Water Vole Way

Distance: 5 1/2 miles
Start from: Bishopstoke Recreation Ground
Charges: None for first 3 hours. £4.70 thereafter for the whole day
Maps: OS Explorers 132 and OL22
Car Park Grid Ref: SU463192

This walk is based on The Water Vole Way and Waterside Walks in Hampshire plus modifications of my own.

The day alternated between sunny-blue skies and layers of indeterminate cloud. There is already some heat in the sun when the air is still. However, standing in the car park, changing boots, a stiff breeze turned the milder air cold again. Once in the shelter of the trees lining the path the wind was cut off and it was pleasant walking. The first half of this circular walk follows the Itchen Way that follows the old Itchen Navigation, once a busy canal that fell into disuse when the trains arrived.

The countryside was the pastel shades and arboreal skeletons of winter but for all that a welcome rest from the city.

The path crosses the Navigation over a tumble of rushing, frothing water full of bubbles and wanders alongside the water past fields and houses until the trees close in. Further on the Way passes through a brick tunnel (above) over which runs the rail track from Southampton to London, and beyond the tunnel the gardens of houses come down to the water in increasing levels of steepness. Some of the gardens are well-tended and have decking and rails, benches and pot plants alongside the water; other gardens are left to run wild down to the water, or given over to small woodlands with benches at the waterside. One garden in particular stands out. Its fence panels are studded with advertising plates and place name-plates. There is a modern bus-stop towards the end of the garden, and a red telephone box nestles up against the house. A metal stand near the bus-stop advertises The Black Cat Café. I would guess that someone enjoys collecting odd things from reclamation yards.

As the path winds on the houses become grander and the gardens finer. One particular house that stands out for me is a three-storey building, presumably Victorian or Edwardian as the rooms all appear to have immensely high ceilings. There are two or three like this, but this one catches my imagination as it is half-screened by trees and the windows look particularly dark; it appears for all the world like a haunted house, or a house with secrets out of a novel.

The trees being to thin out to the right and the water meadows come into view. The path crosses a stream over a wooden bridge and the path rises to Brambridge Road. There is a blind corner by the railway bridge to the left, so best to be quick getting across to the continuing Itchen Way straight ahead. At the start of this section of the Way is a tiered weir where the water again tumbles in a frothy mass of bubbles. Once this noisy water feature is left behind the surrounding area becomes more rural and the water and the path become more serene, making pleasant walking in the sunshine, up to the next road.

Across the road rises the imposing grey Brambridge House which was home to Mrs Fitzherbert, the unacknowledged wife of King George IV. The route leaves the Itchen Way and turns right along the road and over the bridge past Brambridge Garden Centre. There is a restaurant here and picnic tables in the grounds. I only stopped to buy a Mars Bar; next time I'll take a snack with me! 85p for a Mars Bar???

According to my guide "Waterside Walks in Hampshire" by Peter Carne, the route goes past the Garden Centre and goes right at the next footpath fingerpost. There were two horses on chains in the field (I was very glad to see they had big water buckets) but in the one after was a large black horse running free. You may call me a wuss, but I prefer where possible to avoid large animals in open fields. In my experience, they can be unpredictable and petted horses can be a nuisance.

So, I consulted my hand-made map - when I say hand-made, I've taken two OS Explorer maps, placed the parts of the two maps that overlap together and photocopied them to make one easy to follow map.
I was about to retrace my steps along the Itchen Way but there is a new footpath being laid alongside the road that runs past the Garden Centre and being a curious walker ("where does this path go?") I decided to follow it to Brambridge Road, cross over and go along the undesignated road past the Dog and Stick, a hairdressers' and a row of cottages. There is a choice of footpaths beyond the cottages and I chose the one through a broken metal fence, over a stile and uphill across a green field with a large tree in it. This comes out through a kissing gate at the top on to Bishopstoke Road. I turned right along here. The traffic was light but I had to take note of blind corners and walk on the side of the road I was most likely to be seen by all.

As the road slopes down a white house comes into view further along the road, and modern homes atop a rise to the right. The hedge stops and a footpath goes to right and left of the road across open fields. I turned right towards the modern houses, over a step-stile on to a tarmac path which is easy to follow down and around until it runs parallel to a woodland where a track goes off into the trees. I wasn't sure whether this was what I required or whether I should keep to the footpath. My choice was decided for me by three large guard dogs which came hurtling across a drive way to run up and down the (inadequately high, in my opinion) fence, all doing their duty with unwarranted enthusiasm. I like dogs, I don't like big barking dogs with evidently fine white teeth!

