Walking the Wayfarers Walk from Droxford to New Alresford

 On Wednesday 26 August, 2020, I walked from Chineham to Basingstoke Railway Station, then caught 9am train to Eastleigh. Then caught 0950 bus that goes  to Petersfield, and got off in Droxford opposite the Parish Church. Looking at the OS map for this village, I could see that the Wayfarers Walk left the village, going up a lane, crossing another, then going up towards the hills, passing a school.

Looking a bit closely at the map, this was the route of the walk.

The path goes from off the A32, near the church, close to the bus stop, up a little lane then up a track which on the map has a number 56 on it. I looked for Wayfarers Walk Signpost as it left the A32, going up that lane, but I couldn’t find one at all, so, as I hadn’t been walking in Droxford before, I wasn’t sure where the path was so, at first I walked up the lane, as named on the map as Hacketts Lane, but couldn’t find the way-I did ask a resident, who told me to go back down the lane and then right up the track, so I walked back down Hacketts lane, and then up the lane going past a school on the left as shown on the map. 

On Wednesday 2nd September, I went again to Droxford, and saw that at the junction of Hacketts Lane and lane to the school, on a telegraph pole, almost hidden by a hedge, was a Wayfarers Walk waymark.

So I walked up this lane, going past the school, which soon began to look like a farm track.

 eventually I came to the point where the lane ended at a gate & stile with a Wayfarers Waymark on it.

So now I knew I was on the right way, so I walked up the grassy path towards some hills.

I then came to another kissing gate, with footpath & waymark signs on it.

So now I turned right and walked in some woods along the side of the hills, going up a slight slope

Soon the path came out of the woods and went into a field of pasture, which the footpath was clear to be on.

Then there was another kissing gate with a sign showing the route, which went right, down a slope, then left up a track.

The track then entered some woodlands, with a path going off to the left and a waymark sign showing the Wayfarers Walk as straight on and straight back the way I had come.

The track then came out onto Hacketts Lane, with a sign pointing to the left.

I walked along the right-hand side of the road, to the top of the hill, crossing another lane, & going straight on.

The OS map showed that the path crossed another lane and then went off to the left with a golf course nearby.

So, I crossed Sheep Pond Lane, then found the Wayfarers Walk going off to the left onto a path beside a golf course, & in some trees.

The path then goes next to a golf course lane, and signs show it has the Wayfarers Walk.

The path then came to another waymark post with a little waymark sign on

So now I followed the footpath away from the golf course and down towards a lane, passing on the way a sign to warn walkers coming in the other direction.

Looking at the OS map again I could see where I was going to.

So I was going to cross the lane, going past Steynes farm, and going along a bridleway, then left, beside a wood, number 58 on the map, and right along another lane, and over Corhampton Lane towards St. Clair's Farm.

So I had to cross the lane, passing Steynes Farm next.

Soon I came to another bridleway sign, with a Wayfarers Walk waymark on it, and set off along a muddy lane downhill.

So I walked down this bridleway, and on the left, I could see a field, with a hedge on the right, which I knew was the right of way.

The path, then comes to junction, where one path goes straight on uphill,

whilst the Wayfarers Walk, goes left between a field & a wood.

So now I followed the Wayfarers Walk alongside a hedge, with the wood to the right.

I passed a footpath going off to the left across the field that was to the left and a waymark post with signs on it.

The path the comes out onto a lane that runs between Morestead Lane and the B3055.

Looking at the bridleway signpost which looked like it was new, I couldn’t see any waymark signs on it at all. I did mention this to Hampshire Rights of Way, so now perhaps the sign is diiferent.

I turned right & walked along the lane and came to Morestead Lane, which I crossed and followed a waymark sign on a post.

I then followed the lane towards the entrance to St. Clair's farm which I found in two places on the side of the road. One was on a stone sign, and the other way a fingerpost amongst a hedge.

The way ahead was shown on the map

So, I walked along the driveway of this property, and came to a concrete road that went off to the right, with a signpost on a telegraph pole.  

So, I walked along the concrete lane and soon saw a footpath sign on the right- hand side of the road with a Wayfarers sign pointing straight on along a valley.

