Walking the Wayfarers Walk from Kingsclere to Beggarwood, near Basingstoke, Hampshire

 

On Wednesday 9th December, 2020, at 0830, I set off on a walk from Chineham to Basingstoke Bus Station. I walked along Reading Road, then on the footpath over the footbridge over the A33, then through Chineham Shops Car Park, then along Wade Lane, to a roundabout, then on a footpath alongside the A33, then over the Waterloo line, then along the path to meet the road passing Basing View, then up steps, next to the station, then to the bus station and waited for the bus to Newbury.

At 0940, I set off on the bus from the bus station, and at 1010, arrived at St Mary’s Church bus stop in Kingsclere. So, then I started my walk to go from Kingsclere to Beggarwood Lane, near Basingstoke, along the Wayfarers Walk.

Having alighted from the bus, I looked for the road that goes to the footpath, I saw the road sign-

So, I walked up Anchor Yard, passing the free car park, and onto Anchor Road, then I walked up Anchor Road, passing the car park on the left,

Then up the hill, going into a path between bushes with a metal stand on, Then left, along a path towards a wooden gate, following the arrow that went to the right.

The path went up a hill, going over a football field, then down a slope towards a path going into some bushes.

The path goes through a metal gate, down a narrow path, then down a flight of steps.

Then down another path, then down some steps, and onto a path beside a hedge on the right-hand side, and with a gallops place on the left-hand side, with a view up to the top of Freemantle Park Down with the TV mast. Looking at my OS Map 144, I could see how I was going to walk a green dotted line that went past the “K” in Kingsclere, then over Hollowshot Lane, and up beside some other dotted lines that say Gallops.

Looking at my OS map I could see the route I was going to take by going up the side of the Freemantle Park Down, to near the word Coronation,  then going right along Cottington’s Hill, then up a dotted green path near the word Settlement, then to meet the word Pale, then going near Stubbington Down to meet the Wayfarers Walk. then up a hill on a path crossing a lane then going on a path next to Walkeridge Farm.

The path goes up towards a white gate, and climbs an incline to meet a tree trunk. 

The path then goes to the left, passes the tree trunk, then goes right up a slope, in a wood, There is a wooden post on the right hand side with some signs missing on it-

The path goes up the slope at an angle, going through a metal kissing gate

As it gets to the top of the hill, a path comes from the right-hand side, so we turn right, and go up to this path, then go along it towards the Tv mast.

We then come to another kissing gate, and go through it, and can see the hillside in front of us with a hedgerow which we are going to walk next along the side of Cottington’s Hill on a footpath. 

After a while we come to another kissing gate, with a sign on it, with us going left, up the side of a fence, to the top of the hill.

At the top of the hill is a sign pointing our route to the right, down a slope. There is a gate on the left, but we are going right.

I went down the hill and came to another kissing gate with a view showing our footpath going down to the left of a field, passing the word Pale on the OS map.

Looking to the left I could see the side of a hill that I was going to go up on the Wayfarers Walk.

So I walked along the path, passing Stubbington Down on the right hand side, and soon came to the Wayfarers Walk, which had lots of wooden signs about it. 

Looking at my OS map I could see the Wayfarers Walk was going to go up the hill, then down to Meadham’s Lane, then along a path through Walkeridge Farm and down to a track, and then to near North Oakley.

So now I looked to the left, looking up a path that goes up a hill, and could see some people coming down the hill walking their dog.

So up the hill I walked which in places was quite hard as I had just climbed up the hill from the Gallops Place. Reaching the top of the hill, I went along a footpath between hedges, 

then down hill again with a view across a lane and Walkeridge Farm in the distance.

Then I came to Meadham Lane, and looking to the left, could see the lane going to the right towards Walkeridge Farm.

So then I walked along the lane towards the farm-passing a sign on the right, with labels about a Caravan Park and farm.

So, I walked down the tarmac lane, going through the farm area, and passing the Caravan Park Field.

The signs on the post further down this path on the left of the Caravan Field, showed the way ahead.

So now I walked down a path, down a hill, passing a footpath that went to the left & to the right, then right down the bottom of the hill and then through woods, and down and up  a track eventually arriving at a chalky track.

