Day 1 – Ramsbury to Andover
On Wednesday June 26 2019, Noodle and I set off from home at 6am, stopping after a just couple of hundred yards for a picture of The Holy Cross, Ramsbury where the cathedral minster would have been some 1000 years previous. Cross-country to Froxfield, then along the Kennet and Avon canal to Great Bedwyn. We arrived at 8:30 in time for coffee and buns that I bought at the Post Office and which we ate at the table in front of what is now the surgery.
The church of St Mary the Virgin, which contains the tomb of Sir John Seymour, father of Jane Seymour who became the third wife of Henry VIII, was shut, but after topping up our water supplies in the churchyard we continued on – initially through Bedwyn Brail.
It was now mostly southwards along footpaths to Andover, with hardly any road at all.
We had to cross Chute Causeway, part of an ancient Roman road running from Mildenhall near Marlborough, to Winchester. Chute Causeway is unusual for the normally straight Roman road deviates around the top of an escarpment, before continuing on in its original direction.
I had hoped to stop at the Cricketers Arms in Tangley, which unfortunately was shut so we detoured to the Fox Inn, close to the very pretty church at Tangley.
We then rejoined the ancient Roman trackway, before finally turning off to enter Andover, passing the source of the River Anton, and Cricklade College where Catherine used to teach. At 3:15 Noodle and I arrived at Andover station and 5 minutes later Catherine rolled up to drive us home.
Day 2 – Andover to Winchester
The following day I drove, without Noodle, to Andover. I started walking at 7am, passing the town centre as they were setting up the market stalls, then out of town alongside the Anton river and arriving at Clatford just as the church was being opened.
After crossing the River Test, it was coffee and cake at Chilbolton, then a long road section before crossing over the A30 and continuing on along a bridleway. I was initially impressed at how well maintained it was, but soon caught up with a farmer who was slowly going along in his tractor mowing the path. The tractor and mower were as wide as the path, and it would have been difficult for us to pass each other due to the high hedges each side. When he stopped to turn round he explained that he cut the pathways once a year, and he was spending a few days doing them. Clearly my timing for the walk had been near perfect.
A beer stop at the Running Horse in Littleton and then on into Winchester.
From Littleton it was then along the streets through the suburbs to the City Centre as there seem to be few footpaths entering Winchester from the north.