Along the banks of a river in Hampshire, one village feels like a postcard brought to life. With its thatched cottages, winding lanes, and intriguing folklore legend, this hidden gem is one of England’s most picturesque villages, which looks truly frozen in time.
It’s a favourite spot for walkers and nature lovers who come to explore the area’s gorgeous country trails, winding through the rolling countryside. Ancient oak trees line quiet footpaths, and the gentle sound of the River Test flowing through the village gives it a sense of calm.
One of Wherwell’s biggest draws is its access to the Test Way, a long-distance footpath that follows the River Test from Inkpen to Eling for 44 miles.
The five-mile stretch from Longparish to West Down passes through Wherwell, and is especially beautiful, crossing meadows and wooden footbridges, with glimpses of fish occasionally breaking the surface of the water.
The village itself is also pretty. The streets are lined with timber-framed cottages topped with thick thatched roofs, just like a postcard.
The enchantment doesn’t stop there. It is also shrouded in intriguing folklore. Legend said that Wherwell was once home to a frightening half-dragon, half-rooster creature, the Wherwell Cockatrice, which once stalked the cellars of the old abbey.
A duck was said to have laid an egg in the crypt of the old Wherwell Abbey, which was brooded by a toad, and when the egg hatched, the fierce creature emerged.
The villagers nurtured it as a pet, but as it grew, it began terrorising the locals and flying over the village to swoop up its victims with its talons.
None dared approach it until a man named Green devised a plan to lower a sheet of metal into the Cockatrice’s lair. Upon seeing its own reflection, the creature attacked before Green killed it with a javelin.
The village offered four acres of land to the person who could rid the village of the Cockatrice, and in nearby Harewood Forest, a place called Greens Acres still exists today.