# 🥾 Walk 112 - The Test Way Part 3

On Sunday 13th July we walked the third section of the Test Way. This section was from West Down (near Chilbolton) to Awbridge (near Romsey). As this was a linear walk, we initially met up at Awbridge, where we left two of the cars and we all travelled in the other two cars to West Down, where the walk started.

The walk started by heading south along the course of a dismantled railway, which made up a large proportion of this walk. Dismantled railways are very straight and flat, which makes them popular with walkers and cyclists, of which we met quite a few on our way. This one was lined with trees and gave the impression of a long green, and slightly monotonous, corridor.

The Test Way passes by Stockbridge, but we decided to make a detour into this picturesque town. In amongst the lovely old buildings that make up the High Street, there are openings where you can see parts of the River Test, which flows underneath the High Street itself. We saw several large trout in one of the channels.

![A glimpse of the River Test from the dismantled railway near Leckford.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume9/images/river_test_leckford.jpg)

From Stockbridge, we made our way into Common Marsh, a National Trust wildlife park, where we saw swans and cygnets in the river and horses on the common. After our pleasant diversion, we re-joined the Test Way and continued following the course of the dismantled railway.

We stopped for lunch on a sunny grass verge where the path had opened up a bit. When the picnic was over, we continued along the Test Way until we reached the small village of Horsebridge, at the half-way point of our walk. Here we stopped at the local pub for a pleasant drink.

On leaving the pub we passed a private garden that contained some remnants of Horsebridge Railway Station, which was closed down 50 years ago. There was a short section of track with a single 1920's railway carriage on it, a platform, an old-fashioned signal mast, and a signal box that had been converted into an interesting summer-house.

![A swan and cygnets on Marshcourt River, just south of Stockbridge.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume9/images/swan_cygnets_marshcourt_river.jpg)

We left the course of the dismantled railway at Lower Brook and took to more conventional country footpaths that crossed the Test and circumnavigated Mottisfont Abbey. From there we continued cross country to Kimbridge. The small hills we encountered on the way seemed very noticeable after the long flat route that we had taken so far.

We took another detour to look at the River Test once more before making our way along a quiet lane to Awbridge where the walk ended. See our route on Bing Maps. Those with cars at West Down were taken back in one of the cars that we'd originally left at Awbridge.

We'd escaped the predicted rain and had enjoyed a fair amount of blue sky and sunshine. The detours we'd taken had added over a mile to the total walking distance but were well worth it to add more interest to the walk. We will be doing the final part of the Test Way is in August.

![Some horses being pestered by flies on Common Marsh, south of Stockbridge.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume9/images/common_marsh_stockbridge.jpg)

![A bridge over the River Test at Lower Brook.](https://www.berksww.org.uk/scrapbooks/volume9/images/lower_brook_bridge.jpg)

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