We are the North Hampshire Downs Ramblers. We open the way for everyone in our local community to enjoy the pleasures of walking.
Please text or WhatsApp the leader for a place. Bring a picnic lunch and drinks. Starting at Winchester station forecourt (catch the 09.48 Southampton train from Basingstoke) through back alleys and ancient streets of Winchester, the cathedral close and past Winchester College to the water meadows leading to St Cross Hospital. Then up over the Downs past Olivers Battery. We'll have a coffee stop near here. Then to Compton End, under motorway and railway to Compton Lock on the old Itchen Navigation. There will be a lunch break here. Then we follow the Itchen Way back towards Winchester, diverting back past St Cross again before rejoining the Itchen Navigation to walk back to the city. If there's time we may take in the Winnall Moors Nature Reserve where the clear waters of the Itchen feed a habitat for numerous birds, bugs and butterflies. From there we return to the station.
The walk is likely to be mostly dry underfoot , but there are certain to be wet and occasional muddy places, especially on the paths near the river. There are some hills between St Cross and Compton End but no steep slopes. There is a train strike on that day, but the temporary timetable has been checked and there should be at least two trains per hour between Basingstoke and Winchester.
Basingstoke Station ticket hall
Winchester Station Forecourt.
