The Shipwrights Way is named after the skilled craftsmen who built ships in this area. It traces the imagined journey of an oak grown in Alice Holt Forest to an historic dockyard such as Portsmouth, linking villages and towns in east Hampshire to the coast. The name reflects the use of oak grown at Alice Holt Forest for Tudor shipbuilding, linking the forest with Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, home of the Mary Rose and HMS Victory.

Starting in the village of Bentley, near Alton, the trail follows quiet lanes and footpaths through the rolling hills of east Hampshire and the South Downs National Park, passing through the villages of Lower Farringdon, Upper Farringdon and East Meon. Along the way, walkers enjoy views of fields, woods and hedgerows. After Petersfield, the trail passes through Queen Elizabeth Country Park, a natural area with plenty of opportunities for walking and picnicking, then continues south towards Rowlands Castle.

The route finishes via a ferry from Hayling Island into Portsmouth, ending at the Historic Dockyard close to the Spinnaker Tower. It is open to walkers and cyclists and, where possible, horse riders and people with disabilities, and is mainly off-road on rights of way and permissive paths, with some significant road sections and urban stretches. It forms part of Sustrans National Cycle Network route 22 between London and Portsmouth.

The Shipwrights Way can be completed in around four days, depending on pace and fitness. Accommodation includes campsites, B&Bs and pubs, with cafes, pubs and restaurants in many of the towns and villages along the way.