The map showed the route ahead

The path was going through King’s Copse, then along the edge of the Copse, and up a rise, then onto a footpath at the side of a hill.

Walking along the valley, I went along a grassy path

Then into the woods:-

Then along the edge of the Copse, and up a slope

Then I came to a stile, and crossed it and went onto a footpath.

Looking at the way ahead, it looked like I was going to walk alongside a field and up a hill. Then as I came next to a stile, a man came over the stile and walked past me towards St Clairs Farm.

I looked at the stile and the ground cover near it, and didn’t see any signposts at all. 

I informed HCC about this problem, and on 7 December, 2020 they said this: Web Reference No: PROW719740, Internal Reference No: 30992, Parish: Exton CP|082, Path No: 082/9a/1, Problem Type: Signage, Problem Sub Type: Signage/WaymarkingThis report has been resolved to our satisfaction and has now been closed. Route is waymarked and clear. Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding this issue. For information on exploring Hampshire’s countryside please visit https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/countryside.

There was a path going up through some trees, and I could see a stile going into a field. So, I decided to get over the stile, go up through the wood and look at what this stile said, and whether there were any signs at all.

The post on the left had a footpath sign on it and a Wayfarers Walk sign on it, and looking at the map I could see that it showed a short path at right angles, leaving the path beside the field, and then going across a field.

So, then I realised that this was the way ahead, so that’s the way I went, over both stiles and up towards another stile across a field towards Preshaw Wood. It’s called Preshaw Wood, because it’s in the Preshaw Estate as seen on the next gate.

I couldn’t see and Wayfarers Walk signs on the stile at all, the way I was going was shown by a yellow footpath sign, and anyone coming the other way, would see another sign like it.

So, I went left and up a stony track

At the top of the hill, one path went to the left, and another to the right, but there was no sign to say which way I should go, but the clue was there because there was a sign on the track to the left, that said Private, this is not a right of way. 

Also, the map showed that I should turn right.

For those walking in the opposite direction, a footpath sign shows the way I had just come from.

Anyway, I walked along the track and soon came down to a metal gate with a sign on it, pointing the way ahead.

The sign showed that there were bulls in the field ahead, so I walked up the field, and saw the cattle in the field on the left, with an electric fence between me and them.

Then I came to a farm gate with a sign nearby showing the way ahead

Soon I came to Lomas Farm, where the South Downs way goes through as well, and soon I saw the footpath sign, showing my way to the left.

So, I walked along this track, towards Wind Farm, going past it & another footpath sign pointing towards the lane.

I walked down the lane towards the road between A272 & Warnford. 

Then as I was about to cross the lane, I saw the Wayfarers Walk sign pointing towards a stile and the path towards Kilmeston and also the South Downs away which goes next to the lane towards Winchester.

I walked to the stile, crossed over it and had my lunch sat on the stile.

Whilst having lunch, I looked on OS Map number 132, Winchester, New Alresford & East Meon, and the footpath to Kilmeston.

I could see that the path went down a hill, then across 3 fields, each with a boundary between them. So, after lunch, I walked to Kilmeston, going down the hill first, then across some fields towards the next village. Going down the hill I came to a sign in a gap in a hedge with no Wayfarers Walk Sign on it.

There was a yellow footpath sign on it, and a yellow arrow as well at the top of the sign, and looking at the field in front of me I could see the path over the field in which a tractor was working.

So, I need to check out this footpath sign sometime to see if there is a Wayfarers Walk sign on it in either side of the pole. So, I walked over this field, and then came to another gap in the hedge, where there was another footpath sign of the same sort as before, again with no Wayfarers Walk sign on it on either side of the post-good arrows though.

So, I walked across the next field

Then when this field ended, I came out onto a green path, and saw a footpath sign, pointing along a footpath next to a field on the right- hand side, with a hedge next to the left-hand side of the path. Now there was a Wayfarers Waymark sign on this post.

I walked along this green field path and came out of the path into Kilmeston.

The fingerpost in the village of Kimeston, which I was passing, didn't seem to have any waymarks on it, saying which way I was going from the this post.