The sign said I must go left, so I did and walked up the chalky track.

Soon I came to a metal gate, with yellow signs on it pointing to the left, and going through the gate, I saw the yellow sign pointing to the right, so looking to see what it was pointing at saw what looked like a green, grassy track going alongside a hill.

Looking at my map I could see this path, that went parallel with the Wayfarers Walk, and could be used to join it on a another walk sometime. The path goes past the words North Oakley, then past Warren Hill Cottages, then it’s a green dotted line as opposed to a thick green line with blobs on it, and goes past a Pit (dis), then crosses footpaths, and can go left to meet Wayfarers Walk, or right, and up a path, and then over another one on For Down to end at Meadham Lane.

So, on this map I had gone down Wayfarers Walk, turned left up that track, then walked past Warren Hill Cottages, and then met a lane coming from the right-hand side, and went down the lane towards North Oakley.

Soon I met a footpath sign pointing in either direction, showing my route to the side of a farm.

So through the side of the farm I walked, then towards a field and crossed it.

The last time I walked across this field, there was a crop in it, so now in December, everything was so much different. Coming out of the field, I walked through what looked like an orchard, and then came to a track, where I turned left and walked down it towards Freemantle Farm.

At the bottom of the track, I turned right at the footpath sign, and went up a track up a hill.

At the top of the hill, I turned left along a track, with a sign pointing me the way, then followed the track to right, and went down the track towards a wood. 

Then I followed the track through the wood, not going to the right or left, but keeping straight on.

Soon we crossed a piece of field, between two woods, and went into another wood on another footpath, with footpath signs on the trees.

Looking at my OS map I could see the way ahead, going on that piece of field, and into woods, then over a track called White Lane and beside Patchbourne Wood.

So soon I reached a wooden gate, and could see the path going over the White lane and up another path.

So up the path, which was very muddy in places, and then crossed towards Patchbourne Wood, and then walked beside it.

Then I came to where the path goes to right across a field, with a sign pointing the way.

I checked out my OS map again, seeing I had walked on the Wayfarers Walk, over White Lane, which was far from being white,  and then walked next to Patchbourne Wood, then Great Deane Wood, and saw that the path went over a field, crossing a track, towards Deane Down  and Deane Down Farm.

So, over the field I walked and ended up walking towards another wooden footpath sign.

So now I went left, and walked along a path next to a field, with a hedge on the right-hand side, looking for the way through the hedge towards a farm. 

The path went through the gap in the hedge, and came to another kissing gate with a sign about a bull making a charge to walk over the farm field!

Then I crossed the field, went through a gate towards a lane with a kissing gate and a sign pointing the way towards the right.

So, I went through the kissing gate, and then walked along the lane, which I have cycled along a few times now.

Then I came to another footpath sign, and a bull sign, and went through another kissing gate, over a muddy path.

Then I went through another metal gate, and crossed a railway bridge, where beneath is the line from Basingstoke to Salisbury.

After going over the railway bridge, the walk comes into a field, and the sign indicates that we walk right across the field, so I could see the path quite clearly.

The path goes right across one field, then enters another and goes right across that one too.

The path goes through a hedge, and a kissing gate, then across a grassy area, 

Then walks down to a lane, with a sign pointing along the lane through the village of Deane

I then went right, and walked along a lane, passing Deane Cottages

At the end of this lane, is another lane, where we turn left, there are no signs pointing the way. 

So now looking at my OS map I could see where I was going to, having been to Deane

So having walked past Deane Cottages, and turned left along a lane, we walk past the church entrance which has a footpath going along it.

Walking down this lane we come to the road that goes between Basingstoke & Whitchurch, which we cross and go along the lane towards Steventon, passing an eating place on the right- hand side and a footpath sign indicating the distance to Inkpen Beacon & Emsworth. There is also a bus stop at this point so walkers can get a bus from here both to Basingstoke & Whitchurch.

So, I walked along the lane towards Steventon, then turned left along a byway, that goes past some cottages as indicated by a sign.

