🥾 Walk 399 - Basingstoke Parks and Old Basing

Sunday 15th September was a gloriously warm day, with blue skies and temperatures in the low to mid twenties Celsius. Seven of us met up for a repeat of a walk I'd led before in 2014, which largely follows the Basing Trail.

Starting at Basingstoke station, we walked through town to War Memorial Park, where we stopped to look at a large cage of budgerigars. (These have mostly been donated, apparently.) Next we stopped at Blackdam Ponds and watched the swans and ducks, some being feed by children. We also noticed a stork, keeping an eye on proceedings. Leaving the town, we crossed Crabtree Plantation and Basingstoke Common to reach Old Basing.

After passing some very old cottages, we arrived at Old Basing and Lychpit Recreation Ground, where we stopped for lunch, making use of their picnic tables. One of our members also made use of the swings!

After lunch we passed by the Village Hall before heading out of Old Basing and towards Little Basing. The trail then took us through Mill Field, to Barton's Mill pub and restaurant. Here we stopped for a drink.

Refreshed, we left the pub and followed the River Loddon for a short while before reaching Basing House and its Tythe Barn. Next we crossed fields to the remains of an amphitheatre near Basing lime pits. There was a group of people here having a barbecue. (Perfect weather for it.) Finally we crossed some moorland and found ourselves back in Basingstoke. We walked through Eastrop Park back to the station. See our route on Google Maps.

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