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South Downs Way

South Downs Way

Excerpt:
Sample route guide and maps: Exton to Buriton


Contents list | Introduction | About the South Downs Way | Practical information for the walker | Itineraries | Using this guide | Sample route guide and maps: Exton to Buriton | Stage map and profile: Winchester to Exton



EXTON TO BURITON   MAPS 7-12
This fine stretch of the Way covering 12½ miles (20km, 4½-6hrs) takes the walker beside Old Winchester Hill (Map 7, opposite), a typical downland hill of chalk grassland and steep ancient woodland and a National Nature Reserve. The top of the hill boasts one of the finest Iron Age hill-fort sites in the south. The old earthworks clearly mark the outline of the fort and a display board has an artist’s impression of how it once would have looked when the earthy banks were lined with the wooden stakes that formed the walls of the fort. It is clear why it was positioned here since the views in all directions are spectacular, stretching as far as the Isle of Wight on a clear day. Presumably the soldiers of the time also appreciated the views for the strategic advantage it gave them.

Right on the SDW, shortly before the turn-off to East Meon, is Meon Springs (Map 8; ☎ 01730-823134, web www.meonsprings.com), a fly-fishing base where you can pick up refreshments (bacon & egg rolls 8am-noon; baguettes and snacks till about 7pm in summer; bar open in licensing hours) and bike spares, fill up your water bottles and camp (£10pp; ) if you have a tent. There’s a toilet and washing facilities but no showers. Campers can just turn up but occasionally they are fully booked so check the calendar on their website before you go.

Just over half a mile to the south of here is Combe House, Bed in a Shed (Map 8; ☎ 01730-823541, web www.southdownsbnb.com; 1D or T en suite; wi-fi; ; Ⓛ) with B&B in a self-contained annex for £50pp sharing.

East Meon is only a half-hour detour from the official path and is well worth the effort for a lunch stop or overnight stay. There are records of a settlement here as far back as 400AD and the whole area was once a royal estate belonging to King Alfred. Anyone visiting the village should take a look at the 900-year-old church at the foot of the hill where you can also admire the 14th-century courthouse, once part of a monastery. The post office (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-noon) and East Meon Stores (Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 7am-5pm, Sun 8am-1pm) are on the High St. The Stores are surprisingly well stocked. Stagecoach bus No 67 stops here on the Winchester–Petersfield route; see pp44-6.

Where to stay and eat   In the centre of the village, Ye Olde George Inn (☎ 01730-823481, : www.yeoldege orgeinn.net; 3D/2D or T, all en suite; baths in bathroom; dogs OK; wi-fi; Ⓛ; food Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm & 6.30-9.30pm, Sun noon-3pm & 6.30-8.30pm: book ahead at weekends) has B&B for £45-55pp (sgl occ from £65). The Old Vicarage (☎ 01730-823560, : www.bandb-east-meon.co.uk; 2D/1T, private bathrooms; baths in bathroom; dogs OK; wi-fi; Ⓛ) offers comfortable B&B from £40pp. With notice they can pick up and collect from the Way. The Long House (☎ 01730-823239, : www.thelonghouseeastmeon.co.uk; 2D en suite/1D or T adjacent bathroom; baths in bathroom; dogs OK; wi-fi; Ⓛ) lies just round the corner from the end of Frogmore Lane, about a mile from the village on the Ramsdean road. B&B in this friendly place with possibly the world’s most powerful shower is from £42.50pp, or from £45pp in an en suite room (sgl occ £50). About 300m south of here Upper Parsonage Farm (Map 9; ☎ 01730-823490, : www.upperparsonagefarm.co.uk; 3D, en suite; baths in bathroom; dogs OK; wi-fi; Ⓛ) is a 1400-acre farm with B&B from £47.50pp for two sharing. You can also camp (toilets/showers available) here for £10 and they have a restored shepherd’s hut for £80 per night (sleeps two in a double bed). The Izaak Walton (☎ 01730-823252, : www.izaakwalton.biz; food: Tue-Sat noon-2pm & 7-8.30pm, Sun roast noon-4pm, food served till 6.30pm) is a freehouse pub named after the famous local angler. Also open bank hol Mondays.

After the turn off to East Meon there is a tough pull up the slope for about two miles to the Sustainability Centre (Map 9, p90) and Wetherdown Lodge (☎ 01730-823549, www.sustainability-centre.org; 2T/9Tr, one room sleeping up to six; ; wi-fi), which is part of the centre. As you’d expect, everything is environmentally friendly and they use renewable energy. The rate is £33 for one person in a room and then £20pp; this includes a continental breakfast. Online booking is now available through their website; booking in general is recommended as sometimes the hostel is booked for sole occupancy use. Campers (£10-12pp;  on lead £1) may appreciate the fact that they allow camp fires (£6 for firewood & kindling).They also have two tipis (tepees) each sleeping 5/8 people (£22pp) and three yurts each sleeping 2-4 people (bedding provided for up to two people; £33pp; two-night and two-person bookings only at the weekend). The (solar) shower block is open Apr to Oct; running water and compost toilets are available all year. The hostel has self-catering facilities but there is also the on-site Beech Café (☎ 01730-823755; daily 10am-4pm, Nov-Feb/Mar to 3pm) which can provide packed lunches if booked in advance. It is around here that the true line of the Downs begins, stretching east as a high-level ridge, interrupted only by a few river valleys, all the way to Beachy Head near Eastbourne.

The Way continues along the broad ridge with fine views over the Meon valley to the north culminating in the highest point of the South Downs at Butser Hill (270m). Butser Hill (see Map 10, p91) is another National Nature Reserve, earning its status for its fine chalk grassland. It is home to over thirty species of butterfly including the tiny, difficult-to-spot but exquisite Chalkhill blue (see opposite p48). It was also the original starting point for the South Downs Way before it was decided to extend the path all the way to Winchester. The only blot on the landscape here is the car park at the top of the hill and the less-than-attractive A3 dual carriageway that slices through the lower flanks. Once past the din of racing traffic the path climbs steadily back to the top of the downland escarpment above Buriton, passing through the Queen Elizabeth Country Park (Map 11), a magnificent natural mixed woodland that covers the rolling Downs for miles around, just as it has done through the centuries. If the accommodation in Buriton (p94) is booked up you could head into the old market town of Petersfield (p94), where there are several more places.

 

South Downs Way

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