I walked along the Byway, up a slope, and ended up where other footpaths leave the byway, whereas our path goes straight on and down towards the railway line between Basingstoke & Winchester.

The OS map shows the way along this byway from Deane village towards the Oakley area.

So, looking at the map, you can see that we have walked across a field to Manor Farm, then along a lane passing Deane Cottages, then on lane passing a church, then across the B road, then on another lane, then left up the byway, crossing another footpath, then down to go under the railway line, and up past Itchen Row to meet another lane.

So, I walked under the railway and then up a track 

The path then becomes a track, that ends up at a lane again.

The path does go left, where the lane goes round a left-hand bend, but we cross the bend here to go along a path, next to a wood, and a tarmac lane.

Having walked along this path, which is next to a lane, we come to a left hand bend, which we cross over, going towards a footpath sign.

Looking at the OS map, number 144, Basingstoke & Whitchurch, for the route of the Wayfarers Walk, I saw that it went across a wood, called Bulls Bushes Copse, and then onto a field near Bulls Bushes Farm. 

However, on walking along the path next to this wood, I saw a signpost indicating a path going into the wood, and saw the path in the wood. 

Looking at the signpost, I saw that what had been on the sign the Wayfarers Walk arrow, but now the route of the Wayfarers Walk has changed, as I saw opposite the footpath, next to the hedge, a waymark sign, with arrows on it indicating the way straight on, not to the right through the wood.

There is a yellow arrow on the post, indicating the fact that the walk through the wood still is a footpath.

Anyway, I walked straight on, along the path next to the wood, and came out with a tarmac lane next to the woody path. 

Where the tarmac path goes to the left, the woody path, the Wayfarers Walk goes into the wood along a stony path.

The path then comes out of the wood, and onto a path next to a tarmac path again.

The Wayfarers Walk, then comes to a crossroads of paths, with a path going straight on

And another going left across a field, to cross the railway line, to go to Oakley.

So looking at my OS map I could see the crossroads of paths and where they went to:

To Oakley, then to to Pardown, and then to Deane, and then to Beggarwood.

Our Wayfarers Walk, now goes right, following a sign that points the way with a wood on the right, 

and a field on the left.

So off I went walking along this footpath, and soon came to a place, where the footpath that goes through the wood comes out onto the field.

In the past, at this point, there was a thick hedge, with the path going to the left, through a gap in the hedge, but now the hedge has been removed, so now we go to the left of the gate, and next to the field.

The path then comes to a waymark, indicating the Wayfarer Walk going left across a field towards a tree.

So, I walked across the field on a path, and ended up walking in a gap in the hedge.

Then I saw the path went next to the hedge on the left-hand side, then the path went right, and next to some wood, and then left, along a field edge again, which now was pasture.

On the right I could see cars on a lane that goes from Oakley to Dummer, and I walked up next to the hedge/wood, going across some pasture and following the route along a path.

So then I followed a waymark sign indicating the route was straight ahead.

The path went down a hill, going towards a lane, and a gate

I then walked straight on along the lane, that ends up at a dual carriageway called the A30, which I had to cross, then go left alongside it, on a footpath.

Soon I came to a place where I had to cross part of the road, and go along a grassy path, to then cross the road again called the A30.

I could see that the Wayfarers Walk went across the A30, and into some woods, passing a sign showing which woods I was in.

I then walked through Peak Copse, ending up beside the M3,

then came to waymark post, where the Wayfarers Walk straight on, then right across a bridge over the M3.

I went to the left, walking along a footpath that was going to go to Longacre Place, next to the Golf Course.

I then walked along a road called Longwood Copse Lane

Then turned right into an adventure playground and ended up on Beggarwood Lane, to find a bus coming so I stopped it and got on it at the bus stop.

So I got on Bus number 8 that goes to the Railway Station bus stop in Basingstoke, so I could then  get a bus back home, or fellow walkers could get trains to both to the west, say to Winchester and to Bournemouth & Salisbury, and east to London, and north to Reading, and so to Oxford & Manchester.

Later I put my walk on Strava and found I had walked 13.09 miles and climbed 1,292 feet.