The fourth and final stage of the 4-stage walk along the Itchen Way was around 8 miles and took a little under 4 hours. Starting at Itchen Stoke, where the third stage finished, it ended at the tiny village of Cheriton. On a generally warm and sunny day the best bit of the walk was at the very start, where the river was present and the sun was out. After that there was not much of the river to be seen until the trickle at the very source of the river.
This is a part of Hampshire I’m unfamiliar with. It is absolutely beautiful, with lots of thatched cottages and tiny villages. The 67 bus from Winchester, towards Petersfield via Alresford, is a real joy if you can get to the front seat on the top deck!
Possibly the source of the River Itchen
I started the first stage of the Itchen Way walk under the Itchen Bridge, having decided to skip the short section at the beginning of the Itchen Way between Weston Shore and the bridge. The images are in sequence from the start to the end of the walk at Eastleigh. It’s not a great walk and hopefully the other stages, from Eastleigh to the source of the River Itchen, will be more attractive / interesting. It was a very, very hot day for a 7 or 8 mile walk and took 4 hours.
things change 