After many years of exchanging Christmas cards I finally got together with an old friend and walking partner from my youth. John and I had finally worked out a meet up - with Winchester somewhere between our two houses, I found a walk starting at Farley mount car park (At the west end of Farley Mount Country Park) and going to Kings Sombourne and back again.
Finding the car park proved to be a challenge, since when I put the post code into the Idiot box it led a merry dance around the single track country lanes to the wrong end of a farm track. I then had to dig out the mobile and switch to Google. Eventually retracking out of the maze and coming in a different way.
I arrived at the car park to find John already there waiting. A quick hello and we set off along the track to the monument.
A short diversion to the monument - to a horse!
Back on the track and along the ridge to Beacon Hill. Here we took the Clarendon way - a rather muddy track through the edge of the woods dropping down to fields below.
A touch to a back road before a sharp turn along a farm track heading towards another copse. The track turned around it and contoured the hillside to Charlwood copse and Hoplands farm. Two buzzards flying above.
down a narrow path aroudn the farm and down the side of the driveway.
Back into the fields once the drive curved away, and along the field edge all the way tot eh outskirts of the Kings Solbourne village. Here we joined the back road going into the village beside a stream.
We toured the village, first to the pub where we hoped for lunch, however it was closed (being Monday) and we circled around back to the village shop (for sustenance however a short chat also revealed that there was a pub down the road in the next village - Horsebridge)
We amended out route to go over the fields to Horsebridge. First down the side of the church into the recreation fields beyond. Finally coming out to cross the A3057 down a narrow path through the last houses.
Then a strange path, first though a horse field, then it crossed several gardens belonging to houses along the A3057. Strange to be trapsing through their precious gardens over their lawns. The path ended along a house drive onto a road junction. The pub was just around the corner ... Unfortunately this one's kitchens were closed.. so no hot food - it was a good job we visited the shop.
A drink at the bar then lunch on the bench outside.
Over the road and onto a track that followed the course of a roman road. This continued on the other side of the A road and on to Eldon Road. We did a zigzag here onto a second back road that led to Hoplands.
We left the lane onto a Byway (farm track), past Furzdown - there was a family of red kites here
Continuing on the track into Parholt Wood. A large forestry operation was going on in the middle of the wood.
At the edge of the wood we paused for a coffee break on a large fallen tree, before following the forest road that would take us back to the track from this morning at Beacon Hill
From Beacon Hill we then reversed the route of the morning back to the car park (now significantly more cars). A quick final words then we left our separate ways for home.
It was good to catch up with so much to talk about that we hardly stopped all day.
A short diversion to the monument - to a horse!
Over the road and onto a track that followed the course of a roman road. This continued on the other side of the A road and on to Eldon Road. We did a zigzag here onto a second back road that led to Hoplands.
We left the lane onto a Byway (farm track), past Furzdown - there was a family of red kites here
Continuing on the track into Parholt Wood. A large forestry operation was going on in the middle of the wood.
At the edge of the wood we paused for a coffee break on a large fallen tree, before following the forest road that would take us back to the track from this morning at Beacon Hill
From Beacon Hill we then reversed the route of the morning back to the car park (now significantly more cars). A quick final words then we left our separate ways for home.
