6 miles

G and I decided we should all try and get out for a walk on Sunday. The weather was looking good and so we thought we should try and make the most of it.
Leaflets were consulted, train times worked out and a picnic packed up.
We took the train to Shawford to do the circular walk that starts and ends here, it's part of a series of walks along the Itchen Navigation Trail. It said allow 3 hours for the 6 mile walk and some of it was a bit steep. We kept those details to ourselves when T and S asked where we were going!


The first thing that caught my eye after we left the station were these tiles outside a beauty salon, so of course the camera came out to a chorus of 'what photos ALREADY????!!!!'

Within a few hundred metres we had seen a deer in some one's back garden, a family of swans and this goose who was desperately trying to eat this apple as it bobbed along next to it.

It kept whacking it with it's beak and so it would sink and the goose turned upside down to find it. It amused us anyway.

These were the kind of views we enjoyed along the way to our left

and then to our right, chatting as we went and snacking on some oatmeal and raisin biscuits I had baked and were actually edible and enjoyed by all.

One of the reasons we chose this walk was it took you (or so we were led to believe) under an old viaduct. But unfortunately the directions at this point were a bit sketchy and we managed to miss it! We did spy it in the not too far distance though.

Halfway round the way we stopped at St Cross hospital

and had our picnic sat opposite these almhouses.

Hospital is used in the same sense as 'hospitality' and in centuries gone by they provided food and shelter to the poor. Clicking on the link will give you more information about this medevial building and it's history.

After leaving here the steep bit kicked in. It wasn't very picturesque for this part of the walk either and a bit of post lunch lethargy and boredom set in. We stopped at one point to see where we were by wandering into a field just off the path we were on and had a lovely view with the Hospital just poking it's head about the trees.

We passed fields with horses in and kept walking up and up

until we reached Yew Tree Hill and were rewarded with views of countryside like this

and this

and this.

Which made it the boring bit worth it. Even T stopped and took it all in and wanted to take photos.

Out with my family in the fresh air and sunshine. Perfect.

Doing the walk to St Cross and back again is something we hope to do next year, making sure we find the correct path to the viaduct this time!