I went back and took the woodland track where I met a nice lady with a large black friendly dog. We commented on the day and the barking dogs, as you do, and went our separate ways.

The track heads down clearly through the trees to a metal access gate which opens in to a conservation area. Straight ahead are the river and wooden gate and fencing. To the far right a path emerges from behind houses; to the immediate right another path comes out through a metal farm gate. There appears to be a path going off to the immediate left but this is an illusion. The path required to complete this walk goes off half-left across the meadow heading towards some pylons. There is another metal access gate and a wooden bridge over a stream into another field across which the path runs clearly to a wooden gate into a woodland.

The woodland rises steeply and the path, which heads diagonally right, is inset with steps where the way is steepest. Excellent stretching for the legs. As a thought, it might be interesting to do the walk in reverse next time …

Eventually the path levels out and runs between fence and trees to another gate which comes out on to Bishopstoke Road once again. The route is right out of the gate. There is a pavement on the east side of the road but I chose to walk along the narrow verge on the west side. Little blue and white water vole stickers on lamp-posts mark the way along the road, past the church and an old white walled and black-timbered thatched cottage on the left, round a corner and turns right on a path between a retirement home and an open green. There were some old tombstones lined up against a wall on the far side of the green when I walked along here; a bit insensitive so close to a retirement home …

The path continues on beside a concrete wall decorated with graffiti, for which someone has apologised in white spray paint, with the message: "Sorry about your wall." There is something amusing and rather disarming about that, I thought.

And from here the way re-crosses the Navigation back on to the path where it runs long beside the Recreation Ground and comes back to the car park.

Hamble Ramble

2nd October 2009

This is a walk from AA's 100 More Weekend Walks and the only one of two to have any substantial mileage to it. However, the copy I have is 12 years old and some things have changed slightly. I would recommend using Explorer Map 22 which shows the route of the walk on the East Sheet in the top right hand corner.

In the book, parking is advised in Hamble itself. I chose to park at the car park on the southernmost tip of Hamble Common and walk back through the Common to the village. For those, like me, who are nervous of cows, they are grazed here between May and October. There were a couple just inside the gate today but I went through anyway while they rather mournfully watched me pass.

The Common adds an extra mile to the walk through pretty woodland and alongside the Hamble River, and the car park is free. There is also a bus service no. 16 which runs frequently to Hamble Village from Southampton.

A ferry ride is the first event of the walk across from Hamble to Warsash. The ferry is pink, as is the ferry shelter on the Warsash shore, and the journey takes about 5 minutes through the host of yachts in the marina. On this trip, the ferry cut right across in front of some vast corporate vessel powering its way down the River to the Solent.

The ferry ride is also a part of the Solent Way long distance path which runs from Milton on Sea to Emsworth.

From the Warsash jetty the Solent Way heads south, and the route of today's walk heads north along an excellent gravel foot- and cycle-path through the Bunny Meadows. This is not quite as cute as it sounds. The path runs along the top of a purpose-built embankment and the "bunnies" are the pipes used to channel the water flow between the river and the salt water marshes that form the meadows. At extreme high tides even this raised path can become flooded.

On one side flows the River Hamble and the yachts, houseboats and houses of the village opposite offer an ever-changing view. On the right, as you walk up towards the boatyards, are the woodlands of HollyHill. There are several entrances this along the Bunny footpath; one goes across the marsh and up between mansion-like houses, however, the marsh crossing does flood at high tide. As long as you have sturdy waterproof footwear, this shouldn't present much of a problem. Or there is a dry access path further along straight into the woodland of the Wendleholme Nature Reserve where the path descends to a gate into HollyHill.

The walk along the embankment is exposed and it can be windy along the river, so it's a good idea to pack a cardigan except on the warmest and stillest of days. In open, sunny weather this is a beautiful place to walk and there's always something happening on the water.

The path goes over a curved bridge and later in front of riverside houses with their own boat docks, like water-driveways, then on through Hamble Point Marina. The path is signposted through here, past stacks of motorboats. There is a small restaurant but the toilets are marked as for berth holders only. How strict this is, I didn't find out.

Past the boatyard, the way continues up past another car park (also free) and emerges on to pavement beside the A27. The route goes left over the bridge past the entrance to Swanwick Marina and under the railway bridge round into Church Lane.

I think having done this walk I would be inclined to follow the route in reverse next time and save the Bunny Meadow stretch and ferry ride until last. The latter part of the route as I walked it today does have a few short sharp inclines, up and down. It goes through Bursledon village which is beautiful, but some of the footpaths are of the squeeze-type, fitted begrudgingly between hedges and garden fences with little or no view to look at.

