A Walk over Twyford Down.

Entrance to White Lane.

Saturday was a real nice hot spring day, more like early summer than spring, and finally got to do the walk over Twyford Down.
We parked the car in Twyford, deciding it was best to get the road part of the walk done at the start, then headed west out of Twyford along the B3335 towards Winchester. Just after you leave Twyford the road dips down and turns to the left, to the right on this corner is a holloway called White Lane that leads you straight up onto Twyford down. As you reach the summit of the down the holloway peters out and you continue along the footpath with hedges on either side eventually coming along side Hockley Golf Club.
So much wild life around - Coma butterflies were basking in the sun on the chalk path by our feet, and as we were just about vear away from the golf course I heard a bird song that was very unfamiliar to me. Luckily after a minute or so of watching the undergrowth I spotted the bird and just as it disappeared into the brambles I got a glimps of the unmistakable head of a blackcap.
We walked on for another five or ten minutes until the footpath cross the Pilgrim trail and turned right and headed west along it. You eventualy cross Hazeley Down and come out onto the road which we crossed and headed in the same direction up Mare Lane. When you reach Downstead House turn right again and join the Monarch's Way. This part is through fields and looking over the hedge to your right you have great views back over Hazeley and Twyford Downs. There was also a lot of wild violets in full bloom along this stretch of the walk including some very pale ones which on first sight looked white - I had never seen wild violets this colour before.
Just before you reach the Twyford Pumping Station a footpath on your left takes you over the last field joing the road oposite Love Lane, unfortunately not another holloway, but a nice track road that you can follow back in Twyford.
In total the walk took two hours and a very steady pace with the occasional pause to view the wild life.