Length:
16.9 km (10.6 mi), Ascent/Descent: 327/355 m
Net
Walking Time: ca. 4 hours, Toughness: 4 out of 10
Take
the 10.30 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (Woking 10.55, G’ford 11.04), arrives Petersfield 11.31. From Clapster Junction take the 10.27 stopping service and change
at Woking.
Return
trains:
xx.46 (87 mins). Buy a Rowlands Castle return.
An
undulating ramble through the little known western reaches of the South Downs.
Though there are a couple of steep climbs, the overall gradients are not too arduous,
and your reward is some fine hilltop views in the second half of the walk.
Lunch: either The Five Bells in Buriton (4.2 km/2.6 mi, food to 14.00) or
The Red Lion in Chalton (10.5 km/6.5 mi, food to 15.00).
For
details of the tea shop and the
three pubs in Rowlands Castle
check the walk directions pdf.T=swc.18
Next Week: Tuesday - Book 1 Walk 19 Hever to Leigh & Wednesday - Book 1 Walk 46 Wakes Colne to Bures
Out and Proud: Wood Sorrel, Wood Anemones, Lesser Celandines, Harebells, Wild Garlic, Native Bluebells (the latter only in one of the woods though, as far as could be ascertained). Rapeseed fields turning yellow more-and-more, Skylarks audible: spring, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAlso present: 15 walkers off the scheduled train, + 1 other who had taken an earlier one, got caught at lunch in Chalton, only to disappear quickly with most of the sandwichers. So n=16 in w=drizzle-turning-to-rain-until-lunch-then-dry-with-some-drizzle.
I walked this for the first time and found that - apart from the route out of Petersfield from The Square onwards - the scenery was very scenic indeed, had a decent amount of variation, with some pretty villages, far views, plenty of varied woods and enough ups-and-downs over the rolling hills to keep one honest. Just a bit too short... So a very good mid-week walk.
Pub lunch (friendly staff and competent but not memorable food) for about half the group, joined by a couple of sandwichers for a drink.
Later 11 walkers in the Castle Inn in Rowlands for a bevvie.
The fast ones caught the 15.46, those 11 the 16.46 train.
Home before darkness.