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Saturday 26 April 2014

Winchester - Morestead - Cheesefoot Head - Twyford -Winchester & Cheriton's green lanes.


A nice couple of days spent back in Hampshire over the easter holidays walking in some of my favorite areas.
The first walk was with a walking group I have joined and started in Winchester from Bar End near to St. Catherine's Hill.
We followed a footpath that ran parallel to the old roman road to Morestead, crossing the road at Morstead Down and joining Fawley Lane before walking up and over Fawley Down to Cheesefoot Head. This is a great place to see Skylarks and there is a very healthy population on this part of the downs. I also saw my first Swallow of the year as we were passing over Morestead Down.
View from Cheesefoot Head looking south west.
From Cheesfoot Head we descended Warren Lane before turning right into Honeyman Lane. The banks of these old drovers lanes were covered with wild garlic, just coming into flower, a few handfuls went into my pockets.
We crossed the road at Bottom Pond Farm and continued along Stags Lane before joining up with the Monarch's Way and Love Lane which led us into Twyford. This partof the walk was covered in an earlier walk on this blog.
After a very welcome lunch break in the Pheonix Inn, Twyford we followed the river Itchen back into Winchester, taking a slight detour after passing under the M3 to walk along the now restored viaduct at the Hockley Link.
We then followed the Itchen Way back into Wichester, passing the foot of St. Catherines Hill, an ancient hill fort where we were treated to one of the best displays of Cowslips I have ever seen.

The following monday I explored the old droves and green lanes around Cheriton - these are a net work of tracks to the east of the village, which is also where the source of the River Itchen is situated.

Alresford Lane
We strated on Alresfrod Lane before crossing to Broad Lane via a footpath.
When Broad Lane merged with Hinton Lane we headed back south before turning into Cheriton Lane which led us back past the Long Barrow to our starting point.

Hinton Lane
There are lots of these old droves cris-crossing Cheriton and the surrounding area and they make for very good walks avoiding most roads.

Cheriton Lane

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