{"id":"69847964533dbb4b73118ab7","title":"Walk 128 Wayfarer S Walk Figure Of Eight","path":"walks/scrapbook/by-year/2014/volume-10-oct-to-dec-2014/walk-128-wayfarer-s-walk-figure-of-eight","contentMarkdown":"# 🥾 Walk 128 - Wayfarer's Walk, Figure-of-Eight\n\nEight of us turned up on Sunday 19th October for a figure-of-eight walk around Kingsclere, Sydmonton and Hannington. We had four BWW regulars and four guests from other walking groups. This walk was designed to provide a choice of an 8 mile or a 13½ mile walk. All eight of us did the first leg and four of us also did the second leg.\n\nIt was a bit grey and cloudy when we set off from White Hill, heading west along the Wayfarer's Walk, a 71 mile long distance path connecting Inkpen (Combe Gibbet) in West Berkshire with Emsworth on the south coast of Hampshire.\n\nWe passed through the gallops, belonging to the Park House Stables, before continuing along the top of Watership Down. After crossing the finishing line of an uphill cycle race on Nut-Hanger Down, we left the Wayfarer's Walk and descended along a tree-lined path to the picturesque hamlet of Sydmonton.\n\n![A cloudy start to the walk. We're on the Wayfarer's Walk heading west from White Hill.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume10/images/wayfarers_walk_white_hill.jpg)\n\nThe 5000 acre Sydmonton Court estate, which includes most of the land we were walking on in the first leg of our walk, is owned by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. Amazingly, we came face to face with him as we walked past the gate to the Tudor mansion house. He smiled and gave a friendly nod, as did we in return.\n\nLooping round past Wergs Farm, we began our ascent along a woodland path up to Ladle Hill where we re-joined the Wayfarer's Walk. With frequent views of the nearby Beacon Hill, we also caught a glimpse of Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed. We could only see the tops of the towers, as this Jacobean house is surrounded by tall trees.\n\nAfter passing the earth works of the Iron Age hill-fort and tumulus on Ladle Hill, we stopped in a field to have our packed lunches. Although the weather was sunny and quite warm for the time of year, it was rather windy on top of the hill, with plenty of Autumn leaves flying past us as we ate our sandwiches.\n\n![Walking through the picturesque hamlet of Sydmonton, owned by Andrew Lloyd-Webber.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume10/images/sydmonton.jpg)\n\nAfter lunch we continued heading east along the Wayfarer's Walk, retracing part of our outbound route, back to White Hill. On reaching the car park, half of the group decided to go home having completed the first leg of the walk, whilst the other half continued onto the second leg.\n\nWe soon diverted from the Wayfarer's Walk to head up Cottington's Hill, from where we could look back that the route we'd taken on the first leg of the walk.\n\nCottington's Hill is home to a small caravan and camp site, and to the mighty Hannington transmitter mast, that provides television reception to north Hampshire and Berkshire.\n\n![Ascending the woodland path up to Ladle Hill.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume10/images/ladle_hill.jpg)\n\nAfter passing the mast, we followed a quiet lane, heading south through Freemantle Park Farm and then followed a footpath that emerged by the church and village green in Hannington. We stopped off at The Vine pub for a drink before continuing south to the tiny village of North Oakley, where we re-joined the Wayfarer's Walk.\n\nWe followed the Wayfarer's Walk, north-west through woodland and farmland, back to the car park at White Hill. See our route on Bing Maps. Today's walk only covered about 7 miles of this long-distance path although we have explored other sections on previous walks, and there's plenty more of it for future walks.\n\n![White Hill and the Wayfarer's Walk as viewed from Cottington's Hill.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume10/images/white_hill_from_cottingtons_hill.jpg)\n\n![The TV mast and small caravan and camping site at Cottington's Hill.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume10/images/cottingtons_hill_mast.jpg)\n\n## 📸 Back to Volume 10\n\nReturn to volume index","contentHtml":"

🥾 Walk 128 - Wayfarer's Walk, Figure-of-Eight

\n

Eight of us turned up on Sunday 19th October for a figure-of-eight walk around Kingsclere, Sydmonton and Hannington. We had four BWW regulars and four guests from other walking groups. This walk was designed to provide a choice of an 8 mile or a 13½ mile walk. All eight of us did the first leg and four of us also did the second leg.

\n

It was a bit grey and cloudy when we set off from White Hill, heading west along the Wayfarer's Walk, a 71 mile long distance path connecting Inkpen (Combe Gibbet) in West Berkshire with Emsworth on the south coast of Hampshire.

\n

We passed through the gallops, belonging to the Park House Stables, before continuing along the top of Watership Down. After crossing the finishing line of an uphill cycle race on Nut-Hanger Down, we left the Wayfarer's Walk and descended along a tree-lined path to the picturesque hamlet of Sydmonton.

\n

\"A

\n

The 5000 acre Sydmonton Court estate, which includes most of the land we were walking on in the first leg of our walk, is owned by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. Amazingly, we came face to face with him as we walked past the gate to the Tudor mansion house. He smiled and gave a friendly nod, as did we in return.

\n

Looping round past Wergs Farm, we began our ascent along a woodland path up to Ladle Hill where we re-joined the Wayfarer's Walk. With frequent views of the nearby Beacon Hill, we also caught a glimpse of Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed. We could only see the tops of the towers, as this Jacobean house is surrounded by tall trees.

\n

After passing the earth works of the Iron Age hill-fort and tumulus on Ladle Hill, we stopped in a field to have our packed lunches. Although the weather was sunny and quite warm for the time of year, it was rather windy on top of the hill, with plenty of Autumn leaves flying past us as we ate our sandwiches.

\n

\"Walking

\n

After lunch we continued heading east along the Wayfarer's Walk, retracing part of our outbound route, back to White Hill. On reaching the car park, half of the group decided to go home having completed the first leg of the walk, whilst the other half continued onto the second leg.

\n

We soon diverted from the Wayfarer's Walk to head up Cottington's Hill, from where we could look back that the route we'd taken on the first leg of the walk.

\n

Cottington's Hill is home to a small caravan and camp site, and to the mighty Hannington transmitter mast, that provides television reception to north Hampshire and Berkshire.

\n

\"Ascending

\n

After passing the mast, we followed a quiet lane, heading south through Freemantle Park Farm and then followed a footpath that emerged by the church and village green in Hannington. We stopped off at The Vine pub for a drink before continuing south to the tiny village of North Oakley, where we re-joined the Wayfarer's Walk.

\n

We followed the Wayfarer's Walk, north-west through woodland and farmland, back to the car park at White Hill. See our route on Bing Maps. Today's walk only covered about 7 miles of this long-distance path although we have explored other sections on previous walks, and there's plenty more of it for future walks.

\n

\"White

\n

\"The

\n

📸 Back to Volume 10

\n

Return to volume index

\n"}