However, things improve when Mallard Moor is reached. Up through the woodland, ignore the metal gate at the top of a short bank and continue through the woodland to a concrete road. The path goes right then left passing between high wire fences past a disused tip which is now used to graze ponies and later on over the railway to emerge into a small car park and out on to Satchell Lane.

The route now goes along the road. There is a narrow verge but occasionally you have to walk on the road and this is the way down to Hamble Common, which is quite popular. Across the road, however, is an expanse of open land which is a disused airfield and at various points entrances have been made so it is possible to get away from the road and continue along the edge of the airfield instead. Later on there is a marked footpath but everyone seems to use the old airfield instead, and there are several entry points between the airfield and the footpath.

The way continues down to a housing estate. I kept straight ahead until I came to a main road opposite the church. Turning left here I came back into Hamble Village and headed down to the waterfront where the ferry leaves from and where there are public toilets and a hut which sells both hot and cold snacks and drinks. From here, I retraced my path back up a narrow hill and into Hamble Common, following an alternative route back to the shore and the car park.

Short walk around Upham

13th June 2009

A very quick 3 miler around this pretty little village.

While walking through the cropfield up towards Street End I realised that in the distance I could clearly see The Rosebowl Cricket Ground with Telegraph Wood rising behind.

When I reach the road past the farmhouse, where I had continued along to Stephen's Castle Down previously, I turned off instead along the footpath/cycle trail that runs down to Bigpath Farm, across the road that runs past there into Upham and along up the continuation of the same old path.

And instead of continuing to the end of the path down to the road opposite another farm, I turned up along the footpath at the top of the hill which is fenced all the way alongside cow pasture. The youngsters I'd seen here the time before were all gone and the field being rested.

There were cows further along.









The views from this path along the little downs at this point are very picturesque and it is a very pleasant walk for an hour or so, and not far from home.

I met a chatty soul with a small black spaniel (which sat down for a fuss and then got bored and trotted off) along the path. I said goodbye to the cows and continued on to the end of the path and back into the village.

Turning left to return to the duck pond there is a pub The Brushmakers Arms on the right hand side, which adheres to the country opening times (11pm - 3pm and 6pm - 11pm). They also serve food.

Happy Anniversary!

4th June 2009

It is one year ago today that my walking hobby took off and I had no idea where it would take me. The weird thing about today's walk was that quite unconsciously, and only because it was "I really need a walk" vs "it's too late to go anywhere really interesting", I decided to go to Itchen Valley Country Park. The very first place I went on 4th June 2008.






And I only realised this when I got to the top meadow and was walking down towards the Woodland Trail.












Odd how things work out sometimes.

Upham to Owslebury - nearly

30th May 2009

I had this walk all planned and then had to alter and cutail it due to cows and lost or stolen trail.

Park beside the duck pond and from there walk back past the church and turn right up the hill until you see a footpath sign and a stile over a fence into a paddock.

This is part of the Monarch's Way, going over another stile into a wheatfield. Follow the edge of the wheatfield and the Way is later met by Widler's Lane. The Way passes straight down through a woodland called The Rookery and then proceeds through a gate across a field to a gate at the top. Today there were young Highland Cattle in the field ...

In the The Rookery there is a footpath that goes off to the right from the Monarch's Path and eventually comes out at a cropfield. Turn left and follow the field edge round until another footpath sign pointing up through another cropfield. This passes some kind of small racetrack or horse exercise area and comes to a T-junction with Rowhay Lane, which forms part of the King's Way coming down from the north-east to join the Monarch's Way heading south east. Turn left along Rowhay Lane and where the Monarch's Way crosses at the gate to the field where the cattle were, turn right up through cropfields. The views open out at the path climbs, eventually reaching another T-junction through a large gap in high hedges beyond which Red Lane runs roughly north to south. Turn right along Red Lane until a four-way junction. Here, cross the junction to a gate through some rough woodland. This is now the Pilgrim's Trail. The woodland is mostly beech and becomes more pleasant further round, with dense woodland on the right of the path and views out over fields to the left. Eventually come down to a gate and out into a paddock with the path clearly marked through the grass up to another gate on to a drive. Turn down the drive to emerge on Lower Baybridge Lane.

From here, the Pilgrim's Trail on the map continues ahead easily through fields to Owslebury. On the ground, the Trail goes up a concrete track between pasture and is then lost. There is a gate into one of the fields - however, this field is horrendously muddy in wet weather and when dried out, is overgrown with rough stuff under which the ground is heavily pocked by cows and unpleasant to walk on. Further up the concrete path is where it seems the Trail is supposed to continue, and Owslebury Church rises tantalisingly close at the top of the hill beyond the fields. However, on the day I tried this route, the Trail was "blocked" off by orange tape right across where the path should be.

