It's a while since I rode this route from Oakley to St Marybourne, and last time I did I was with Gill, John and Dave in scorching weather. Today, we started in freezing fog.
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| Malshanger Lane, Oakley, opposite the car park |
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| Malshanger Lane opposite the car park |
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| Opposite side of Malshanger Lane opposite the car park |
From Malshanger Lane Oakley, we have sometimes turned right to climb up towards North Oakley, but today stayed low to start with, then just before a railway arch, a sharp right to climb Harrow Way, towards Ash Warren. (This lane passes a farm where previously I had photographed some horses.) Too cold to stop too often today. Need to warm up! As we cross Ashe Lane, we recognise this as the Overton "poppy fields site", where sadly too many visitors trampling on them, forced the farmer to stop anyone going in at all. Obviously nothing there in March.
Continuing over the junction all easy going, until a left turn and an immediate climb as we head uphill and eventually over the rail bridge, then a steep drop into Overton. At the traffic lights, which were unfortunately on red, it's an uphill start which is actually quite tricky! Once over the junction passing the Honesty cafe on our left, we continued climbing quite a long way out of Overton. We joined the B3400 for a mile or so, and at the Bombay Sapphire distillery, turned left into Laverstoke Lane.
It's a nice quiet lane, mostly flat with one rise, where we pulled in to await oncoming horses.
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starting to drop in to Whitchurch on Micheldever Road.
The mist is almost burnt off now. |
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| Same view closer. I liked the distant trees still in the mist. |
Our route went left at the junction of Winchester Road, but first we turned right to have a drink at the Whitchurch Silk Mill cafe.
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| Meadow Cottage on the road with no name just off of Nun's Walk |
We crossed the River Test here and emerged to join the B3400 again for a short section, before turning right to Hurstbourne Priors, near the church. (We normally cross straight over at this junction on our way from St Marybourne to Long Parish)
Peddling towards St Marybourne, in the oppposite direction from normal, we follow the Bourne Rivulet on our left, and see the familiar arches ahead.
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| Approaching St Marybourne |
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| Great day now for cloud spotting. |
Once in St Marybourne, we turned right just before the car park, at the George Pub, which I knew was a climb, since we more often come downhill to here. (This passes the Strawberry Farm where we once had a cuppa.) Following the lane in U shape, we come once more to Harroway. This gets a bit confusing! Continuing, we go under the A34, then also across Newbury Road. John thought he could hear some gun shot around here, and I see on Maps a place called "the big shoot".
After a hundred yards on the Newbury Road, a left turn into......wait for it.... Harroway. 😃 (So, if we had come out of Whitchurch a different way, on the steep uphill past the station, we would be turning right here into Harroway). I know where I am!!
And soon a distinct smell in the air of the "stinkers" who live on this lane, with their gypsy caravans and poor horse tied up in a tiny bit of grass. They have been here for years. Just passed a house with big gates on our left, we are on the lookout for a sharp right turn, into Watch Lane. It's a difficult turn, and I messed it up, since the road surface was a mess. We both then had to start from a standing start uphill. 😖 This lane eventually drops down steeply to emerge at Freefolk at the unusual terrace of thatch houses, all which seem to have trampolines in their front gardens. This is also next to the Bombay Saphhire Distillery again, and so back on a loop to Laverstoke.
We both switched our power on for the mile of so on the B3400 back towards Overton, since quite a lot of it is uphill in this direction. Just short of the village, we turned left into Southington Lane, where I stopped to take a couple of photos of the amazingly clear River Test. (And also finally remove a layer. I've warned up at last. )
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| River Test near Overton |
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| Opposite direction. Its crystal clear. |
Now, on a messy Silk Mill Lane, we climbed away from the river, and eventually pass through Overton X Roads once more, this time branching off left onto Waltham Road. I couldn't remember much about this next section, but recognised the undulations as we came to them!
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| Quite far along Waltham lane after we left Overton. Straight on. |
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| John had stopped and was now catching me up |
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| Up to the top of one of the undulations on Waltham Lane |
A left turn into Steventon, which had plenty of snowdrops on the grass banks through the village. We joined Oakley Road and made our way into Oakley, turning right at a church on our left, and back to the station car park. A new housing development had appeared just before the end!
A lovely route, and eventually lots of sunshine. My Garmin didint record the first few miles, so this screen shot from John's. 1760 feet climbed, so power was used as necessary, since we are also riding a few hills tomorrow.
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| Johns Garmin - mine didnt record the start. |
