A mazy run to Hants
Today's route card read as follows:
M3 to J11
A3090/B3335 to WInchester and St Catherine's Hill
A31/A272 to Telegraph Hill, continue to Cheriton Church
B3046 through Alresford and Old Alresford
continue up to Basingstoke
M3 to Sunbury, A308 Kempton Park (Book Fair)
out to M25 and home
A fitful night's sleep saw us rise early to scrape the ice off the car and hit the road in the dark. The sun rose as we hit the M3, but we were not to see much of it due to a heavy mist/fog. The frost on the bushes and trees at the side of the road was quite picturesque though.
We arrived at St Catherine's Hill by 8a.m. and I began the short climb to the summit. The sight that greeted me was quite magical - a thick layer of frost covered everything as I entered through the entrance to the Iron Age earthworks.
As I approached the mizmaze, I spotted a dead rabbit, covered in frost, looking for all the world as if it collapsed mid-leap, frozen by the cold. I walked the maze, thinking of the rabbit, before returning to the car.
Winchester town was yet to wake, so we continued on our way to Cheriton. The church in the village is built upon a strange mound, thought to be prehistoric, possibly a barrow of some description. A service was in session, so I didn't get a chance to enter the church to see if any information leaflets were available.
A pleasant drive up a country lane, through several small villages finally took us back to Basingstoke and the M3, where we continued back to Sunbury and Kempton Park racecourse, where a book fair was being held. Prices were a little high compared to what I've seen at other fairs, and nothing really took my fancy though I did pick up a 1968 BCA edition of Ashe's Quest for Arthur's Britain for a couple of quid. More bedtime reading for the pile!
A good run out, and we were home in time for a late lunch.
M3 to J11
A3090/B3335 to WInchester and St Catherine's Hill
A31/A272 to Telegraph Hill, continue to Cheriton Church
B3046 through Alresford and Old Alresford
continue up to Basingstoke
M3 to Sunbury, A308 Kempton Park (Book Fair)
out to M25 and home
A fitful night's sleep saw us rise early to scrape the ice off the car and hit the road in the dark. The sun rose as we hit the M3, but we were not to see much of it due to a heavy mist/fog. The frost on the bushes and trees at the side of the road was quite picturesque though.
We arrived at St Catherine's Hill by 8a.m. and I began the short climb to the summit. The sight that greeted me was quite magical - a thick layer of frost covered everything as I entered through the entrance to the Iron Age earthworks.
As I approached the mizmaze, I spotted a dead rabbit, covered in frost, looking for all the world as if it collapsed mid-leap, frozen by the cold. I walked the maze, thinking of the rabbit, before returning to the car.
Winchester town was yet to wake, so we continued on our way to Cheriton. The church in the village is built upon a strange mound, thought to be prehistoric, possibly a barrow of some description. A service was in session, so I didn't get a chance to enter the church to see if any information leaflets were available.
A pleasant drive up a country lane, through several small villages finally took us back to Basingstoke and the M3, where we continued back to Sunbury and Kempton Park racecourse, where a book fair was being held. Prices were a little high compared to what I've seen at other fairs, and nothing really took my fancy though I did pick up a 1968 BCA edition of Ashe's Quest for Arthur's Britain for a couple of quid. More bedtime reading for the pile!
A good run out, and we were home in time for a late lunch.
posted by Alan S. | 17:22
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