{"id":2347,"date":"2021-11-20T01:01:47","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T00:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2347"},"modified":"2021-11-15T09:01:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T08:01:42","slug":"farley-mount-and-beacon-hill-hampshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2347","title":{"rendered":"Farley Mount and Beacon Hill, Hampshire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1230,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('FarleyMount.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426762123_7428ecdf4d_z.jpg\" title= \"lovely evening light on the homeward path\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426762123_7428ecdf4d_s.jpg\" alt=\"lovely evening light on the homeward path\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425766442_ac5950a48a_z.jpg\" title= \"field edge path beyond Ashley\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425766442_ac5950a48a_s.jpg\" alt=\"field edge path beyond Ashley\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427496245_b83ab7bb6c_z.jpg\" title= \"wet fields and furrows near Ashley\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427496245_b83ab7bb6c_s.jpg\" alt=\"wet fields and furrows near Ashley\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426763133_2567224a99_z.jpg\" title= \"old sunken lane towards Beacon Hill\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426763133_2567224a99_s.jpg\" alt=\"old sunken lane towards Beacon Hill\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427278259_3a9bcb4a3b_z.jpg\" title= \"pond on the Roman road from Winchester to Old Sarum\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427278259_3a9bcb4a3b_s.jpg\" alt=\"pond on the Roman road from Winchester to Old Sarum\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426762633_2e780538b4_z.jpg\" title= \"twisty green lane near Beacon Hill\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426762633_2e780538b4_s.jpg\" alt=\"twisty green lane near Beacon Hill\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425765542_58f3690617_z.jpg\" title= \"view from Beacon Hill towards Farley Mount\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425765542_58f3690617_s.jpg\" alt=\"view from Beacon Hill towards Farley Mount\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426762253_daf8d7beee_z.jpg\" title= \"Paulet St John's monument to his horse Beware Chalk Pit.\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51426762253_daf8d7beee_s.jpg\" alt=\"Paulet St John's monument to his horse Beware Chalk Pit.\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425765032_099bb0c5cc_z.jpg\" title= \"winter trees of Farley Mount\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425765032_099bb0c5cc_s.jpg\" alt=\"winter trees of Farley Mount\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427277214_67cacc28e7_z.jpg\" title= \"chalky fields near Forest Extra - what an intriguing name!\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427277214_67cacc28e7_s.jpg\" alt=\"chalky fields near Forest Extra - what an intriguing name!\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427494600_634e74bce2_z.jpg\" title= \"dogwood's spectacular leaves and flowers\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427494600_634e74bce2_s.jpg\" alt=\"dogwood's spectacular leaves and flowers\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425764722_e17c02f79e_z.jpg\" title= \"hedges thick with old man's beard\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51425764722_e17c02f79e_s.jpg\" alt=\"hedges thick with old man's beard\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427276884_b552aa4313_z.jpg\" title= \"field path to Ashley\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/51427276884_b552aa4313_s.jpg\" alt=\"field path to Ashley\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2347','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nYou couldn\u2019t find a better place than Farley Mount Country Park for children and dogs to run about and kick up the leaves on a cold winter\u2019s day. Bright pink spindle berries lent a touch of colour to the pale grey winter woods. A young wolfhound came up with a five-foot-long stick in his jaws, winking his toffee-colour eyes sideways at us as though to say, \u201cAren\u2019t I the clever boy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a shallow valley north of the woods we turned along a grassy farm track between rolling fields of beet and wheat stubble. In the hazel hedges crimson stalks of dogwood sprouted green-white flowers and deeply creased leaves turning dark mauve.<\/p>\n<p>Nearer the silos and sheds of intriguingly named Forest Extra a dead starling lay in the grass verge of the lane, wings outspread. Last night\u2019s rain had coalesced into evenly spaced droplets all over the water-resistant feathers, like raindrops on a newly proofed coat.<\/p>\n<p>A pale path of chalky mud led over the winter wheat. On the opposite slopes starlings perched on the backs of fat sheep that grazed among the vines of Chalk Vale Vineyard.<\/p>\n<p>The hamlet of Ashley and its castle mound lay hidden among trees beyond a stout wall. King John stayed here often while hunting, a guest of William Briwere, described by contemporary chronicler Roger of Wendover as an \u2018evil adviser\u2019 to the king.<\/p>\n<p>In the fields beyond, large old beech trees, stripped of leaves, raised their graceful domed heads against the grey sky. We dropped down to the valley bottom and the Roman road from Winchester to Old Sarum, these days a narrow lane as straight as a die. From here a good track rose up the flank of Beacon Hill, running through groves of twisty yews.<\/p>\n<p>At the crest of the down we stopped to take in a 40-mile prospect of downs and woods, ribbed ploughland and smooth grazing. By the homeward path rose a white steeple, raised in 1733 by Paulet St John to honour the horse he named Beware Chalk Pit.<\/p>\n<p>Steed and rider had jumped a hedge while out foxhunting and tumbled into a chalk quarry 25 feet deep. Miraculously, both escaped unscathed, and rode to triumph in the Hunter\u2019s Plate handicap the following year. Huzzah!<\/p>\n<p>\fHow hard is it? 9 miles; easy; woodland and farmland tracks, some muddy <\/p>\n<p>Start: Hawthorn car park, Pitt Down, near Sparsholt SO21 2JG approx. (OS ref SU 415292)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Sparsholt is signed from B3049 (Winchester\u2013Stockbridge). Follow \u2018Farley Mount\u2019 from here.<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer OL32):  Facing away from road, from left corner of car park follow forest road north. In 250m, at barrier, follow main roadway to right. In 300m, left up forest road (417294). In \u00bd mile, leave trees (418303); in \u2154 mile, left in valley bottom (418313). In 1 mile pass Forest Extra (403319); in \u00be mile, left off road past gate (390319, arrow) on well-trodden field path. In \u2154 mile at far side of 4th field, up steps through hedge (384311); left (yellow arrow) along field path. In 1 mile, descend to valley track (397301); right to road (399296); right. In \u00bd mile, hairpin back left across field (390297; blue arrow, then green arrow; \u2018Clarendon Way\u2019\/CW). Follow CW for 1\u00bd\u00a0miles across Beacon Hill (detouring right to horse monument at 403290) to road (408293). Cross onto path; in 50m, through gate; fork left on CW at edge of trees to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch: Plough Inn, Sparsholt SO21 2NW (01962-776353, <a href=\"http:\/\/the.littlepubgroup.co.uk\">the.littlepubgroup.co.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation: The Old Vine, 8 Great Minster St, Winchester SO23 9HA (01962-854616, <a href=\"http:\/\/oldvinewinchester.com\">oldvinewinchester.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: Winchester TIC (01962-840500)<\/p>\n<p>@somerville_c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You couldn\u2019t find a better place than Farley Mount Country Park for children and dogs to run about and kick up the leaves on a cold winter\u2019s day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}