Not sure what to do, as there were no signs and I didn't know what was going on, I consulted my map and found an alternative footpath up through a field further along Lower Baybridge Lane.

I turned around, turned right along the Lane and found the footpath over an overgrown stile by a broken footpath sign (does someone want to put walkers off?). This field was no more pleasant to walk upon than the previous one, and - well, those who have been following my progress will know that I don't do cows. They are the devil's herd! And there were some large specimens quietly lolling about right where I wanted to go.

So, what to do? Consult the map.

I decided to curtail the walk as I was getting fed up with all the messing about. I went back down to Lower Baybridge Lane and turning right, continued towards Marwell House. The Lane emerges on to Thompsons Lane. Here I turned left and soon came to Marwell House where a footpath passes between the House and a cottage or farm.

I soon became glad that I'd chosen this alternative, as the footpath continues between fencing on a good path and passes between fields and over a couple of stiles into a cropfield, past a hedge (don't get tempted along the field edge inside the hedge, go past the hedge, the path continues behind it) and through pleasant woodland past more fields, coming eventually to the tarmac part of Red Lane. Left the Lane continues as a restricted byway; to the right you can walk along the Lane or follow a footpath along the field edge parallel to the road. The footpath is OK for a while but becomes overgrown in the latter stages. I found the road the easier alternative, as it is more a driveway to the Farm than an actual thoroughfare.

At its southern end, Red Lane bends round sharply to the right but there is another restricted byway off to the left which passes the end of Rowhay Lane and continues along Popes Road emerging at the main road into Upham. At this junction turn left and walk through this lovely village back past the church to the duck pond.

Winter Days Diary - Clean Boots & Christmas Daffodils

19 December 2008

I need some fresh air before a busy shift at work so I thought I'd take a quick walk "round the block". It's all rather chilly and grey, but pretty where the Christmas lights are twinkling. What I did not expect was to see daffodil shoots poking through the soil as I walked under the trees along a rather nice street near the local park.

As for the clean boots - mine had got rather muddy (!) on Wednesday after the bog-hopping and I haven't got around to cleaning them yet. I knew the efficacy of beach shingle for removing caked-in mud from the deep treads of boots. It seems that some long, wet grass and a good, rough gravel path will also do the worst part of the job for you. All I need now is to wipe off the remainder and rub in some waterproofing. Excellent!

Winter Days Diary - Local Park

13 December 2008

Not a terribly adventurous walk but it got me "out of the house" and into some fresh air. It was grey, damp, a little bit boringly milder than it has been recently and all the fun of sheeting rain and howling gales had blown itself out sometime during the morning.

The River Itchen was in spate full to overflowing and was in a tearing hurry to get somewhere; probably away from the slightly sewerish scent that wafted across the footpath now and then. I'm quite sure that wasn't coming from the River though. The land about gets waterlogged and some of the more permanent pools of standing water have an oily look about them sometimes.

A couple of moorhens stood looking rather glumly at the water until a human got a bit close and then the water obviously seemed a better option than the footpath. Of ducks and swans I saw not a one. They had more sense than did I and the plethora of dog walkers who'd been waiting for the weather to clear before doing their duty.

From the park, I came back round a steep crescent which every year puts on a fabulous Christmas light show. This year, the show is a bit later but from the unlit evidence it looks like they could light up our post-Christmas dinner stroll again this year.

Oh well, not a very bright or inspired walk but it cleared the airways and stretched my legs for half an hour. I even took some photos. I'll be glad when the afternoons start stretching out again...

Winter Days Diary - A walk around the block

2nd December 2008

I managed to get in two short walks today, one in the afternoon for a photoshoot; one this morning just to get out - itchy feet!

There is an open common space nearby called Frogs Copse and has recently been signposted as an area managed to encourage wildlife, which is excellent news. This has become quite a major project in this city. There are four such sites near me.

From Frogs Copse through the quieter back streets, across the main road and along the path beside the river through Riverside Park, then back along the cycle track and up round Broadwater.

This rather nice area has been a Christmas treat for several years, with nearly all the houses being done up with lights and seasonal ornamentation; it has become quite a tourist attraction! My family always takes a walk round there after Christmas dinner.

With the current environmental situation, however, I'm not sure that this pretty tradition will be repeated this year. It could be that the residents might leave putting up the display until nearer the time.

It was a cloud-and-sun morning and quite cold, but with thermals and a good fleece jacket and hat, it was very pleasant.