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Tate Britain
Some images of a visit to Tate Britain.
No comments on Tate Britain -
Test Way (my new 40+ mile walk)
The Test Way is a 44-mile long distance walking route from high on the chalk downs at Inkpen to follow much of the course of the River Test to Eling where its tidal waters flow into Southampton Water.
The whole 40+ mile walk I’ve broken the walk into 5 stages. I considered doing stages 1 & 2 on consecutive days (with an overnight stay), and doing stages 3 & 4 on consecutive days (with an overnight stay), before finally doing stage 5. However I’ve rethought this and decided to do each stage as day trips.
- Combe Gibbet to Hurstbourne Tarrant (8-9 miles) {In the planning stage…}
- Hurstbourne Tarrant to Longparish (9 miles)
- Longparish to Stockbridge (8 miles)
- Stockbridge to Romsey (10 miles)
- Romsey to Eling (9 miles)
Leg (1) Combe Gibbet to Hurstbourne Tarrant (8-9 miles)
- Buy an Advance single ticket from Paddington to Hungerford (£26.95 with rail card, or £27.70 for ANY off-peak train)
- Train from Paddington (10:36) to Hungerford (11:25)
- Walk to Town Hall and catch bus 3 (12:35) to Rolf’s Farm (12:54) near Upper Green , south of Inkpen, and walk 1.2 miles to Combe Gibbet, the start of the Test Way
- Alternatively, a taxi (takes 20 mins, 8 miles) from Hungerford station to Combe Gibbet (the start of the Test Way) which will get you to the start of the walk over an hour earlier than using the bus
- Walk the walk (8-9 miles) Combe Gibbet to Hurstbourne Tarrant
- Hire taxi from Hurstbourne Tarrant to Andover (6 miles, 10 minutes) using Bourne Valley Taxis / Andover Taxis (07770 372 736)
- Buy Advance single (specific train) Andover to Clapham Junction (£16.05) or super off-peak single (any off-peak train) £21.50
- Train home from Andover to Clapham Junction but may need to change at Basingstoke or Woking
Leg (2) Hurstbourne Tarrant to Longparish (9 miles)
- Train from home to Andover
- Hire taxi from Andover Station to Hurstbourne Tarrant (6 miles, 10 minutes) using Bourne Valley Taxis / Andover Taxis (07770 372 736)
- Do walk to Longparish
- Longparish has a 15-minute, half-hourly bus to Andover (route 76) See Stagecoach
- Train home from Andover
Leg (3) Longparish to Stockbridge (8 miles)
- Train to Andover
- Andover has a 15-minute, half-hourly bus to Longparish (route 76) See Stagecoach
- Do walk to Stockbridge
- Stay overnight in Stockbridge?????
Leg (4) Stockbridge to Romsey (10 miles)
- Cooked breakfast in Stockbridge?????
- Do walk to Romsey
- Train home from Romsey (change at Southampton or Salisbury)
Leg (5) Romsey to Eling (9 miles)
- Train to Romsey (via Southampton)
- Do walk to Eling
- Walk to Totton Station (it’s not far)
- Train home via Southampton
Some links
- The Test Way (too detailed and going northwards rather than southwards)
- https://testvalley.gov.uk/assets/attach/16066/12pp-WALKING-THE-TEST-WAY-FINAL-VERSION.pdf (out of date info on buses and accommodation))
Draft data from other sites
Subsequent legs, taken from other web sites, but the info may be outdated and these legs will not be how I will do them.
3 miles Hurstbourne Tarrant to St Mary Bourne Refreshments: George Inn or slightly further up the lane Bourne Valley Inn, St Mary Bourne.
Accommodation: George Inn, St Mary Bourne http://www.georgeinnstmarybourne.co.uk, Bourne Valley Inn, St Mary Bourne http://www.bournevalleyinn.com
Public Transport: Hurstbourne Tarrant is on a regular bus route to Newbury and Andover. St Mary Bourne has a regular bus route to Andover.5.5 miles St Mary Bourne to Longparish Refreshments: The Cricketers Inn, Longparish http://www.thecricketersinnlongparish.com
The Plough Inn, Longparish http://www.ploughinn.org
Accommodation: Yew Tree Cottage, Longparish, http://www.yewcottagelongparish.com
Public Transport: St Mary Bourne is on a bus route from Andover.
Longparish is on a bus route from Andover.5 miles Longparish to West Down, Chilbolton Refreshments: The Mayfly a lovely pub on the River Test, West Down, Chilbolton http://www.mayflyfullerton.co.uk
The White Lion in Wherwell http://www.thewhitelionwherwell.co.uk
Accommodation: The Peat Spade, Longstock – 2.4 miles away http://www.peatspadeinn.co.uk
Public Transport: Longparish is on a bus route from Andover.
West Down, Chilbolton is on a bus route from Andover.3 miles West Down, Chilbolton to Stockbridge Refreshments: Lots of pubs and cafes to choose from along Stockbridge High Street.
Accommodation: The White Hart Stockbridge, is right on the Test Way http://www.whitehartstockbridge.co.uk, The Grosvenor Hotel http://www.thegrosvenorstockbridge.com, The Three Cups Inn http://www.the3cups.co.uk, The Greyhound on the Test http://www.thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk
Public Transport: West Down is on the bus route from Andover.
Stockbridge has bus services to Andover, Romsey, Winchester and Salisbury.
