🥾 Walk 297 - Oakley and the Wayfarer's Walk

Nine of us met up on Sunday 10th September in Oakley (between Overton and Basingstoke) for a repeat of a walk that I'd led before in September 2013. We had three newcomers trying out our group and a couple of visitors from neighbouring groups. This old walk was a new one to most of the people here today.

We set off along Station Road and passed St Leonard's Church before crossing Oakley Park. This led us to the Wayfarer's Walk, which we followed through Itchen Row, Bull's Bushes Copse and Bull's Bushes Farm. We didn't see any bulls (or any other farm animals) on this walk.

We left the Wayfarer's Walk at Southwood Farm and began to follow the course of a Roman Road up to Kempshott. As we passed through a wooded section of this path, through the trees we were able to see some new houses being built in what was just a field when I last led this walk.

Finding some fallen trees to use as benches, we stopped for our picnic lunch in the shelter of the woods. (It wasn't raining but the wind was picking up.) After lunch, we continued along the course of a Roman Road, turning off as it passed an existing housing estate in Kempshott.

Heading west and then north across fields, we reached the village of Oakley. Here we had to make a choice... The weather forecast had predicted heavy rain for the afternoon. We could either head straight back to the car park before it started, or go through Oakley and stop at the pub.

We examined the sky and decided there was enough time to visit the pub - a quaint old place called The Barley Mow. Suitably refreshed, we left the pub to be met by the faintest hint of a drizzle, which soon stopped as we completed the last part of the walk. See our route on Google Maps.

It's beginning to feel a bit autumnal now, with lower temperatures and the occasional turning leaf in sight. Soon it will be hat and gloves weather...

📸 Back to Volume 21

Return to volume index