Now I had to look for the way from Kilmeston to Hinton Ampner-I couldn’t see any signs on the finger post to help me; I couldn’t see any signs in the village indicating the way to the footpath to Hinton Ampner. In fact, I turned right, walked along a lane out of the village, but didn’t see a sign at all, so walked back to last footpath sign, and looked at the map, and saw that the path went off a lane. So, looking at the map now, I can see the way to  the footpath.

The map showed the lane with the Wayfarers Walk off it was opposite the previous footpath I had been on. So, looking at this lane this is what I saw:

So, I walked down this lane which was going past a chapel, and towards St Andrew’s House, I saw the footpath sign in the woods on the left- hand side of the lane.

The path went up a slight bank, then along through some woods.

Eventually I crossed a couple of stiles over field boundaries, then went into another field.

The map shows the route ahead:

Going across the field I saw a Wayfarers Way Mark on a telegraph pole, then I came to stile into a lane, with fingerposts pointing the way to the right, down the lane.

I could see the way ahead, a post on the left, so I crossed over this stile.

Crossing the stile, I went into a field, and could see the National Trust House called Hinton Ampner at the top of the hill. 

I went through another wooden kissing gate, with no Wayfarers Walk waymarks on, then up a slope & through some trees, then up and down a footpath, that was marked by wooden posts.

Going from this footpath, I entered another footpath through a gate, then into another path and through a gate, with no Wayfarers Walk waymarks on at all, which I told HCC about.

Soon I came out near the property and saw the way to the Wayfarers Walk on a notice.

Then I walked down a lane towards the A272.

I crossed the A272, and then walked up a road uphill, 

Then I passed Primrose Cottages on the right, and then went up a grassy track.

The track comes to a track that goes across that track I was on called Cheriton Lane (track)

Looking at the junction of these tracks I could see a metal post with no signs on it all, so persons walking from Cheriton on the Wayfarers Walk, wouldn’t know which way to go.

As I walked over Cheriton Track, I looked to the right, into a sort of quarry area and amongst some tree bits I could see a wooden waymark sign lying on the ground. So I pushed through some branches of trees and found the wooden waymark lying on the ground and took some photos of it.

So I walked up the track and soon came to another track, which on the map was called Lamborough Way.

Looking at the route ahead, I had a choice-I could turn left at the top of the hill and walk to Cheriton which was on the Wayfarers Walk, or go straight on along a path & restricted byway to cross a lane & then meet the Wayfarers route coming up a path from Cheriton.

Looking at this map, the Wayfarers Walk leaves the A272, and goes up the lane, passing Primrose Cottages, then up a track to Cheriton Lane (track), then to Lamborough Lane (track), which goes to Cheriton to go into that village near a Post Office. I decided to go along Broad Lane (track), crossing Badshear Lane, then along another track to meet Hinton Lane that comes in from the left, then walk up a track to meet the Wayfarers Walk coming in from the left.

Crossing a lane, I saw the restricted byway sign on the right- hand side:

I then went up a narrow track up a hill, passing a restricted by-way sign.

Then up a narrower track, then to my surprise I met a path coming in from the left, 

and saw on the right restricted by way signs & Wayfarers Walk signs.

So off I went along the path ahead, which according to the map is called Hinton Lane. The Wayfarers Walk comes up a path called Prite Lane.

The ahead called Hinton Lane, goes down a slope in some trees, then across a field;

Then it comes to a lane with a fingerpost on and a waymark sign pointing to the right.

I walked along the lane, and then came to a track on the right and started to walk along that too.

The track has a sign post at its entrance.

Walking along the track from that lane this was that path

Soon I came to the top of a hill with a view of New Alresford from that place.

I walked down the hill, and then came to the golf course with a sign at the front of it.

I walked across a few drives and then eventually walked over a bridge over the A31

Then, turned right, walked down a ramp, and onto a lane, with a gate,

I then walked along this lane, then turned left & walked up a hill, passing several roads, then eventually crossed over the watercress line, and then turned left along a footpath/cycle way.

Then I walked left along the High Street, and walked down the hill to the bus stop and caught a number 64 bus to Winchester, and the train to Basingstoke & bus back home.