🥾 Walk 244 - Watership Down and Sydmonton

We've been trying to put a few more figure-of-eight walks in our programme as they effectively provide two different length walks for the price of one. Those wanting a shorter walk can leave after the first loop and those wanting a longer walk can stay for both loops. Today's walk consisted of an eight-mile loop around Watership Down and Sydmonton followed by a four-mile loop around Cottington's Hill and Hannington.

We had nine people and a dog turn up on Saturday 8th October at the car park on White Hill. The weather didn't look as promising as it had for our walk the previous weekend. It was dull and a fine drizzle of rain had started just before we set off.

We joined the Wayfarer's Walk heading west as it passes between the gallops on Cannon Heath Down and above Watership Down. By the time we reached the end of the gallops, the drizzle had gone and we stopped to admire the view at what would be the highest point of our walk. We could see Sydmonton below us but views of Newbury were not so clear today due to the low cloud.

We followed the Wayfarer's Walk through Nuthanger Down before leaving it to take a tree-covered footpath downhill to Barton Copse. The path flattened out and we emerged on a quiet road. Just a short way along we entered a tree-lined avenue through the estate of Sydmonton Court.

Passing through this well-maintained estate, we then took a sharp left turn onto a track past Wergs Farm. A tractor looked almost like a toy as it slowly made its way through a massive ploughed field nearby. Behind the field were a group of trees in various stages of turning orangey-brown. Autumn is here.

Leaving the track at Wergs Cottages we followed a road southward before joining a wooded footpath going in the same direction that took us back up onto the ridgeway. On our way up we occasionally got views of Beacon Hill to our west, and views of Watership Down and the transmitting mast atop Cottington's Hill to our east. At the top of the hill, the path opened out and passed through fields of stubble before joining the Wayfarer's Walk.

It was almost sunny when we stopped for our picnic lunch, but we looked with suspicion at the dark grey sky to the north-west of us. Wetting my finger and holding it in the air, I optimistically declared that it would probably pass us by... probably. Finishing our picnic, we followed the Wayfarer's Walk up to Ladle Hill, by which time it had got rather cold and windy so layers were going back on.

Soon joining up with our outgoing route, we followed the Wayfarer's Walk back to the car park. See our route on Bing Maps. During this time a light drizzle became persistent rain as the wind picked up. As we reached the car park an executive decision was made to abandon the second loop of the walk. Probably a good idea as the rain got much heavier on my journey home.

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