Check the local timetables to plan your journey.5 miles Stockbridge to Mottisfont Refreshments: John O’Gaunt Pub, Horsebridge http://www.johnofgaunt.co.uk
Accommodation: Mill Arms, Dunbridge (1 mile walk from Mottisfont) http://www.millarmsdunbridge.co.uk
Public Transport: Stockbridge has bus services to Andover, Romsey, Winchester and Salisbury. Check the local timetables to plan your journey.
Mottisfont and Dunbridge train station with direct trains from London Waterloo,
Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton.5 miles Mottisfont to Romsey Refreshments: Lots of cafes and pubs in Romsey.
Accommodation: The Palmerston Rooms, Palmerston St, Romsey
http://www.thepalmerstonrooms.com, The Cromwell Arms, Mainstone, Romsey http://www.thecromwellarms.com
Public Transport: Mottisfont and Dunbridge train station with direct trains from London Waterloo, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton.
Romsey train station goes direct to Southampton and Bath.
Romsey regular bus routes to Winchester, Andover and Southampton.9 miles Romsey to Eling Refreshments: Salmon Leap, Totton http://www.thesalmonleap-totton.foodndrink.uk, Anchor Inn, Totton http://www.anchorinntotton.co.uk
Public Transport:
Romsey train station goes direct to Southampton and Bath.
Romsey regular bus routes to Winchester, Andover and Southampton.
Regular buses and trains from Southampton to Totton daily. -
Overnight in Eastbourne
The weather forecast was good so we drove down to Eastbourne on the south coast for a night away. On the way down we called in at Sheffield Park, a National Trust property.
At our hotel breakfast, the waitress taking our order asked how many sausages, rashers of bacon and eggs we wanted, but fortunately not how many mushrooms. We thought that amusing.
As we descended the long steep road from Beachy Head several cyclists were following us and travelling at 40-45 mph!
Next time we visit Eastbourne we’ll do it by train – there’s a lot of traffic around the south coast.
We had a superb evening meal at La Locanda Del Duca restaurant.
Our hotel entrance 
Sheffield Park 
Sheffield Park 
Sheffield Park -
Avon Valley Path (Ringwood to Christchurch)
On a warm and sunny day this fourth and final leg of the Avon Valley Path was a so-so walk. Contrary to my comment about Ringwood at the end of the previous walk, my impression this time was that it is a rather nice town, but again I only saw it briefly.
You don’t get to see much of the river on this walk and there are a couple of long stretches along busy roads. For example the last part of the walk takes you into Chichester but due to the closure of a footpath along the river it’s necessary to follow the new, revised route along busy, main roads.
Overall it’s a level walk so not particularly strenuous, although the strong winds made it an effort at times. I stopped for a drink at The Lamb at Winkton, around the 8-mile mark, where I impressed staff and locals with my exploits (good for my age?).
It was a long walk at just over 11 miles. I left home just before 8 in the morning and got home at 9 in the evening. There was a lot of travelling involved!
That’s the full walk completed, from Salisbury to Christchurch. Looking back at what I’d written about each of the legs, the second leg from Downton to Fordingbridge was the best, with this fourth leg being the most disappointing. I now need to find another challenge.
Windy! 
About The Avon Valley Path
Salisbury to Christchurch
My proposed walks
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles) (Walked August 5th 2025)
Train to Salisbury, walk to Downton, bus X3 to Salisbury (20 minutes), train to home - Downton – Fordingbridge (7 miles) (Walked August 21st 2025)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Downton (20 minutes), walk to Fordingbridge, bus X3 to Salisbury (32 minutes), train to home - Fordingbridge to Ringwood (10 miles) (Walked September 8th 2025)
Train to Salisbury, bus X3 to Fordingbridge (25 minutes), walk to Ringwood, bus X3 to Salisbury (45 minutes), train to home - Ringwood – Christchurch (10 miles) (Walked April 30th 2026)
Train to Bournemouth, bus X3 to Ringwood (40 minutes), walk to Christchurch station, train to home
- Salisbury – Downton (8 miles) (Walked August 5th 2025)
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A trip to Llanrhaeadr
The weather forecast for North Wales was dry and sunny. Ideal conditions for a short, 2-night stay to see my Aunty May (nearly 97) in the tiny village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and to include a walk to the famous Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall. I’ve been to the village many times and I’ve done the walk two or three times before. If you don’t mind walking country lanes it’s a very pretty 4-mile stroll (uphill all the way!) with only occasional mid-week traffic breaking the silence. The waterfall really is stunning. There’s also a very pleasant café (with new owners) overlooking the waterfall.
My Aunty May was a delight!
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Guildford -> Godalming
I’ve done much of this walk a couple of times but today I extended it. It’s a really nice 5-mile stroll along the River Wey, ending up at the very pleasant town of Godalming. There’s a very good second-hand, charity bookshop (A Novel Idea) where I found three fiction and a non-fiction, all for £8!
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It was my birthday
Well it wasn’t quite like the picture at the top but we did have a very nice time at a Lebanese restaurant in Teddington, followed by a manic game of The Traitors in which I played a dirty trick on my daughter at the finale.
An East-of-Greece lunch with the family -
Virginia Water
A day out with the family at Virginia Water near Windsor – but there are no pictures of the family or the water! There was an interesting shop (post office) at The Village (see the 4-mile marker on the map). The garden and toilets were closed to the public because too many people were using the toilets without patronising the shop!
I think it was nearer 8 miles! -
Epsom High Street
Epsom is beginning to look a bit like Sutton….
But there is this gem of a store…
and there is this rather impressive ceiling in the shopping precinct.
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Battersea Park, London
It was a warm, sunny day for a stroll around Battersea Park. It’s been quite a while since we last took a trip up to London.
things change 