly provides a lorry to act as a stage for locals to enjoy music, dance and a few drinks.  All Saints Parish Church in The Bury has your quintessential English fete each year, the highlight being a Chinook landing in the nearby field.  Plus, the whole High Street is closed for a Christmas Xtravaganza with fair rides, hog roast and stalls.

If it’s a movie night you crave then the nearby Basingstoke has two cinemas: Vue & Odeon, plus, it has two theatres – The Anvil and The Haymarket.  Farnham Maltings also has a diverse theatre programme.

Places to Eat

Odiham has an array of cafes, pubs and restaurants whether you’re craving a Sunday roast or Friday night Indian:

• Bel & The Dragon
• The Red Lion
• La Creperie (French)
• El Castello (Italian)
• Odiham Spice (Indian)
• Kings (Chinese)

It is so well placed too to enjoy the innumerable places to eat on its doorstep:

• Basingstoke has family favourites like Wagamama’s, Pizza Express & Nando’s
• The Chequers at Well
• Cote Brasserie, Farnham
• Fleet has some good options, including takeaways
• Four Seasons in Dogmersfield
• Tylney Hall, nr Hook

Schooling

As parents you will find the school run a breeze in Odiham, enviably your children can progress from infant to junior to senior school without leaving the village:

• Buryfields Infant School (Ofsted, Good)
• Mayhill Junior School (Ofsted, Good)
• Robert May’s School (Ofsted, Good)

There are also a good number of private educational establishments should this be your preferred choice:

• Lords Wandsworth College, Hook
• St Neot’s, Eversley, Hook
• St Nicholas’s School, Church Crookham, Fleet
• Daneshill School, Stratfield Sturgis, Hook
• Yateley Manor School, Yateley
• And a number of others

Your Well Being

The village has all the facilities to cater for most of your everyday health needs.  The GP’s surgery is located just off the High Street and you’ll also find dentists, an optician and Lloyd’s Pharmacy on the High Street.

RAF Odiham

We couldn’t finish this blog without writing about the RAF’s base close by, home to the famous Chinook helicopter.  The townsfolk of Odiham are very proud of their association with the base, they are an integral part of the community and assist where they can with village events and hold their own open days.