Horndean

Horndean is the village immediately to the north of Cowplain, straddling the A3 London Road as it climbs the South Downs escarpment towards Petersfield. It has a slightly more rural feel than Cowplain — the village centre is smaller, the housing more varied in age and style, and the surrounding countryside begins to open up quickly once you pass the last housing developments.

The area is best known locally for Horndean Technology College (a secondary school with a large sixth form), the village's pub offer — including the Ship and Bell on the London Road — and its position as a gateway to the South Downs. Queen Elizabeth Country Park is only a few miles north along the A3, making Horndean a natural starting point for walks and cycling into the chalk downland.

Horndean falls within East Hampshire District Council rather than Havant Borough, which means it operates slightly differently in administrative terms — different planning authority, different refuse collection — even though it is seamlessly joined to Cowplain along London Road.

The First Hampshire & Dorset and Stagecoach bus services that serve Cowplain continue through Horndean northward, making the two villages effectively one continuous corridor for public transport purposes.