The car park is signposted on
the road through the village at the turning where the river Meon passes
under the road. (GR222678)
(phot: Looking west from the car park) |
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Follow
the footpath south from the car park over the ground to the right of the Community
Centre to join the main road. Turn right and follow the road past
Garston Farm to join a farm track on the right. (Fingerpost sign).
Follow the track to the farm building, passing to the left of the
buildings, to join the footpath.
(photo: Looking back to East Meon) |
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The path joins the Meon Valley
Cycle Trail. Cross this to join the South Downs Way (SDW). At
the metalled road, continue right still on the SDW past Hall Cottages,
then left at the Fly Fishing Lake. (a sign indicates Private Road
but the SDW follows this road.)
(photo: View back towards Butser Hill) |
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Head to Whitewool Farm, then turn right and
follow the farm track uphill. At the metal gates, go through the one
that leads up hill. (A sign on the gate post indicates the
direction.) Turn left at the main road, and soon after, join the
Bridlepath on the right which parallels the road. Eventually, at a
small parking area, follow the track right, signposted to Old Winchester
Hill.
(photo: The route ahead from Whitewool Farm) |
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Pass to the right of the two Benchmarks on
Winchester Hill, then follow the SDW down hill through a small avenue of
bushes and small trees. At the bottom, the SDW continues straight on
(west), but turn right (north) to follow the Monarch's Way. The path
follows a fence, then soon after along the left hand edge of a
field.
(photo: Looking back to Whitewool Farm) |
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Join a concrete track at the bottom leading to Peake
Farm. Just before the farm, the path moves into a field on the left
outside the track (signpost). Follow the edge of the field, round
the farm buildings, to join the track at the other side of the farm yard.
(photo: Looking back to Winchester
Hill from the Monarch's Way) |
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Turn left, then soon after right, to join a
footpath leading to Lower Peak Cottage. Pass over a 'rickety' wooden
bridge at Peak Cottage and turn left. Follow the gravel farm track
to the road. (Old Winchester Hill Lane) Turn left down the
road, pass over the rail bridge of the old Meon Valley Railway, then
follow the footpath right, just over the bridge. Follow the path
down onto the path of the old railway. Continue to the parking area
and join the road leading to West Meon.
(photo: Old Meon Valley Railway
footpath) |
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Turn left, and then straight right onto a low
walled footpath (signpost). Continue along the path, over the wooden
bridge, to the main road. Turn right and follow the road to Westbury
House. At Westbury House, follow the road into the grounds,
(signpost) passing the old buildings on the right.
(photo: The pond at the entrance to Westbury House) |
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Head south, up
the hill following the sign to the style, at the end of the short
road. Pass into the wood of Westbury Park and follow the footpath as
it winds up through the wood. There are a couple of markers on the
way plus a power cable on poles leading to Horsedown Farm. |
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At Horsedown Farm, follow the path which leads
into a large clearing in the middle of the wood. (The path isn't
particularly clear) Turn left and follow the edge of the trees in
the clearing. Where the clearing/trees move right, follow an
indistinct path through the trees, in the corner of the clearing, to join
a farm track. |
Turn right and follow the track for a couple of
hundred metres until the track moves right, then follow a signposted path
over a style into a field. Turn right and follow the path down hill
to join the Meon Valley Cycle Trail near Drayton Cottage. Turn left and
join the road at Drayton Cottage.
(photo: Looking towards Drayton Cottages after leaving the clearing of
Horsedown Farm) |
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Turn left passing Drayton Cottages, follow the
road over the river and join a footpath, right, past Drayton Farm.
Continue on the footpath over a few fields to join the road at Chalk Dell
Cottages. Turn right, follow the road downhill, cross the main road,
and after 100 metres, back to the car park.
(photo: View back along the fields
from near Chalk Dell Cottages) |
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