Dec 26th, 2023 Whitsbury, Breamore, Woodgreen, Fordingbridge

 This walk contains part of last year’s walk in reverse.

 From Whitsbury House Coach House at 10.40. Down the road opposite the gateway,  towards Lower Farm,  taking the footpath to the right leading slightly uphill through the soggy woods - plenty of mud and squelchiness.

We climbed up, then followed the bridleway along the edge of the woods, past a track leading to a church, which we didn’t visit. Fields of horses   one labelled “Good morning, Olive”. This is part of the large stud farm.  

At a junction just before the Manor House (according to the OS map) we turned right and went downhill as far as Lower Farm, where we turned left following bridleway signs. After a gate we turned right to another bridleway leading  south eastish, marked as Long Steeple Lane on the map. When we reached a minor road (Roundhill Cross) we took a footpath to our left, diagonally and uphill over a field, emerging at Rookery Lane (Upper Street). 

At the next road junction we turned left towards Breamore House, then following signs to the museum and farm shop (closed of course), then turning right and finding the track to Breamore church.

We visited this building last year - today we made use of the seats in the porch for a coffee and Guinness cake break at our 3.5 mile point.

It’s a lovely building, and the graveyard is huge.

We returned to the road, and headed towards the main A338 road - we decided to give the footpaths a miss - the are looked pretty soggy.

At the A338 we turned right and had a short walk alongside this busy road, past the Bat and Ball pub to the left turn to Woodgreen. There’s bridge over the dismantled railway line, then another over the mill stream, and one more over the main course of the Avon - looking very full this year.

As we come into Woodgreen, at the junction near the pub, we turn right and climb up to the right turn to Castle Hill. This road has parking spots and a great view over the river as it snakes its way along the valley.

We walk down through the woods and through Folds Farm, following the Avon Way, with several small bridges over small branches of the river - small, but once again, full.  There’s plenty of mud and the puddles make me pleased I chose to wear wellies today.   The last and widest bridge over the main river is a suspension footbridge, and you can feel its movement as you walk over it to reach Burgate Manor Farm.

At the main road (A338 again) we turn right for a short distance, then left to join a footpath through Lower Burgate, past some playing fields on the right, ignoring the right turn and on until we reach the minor road junction at Tinkers Cross.

There are new houses being built - by this time we needed more fuel, so found a couple of breeze blocks to use as seats, and had more coffee and the remains of the large chunk of cake. ( 8miles done by now).

We finished the walk with a gentle but consistent climb up the road to Whitsbury. The roadside offers mosses, fungi, and tongue and other ferns.

Back at base at 3 20 - we’ve done a good ten miles today, and there were 418 feet of ups and downs.

Gretton, Thorpe by Water, Seaton, Bisbrooke, Uppingham, Stoke Dry, Lyddington,

 Monday 28th August, with Harry, 14 miles approx.

From Gretton we took the public footpath from Church Gap, crossing the field 

and making for the gate to the enclosed path to the railway line.

We crossed the railway and walked down over the next field where the path is clear - the crop has been harvested. At the bottom we turned right and followed the hedge to the footbridge through the hedge.

The bushes were resplendent with blackberries - and nightshade flowers.

We turned right after this and followed the way marked route with the river on our left.

Looking back towards Gretton

Another footbridge

 We crossed a couple of large fields, some with rolls of hay. 

Across the river a cow observed our progress.

We crossed the river at the large footbridge, just before the track goes under the disused railway .

Over a stile into the next field, and very soon turning right through a gateway to a path between hedges and fences which leads into Thorpe by Water itself.

We walked through to the B672, and turned right, walking for half a mile or so along the road, which wasn’t too busy, as far as the turn to Seaton.

The sunlit village was straight ahead.

We made for our favourite seat in the sun in the churchyard, perfectly timed for eleven o’clock coffee and a biscuit.

From the church we turned left, then left again at the main road, continuing until we reached the path up four steep steps and heading north before crossing a disused railway and heading north west towards Bisbrooke.

We resisted the temptation to help ourselves to a marrow, 

or to have another contemplative pause at the church.

We took the high level footpath into Uppingham, where we sat down for a few minutes among the flowers in tubs opposite the market place.

We left Uppingham along the Stockerston Road (B664). and shortly after the town sign took the Rutland Round footpath, over a stile through a hedge and across a field where the hay was being collected on to trucks. 

The path soon goes along an enclosed section between fences. Another field leads to views over Wardley Wood. We turn left after a stile and head towards Beaumont Chase Farm and back to the B664 road.

Another left turn and a short distance further on we took the bridle way on our right (Rutland Round again) past Stoke Dry Wood. We had to outpace a couple we’d passed earlier, so that we could bag our favourite lunch spot on this walk.

Rested and fed, we continued along the Rutland Round as far as Manor Farm above Stoke Dry.

We crossed the A6003 and took the path slightly to the right through the fields down hill towards Lyddington.

Lyddington church

On the other side of Lyddington we walked along Thorpe Road, and crossed the B627 to join the path back to Gretton completing the circle, and then returning home.

Cat on a cool thatched roof

The Welland

Gretton church peeping through

Slightly further than our recent walk near Lyndhurst , rougher terrain, but nowhere near as hot.

Stroll round East Carlton Park

Tuesday  8th August, with Marta.  She has a knee problem at present which is cramping her style!

East Carlton Hall

A foretaste of autumn

We wandered around the park, and along the Jurassic Way path to the northwest, returning via the road. 

Then we paused for the usual coffee and teacakes, before strolling round again via the pond.

the ducks are visible, fish kept coming up to grab fish food someone threw in

Just over 2 miles in all.

Wakerley Woods to Laxton and back.

 Monday 31st July with Norma, Maureen and Kate.

From Wakerley Wood we took the main path, then followed the Jurassic Way until it crossed the path heading north east to Fineshade and south west to Laxton. We took the right-hand (south west) turn towards Laxton Hall which we could see clearly ahead of us.

Chicory

Laxton Hall

This path is pretty clear, though a little more signage near the hall would help. It was easy enough with the OS app on my phone.

From there our path continued in more or less the same direction into the woods (Town Wood on the map).

As we emerged from the wood out route turned slightly south east, and we went on by a series of dog leg bends.

Great sign when you find it…not much use from across the field.

 The signage was either not clear, or overgrown, so we had to correct our route slightly, before going through a short wooded section. After this we kept a hedge to our right and arrived at the eastern end of Laxton, through an overgrown section between houses.

overgrown?

We turned right along the road and walked another three quarters of a mile to Spanhoe Lodge, where we indulged in welcome coffee and teacakes. 

Our route back was slightly different and shorter. We walked back to Laxton village to the western end, where we took the footpath just inside the gate to Laxton Park.

This heads north into Town Wood and joins the main path. We turned right, and followed the clear track, east then roughly north east and back to the car park.

unknown fungi

hemp agrimony

A lot of meadow brown butterflies around, but nothing much else. Lots of flowers including chicory, hemp agrimony and evening primrose. 

A very satisfying walk - around 7 miles in all, and no rain until we got back to the car.