....or over the M3 and under the A3!
On Wednesday I realised that I had nothing planned for Friday. A whole free day! Quite a rarity, I had no idea that retirement would be so busy! What was I going to do? How about a walk? I've lived near the South Downs Way for thirty years however I have never, knowingly, stepped foot on it, I wasn't even 100% sure where it started and ended. But Google soon sorted that out for me: Winchester to Eastbourne. This could work. I have too much on to walk the full 100miles in one go, but as a series day walks seemed like a fun idea.
Husbando drove me over to Winchester, we had breakfast together and I filled my thermos with coffee before setting off. It didn't take long to leave the city behind, crossing the M3 and striking out across the fields while the noise of traffic faded. I stopped for a coffee at Cheesfoot Head, now the venue of the Boomtown but formerly used as a staging post for American troops in the run up to the D-day landings. The coffee van made the best coffee I have had in years - I bought a bag of beans despite having to carry them all day.
The countryside is genteelly and quietly beautiful. I was walking through landscapes similar to the ones I have lived in for decades, but have rarely spent much time enjoying. When planning 'adventures' it seems that I am more likely to go abroad explore near home. And that’s a shame. I was reminded of conversations I’d had with Norwegians while I was walking St Olav’s Way. They would quite often spend a couple of days walking a section of longer trails.
The path was fairly easy to follow. I suspect it is quite a lot busier in the summer. The joy of a route that people walk in both directions is that you need to stop to have a conversation. I met a father and his two daughters. They had started from ‘Eastbourne 10years ago’ and were on the very last 10k into Winchester when we met. I’d just popped out from behind a hedge where I’d had a wild wee when I bumped into them! Apart from that there was a man from America - we chatted about various long distance walks we’d done, and another man from Swansea who I quizzed about the availability of pubs further along the way. There were plenty of cyclists- whizzing past with a cheerful wave.
I’d packed a lunch (ham and cheese sandwich, salt and vinegar crisps, tangerine, small tub of home made granola) with every intention of finding a well placed picnic bench. I’d got used to no cafes in Norway. However, I reached the end of the first stage, Exton, at lunchtime. The Shoe at Exton was just off the path, the lunch menu was appealing. The idea of a noce cold pint of beer was also appealing, but with another 20km to walk after lunch I decided a non alcoholic beverage would be more sensible.
I don’t normally walk more than 25 - 30k a day and I have to admit the later parts of the walk were a wee bit of a challenge! I was fortified by a cup of tea and a sticky bun at a cafe on the banks of a fishing lake, but a diversion due to a closed section of the path with only 10k to go was not welcome.
I’d been lucky with the weather. It was warm, but not too warm and there was even some blue sky! But in the last 8k the wind picked up and the rain came down! The last section took me down Butser Hill. My tired legs did not appreciate that! Then under the A3 to Queen Elizabeth Country Park where Husbando and I had arranged to meet.
I’m already plotting the next stage…
