This strange day started with a bit of a drive out after dropping Sue
off at Brinsbury. The original plan was to go around Butser Hill, however road
works and traffic queues caused me to re-evaluate and instead aim for Denmead.
There was a walk in the OS guide around the fields above the village, and it
started from the village car park. We changed direction and parked up, then
both Bertie and I made use of the facilities.
Out of the car park and up Kidmore lane - a narrow lane serving several farms.
Then down a side road to the cemetery past a thatched cottage.
The road turned into a path as it passed the cemetery, then turned around the
end and into a crop field.
Continuing up the edge of the fields until it came out onto a back road. Across
and up a slope through a field beyond.
Through a hedge turning alongside a field with sheep eating beets and crossing
Rushmere lane then more fields turning north again.
Across the back road with a stile hiding in the hedge - more sheep and I had to
lift Bertie over the electric fence. The path dropped over the edge of the hill
after this field, slightly at first alongside a horse field.
More steeply then down to the village of Hambledon (different to yesterdays). We
stopped off at the village shop to get supplies for lunch. Up the road opposite
towards the village church.
Into the churchyard and out the back to the village school, where we followed a
lane down the side next to a field of vines.
the lane ended where the vineyard crossed it and we continued through the vines
then left up the side of it on an enclosed path.
Leaving the vines behind we crossed behind Whitedale house and across a ploughed
and harrowed field. Dropping down to Brook Lane
Directly across the lane and into the first cricket field (Hambledon), along the
side and into some woods at the end of the pitch.
A huge field of new crops heading for the copse on the far side, then along a
green lane past Hermitage farm. Continuing along the farm driveway up to a back
lane.
Down the lane for a while until leaving it into a huge ploughed and harrowed
field with a dip in the middle. The field came out onto a back road and we
turned towards a crossroads.
At the crossroads was an entrance to vintage cricket pitch (now Broadhalfpenny
Brigands) and the memorial to its heritage.
At the crossroads we turned right away from the pub, and down a busy back road
to get to a T junction.
Opposite the Junction we crossed into a field and climbed up the steep slope,
before turning along a farm lane.
The farm lane twisted down beside a house called Scotland, where we left the
lane and followed the edge of a ploughed field.
Back on farm lanes beside a pond, and dropping down Horse post lane - rather
rough.
At a junction of tracks we took the one opposite that climbed up the steep grass
bank, before crossing a hedge into a ploughed field. This was where we left the
OS route and continued on the Monarch's Way. Down past Denmead mill and along a
back road for a short distance before a grass field under pylons followed by a
crossing several horse paddocks
down to the village of Lovedean. Here we followed the side of the road to a new
estate built down a new road. We followed the path beside it.
several rough fields beyond the estate , and along a grass field to some
pylons. We came out at Eastland Gate where we joined a track curving between fields and a new estate.
The track met a tarmacked track beside a second estate part of Wecock. This changed into a byway lane as it continued towards Clarendon farm. At the farm we followed the farm drive until we could turn off it.
Down a scrappy path and across a back road and into a house drive, before exiting the end of their garden. Around a field and back on ourselves before followed the edge of the next ploughed field which came out on another back road
Across from the field we followed a green lane that led to White horse lane. Up this lane until we could turn onto Tanner's lane heading back into Denmead. There is a new housing estate bounding one side but we stayed on the lane which met Kidmore lane and hence back to the car park.
We were now pushed for time to get back to pick up Sue, so a rushed lunch and we left.
