Bishopstoke to Owlesbury & Pub Lunch - 12 miles circular

I'm delighted to invite you for a beautiful circular route which will take in woodland commons, the rolling hills of the South Downs and a stop at a quaint and jolly village pub. 

****​​​​​START POINT AND PARKING:  

 We will set off from a street in Bishopstoke. For those arriving by car - there is plenty of free street car parking - suggest to spread out a little into nearby streets as well for courtesy to neighbours.
The closest train station to the meeting point is Eastleigh - about 1.3 miles away. 

**** Closer in time I will check with the Ship Inn - to see about accommodating numbers, in case of increased demand for joining this walk ****

I've not yet done a recce, but I would estimate that the circular route will be 12-13 miles. There will be some moderate climbs. 

Heading from Bishopstoke, a suburb of Eastleigh, we will cross into Stoke Park Wood (part of the Ancient Forest of Bere) which was a private deer hunting ground for King Henry VIII. 

From here we head east to, and cross, the Portsmouth Road (B2177) where Red Lane and Hatchley Lane will take us north past Deeps Copse, Sladford's Copse, before turning left into Laybushes Copse and Austin Copse where a forest trail leads us to Owslebury.

Atop a hill, Owslebury is on the Pilgrim's Trail from Winchester to Mont St Michel and the Monarch's Way. This leafy area during the 1830s was the scene of the Swing Riots. Across Southern England agricultural workers formed mobs and threatened to damaged machinery and property demanding money. One of the local Owlesbury farmers John Boyes took sympathy for the workers, he accompanied the mob and wrote a letter petitioning landowners to increase pay. He was tried and sentenced to transportation in Van Diemens Land (Tasmania), but he was later pardoned and returned to his farm.

From Owslebury we will head south towards Colden Common, before walking through the enchanting Upperbarn Copse, back to Stoke Park Wood and our meeting point at Bishopstoke.

Dogs are welcome, but please have them under control. At some points the path is quite narrow and you may need to step aside should anyone else be passing. Be prepared you may need to call you dog to heel on occasion. From what I can see on the Ship Inn webpage it is a dog friendly pub  but please do feel free to check yourselves.

Photographs

These images are copyrighted but are here credited to their copyright holders and are licensed for reuse under Creative Commons CC-BY-SA/2.0.

Copyright: Signposts for the South Downs Way temporary route by Peter S.jpg
The South Downs from Rackham by Peter Jeffery.jpg

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