Day 1 Winchester to Broughton

Having arrived at the car park in Broughton early to find Simon already there, Lesley soon joined us only for Barbara to appear leaning over the fence above us to chastise us for parking in the health centre car park - not the village car park we had been instructed to park….Thank goodness the three of us were not in charge of anything more than ourselves and booking the table for dinner .

After a bus ride to Winchester and a group photo outside the public conveniences, we made our way to Winchester cathedral which does not feature heavily in Russian tourism given its lack spire unlike its close neighbour Salisbury.

After an early start we were struggling to get going so were grateful for a stop at the cafe run by the lady volunteers at the Priory. Suitably injected with sugar and caffeine, we finally got going,  climbing up through the suburbs of Winchester through Oliver’s Battery and onto Farley Mount Country Park.

Passing a farm shop and cafe, the warm weather proved too much to walk past and Lesley and Barbara both enjoyed ice creams, but well justified on the longest and warmest day of the weekend.

We then wound our way through Parnholt Woods and on to Kings Somborne where we had missed the bus so had to continue on walking the entire way back to the cars passing through the Test Valley, across the Test river and on through Houghton.

The afternoon was a mix of scenery, Denise was very happy spotting an abundance of butterfly orchids in one field which I duly captured on camera but unfortunately the sudden and unexpected fly past of the Red Arrows wasn’t captured as true to form they were too fast for all of us. Interestingly it appeared to be a tribute to the recent fallen airman as the first formation was 5 planes but the second just 4.

Finally we spotted signs of habitation and were relieved to learn it was indeed Broughton the end point of the day, where we all but collapsed into our cars it being a day of 14-16 miles depending on which app had been used.

Thankfully we were able to put back dinner till 8pm, and there were no mishaps in the kitchen (unlike the following night where the restricted menu of just burgers wasn’t even available so a takeaway was eaten in Lesley’s bedroom). Simon showed off his charms by sweet talking the restaurant manager into a  3 course meal deal as well as double custard rations with his pudding.

Day 2 Salisbury to Broughton

Suitably refreshed from a good nights sleep on the reliable Premier Inn mattresses and stocked up with a cooked breakfast, we headed for the bus stop to take the bus into the centre of Salisbury. Just yards from the hotel, Denise once again marvelled at the profusion of orchids on the verge by the road.

Having made it to the start point of day 2, we gathered for the requisite group photo in front of Salisbury cathedral. Such a spectacular site, the spire does indeed draw many a tourist, including those famous employees of the FSB, such is it prowess and a sight to behold. Less so was the MDF ‘sculpture’ in front of it supposedly highlighting climate change and coastal erosion but to me just highlighted the huge difference between the fabulous buildings of old and the likes of modern days Messrs Barratts and Homes.

Heading out of the city we passed the murals on the underside of Milford Street Bridge which were painted in 2011-2012, and the Godolphin school my niece and nephew has both gone to. We then strode out reaching the open fields of corn whence the famous cathedral spire was still indeed visible.

Passing into the remains of Clarendon Palace, the alpacas were the first reminder we had been there before - only 8 months before on one of Barbara’s walks last October which had included the Palace and llamas. Having reacquainted ourselves with the alpacas, we then pushed out to the village of Pitton where we had a brief break in a playground.

Another dry warm way proved ideal walking conditions, so we pushed on to Middle Winterslow where we lunched in another very child friendly recreation ground. Along the way, we took interest in the many houses on the way remarking on their colours, styles, and their gardens. One had a spectacular terraced back garden even Barbara was impressed by.

We briefly joined the Monarchs Way and walked part of the old Roman Road before winding our way down into Broughton once again, our end point for day 2 and our end point for completing the whole route the Clarendon Way.

Back in the car park we all thanked Barbara for a fabulous weekend away and two days of glorious walking in an area we are all growing to enjoy as much as Barbara.

A welcome change indeed from our usual Sunday walking haunts, and even just as unusual a walk where even in her own words Lesley remarked “and I didn’t fall over once” 

Report by Caroline W