Watership Down

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Yes, the hill from the book and the movie is real, and you can visit it if you want. IF you’re willing to take a long walk, that is. A long, beautiful walk. In the famous book by Richard Adams (and the even more famous movie by Martin Rosen), Hazel and his rabbit friends escape their burrow, and start their quest to the legendary hill Watership Down, a rabbit paradise, as the rabbit legend goes. Apart from being a really good movie, Watership Down is most famous for its graphic violence and scary scenes. Although it’s rated PG 13, many children have seen it way before that age, because it’s an animation movie, and because it’s about rabbits of course. The book is wonderful, and has a map inside, where you can find all the locations from the story. Last summer, we decided to try and find the most important one: Watership Down.

Using this guide, you’ll walk straight to it. Although maybe ‘straight’ isn’t the best word, because you’ll have to climb a fence or two, and cross a small wooden bridge. It’s quite an adventure, but if you’re a Watership Down fan it’s really worth the trip. Apart from the Down, the walk leads you to the Nuthanger Farm, a real farm that plays an important role in the book (it’s where Hazel frees some bucks from their captivity and is heavily wounded by a farmer). If you use the map from the book, there are even more places you can visit, but the Watership Down and the farm are by far the most notable. Although Watership Down will be ‘just another hill’ for most people, if you’re like us, and you’ve seen the movie a dozen times, you’ll instantly recognize it, even if the rabbits aren’t around (yes, there are real rabbits living there, and a lot of sheep). And you’ll definitely understand what it is that made Hazel and the others endure all those scary scenes…

On the map below, you’ll see the exact location of the hill, but know that it is only reachable by foot, so better go to the Royal Oak Pub, Ecchinswell Road, Newbury, RG20 4UH. Richard Adams himself died in 2016, and in his honour a plaque is placed near Watership Down, which you can find on Google Maps.

Address: Newbury, United Kingdom