Hampshire Riding

Went for my usual loop last night out of Bishops Waltham. More effort than it was worth I'm afraid. Thought things may have been harder due to the frost over the past 2 days but its made the clay even stickier!

Still managed a pint in the brushmakers though, so all was not lost.

Before Christmas I started trying to ride the small deer paths in the forest of Bere, so might just carry on with that. Some promising little routes.

Any riding in West Walk, near Wickham?

Also, does anyone know the condition of the singletrack at Moors Valley Country Park?

Thanks. 🙂

West Walk is very boggy at the best of times, certainly the bits of fun singletrack I know of are. This weather means the main tracks will be ok but rest underwater most likely.

I cleared a load of stuff there a few years ago but constant bogginess was off putting.

Did you ever get those boxes CG?

Yup West Walk is just that, a walk.. with wellies. I use a small lane to scoot around it nowadays.

You would honestly be better off playing in Bere Forest along the Gravel then popping out either at the bottom near the Triumph Motorbike dealers then heading back to Soberton via the lanes, to Meanstoke then Corehampton and stopping off in the Swan for a few pints at Exton.
Waltham Chase used to be good too, once you could use the path near the The Chase pub but it leads into the the wetlands and the woods these days are just too boggy.. Better off using Paradise Lane that leads from the 2177 and takes you back to B'Waltham.. then head up to Dundridge to the Hampshire Bowman for yet more beer, sorry theres a bridleway over the top of the hill on your right, bit lumpy as the Neddies use it a lot.. but then you can get back onto the lane that passes Corehampton Golf Club and back to Beacon Hill and SDW then head down Beacon Hill lane and back into Exton and the Swan Pub..

Make a loop out of that, probs take you a couple of hours, add another in for beer stops, maybe add two hours in for beers stops..

And wait until its drier.. unless sticking to the lanes.

It's quiet, lovely and a great little area to ride around.

As to the question about South East Hampshire, well there are many routes, funny I found a new bridleway at the base of Chidden Hill/Chidden Holt going east on Sunday.. but further south you've Hambledon way you've got the woods over Dogkennal lane heading Clanfield way.. then you're almost on the A3..

Hmmm Beer...
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mattbee - thanks for the info, will wait til it dries out a bit before exploring.

hammy - all sorted thanks.

bb- your post made me laugh, we're not all mile munching athletes! 😉 Sounds as though there's plenty of quiet roads to explore, not sure about the beer stops cos I'm a Southern shandy drinking softie. Will check those road names on the map so thanks for those.

One bonus of the vile weather we've been having the last couple of months has been that the wife and I are exploring many more of the quiet back lanes around South Hants, and skirting into West Sussex.
Lovely ride on Sinday out over Portsdown Hill through Southwick, Denmead, then overview Bishops Waltham to Wickham. Virtually all on really quiet back lanes, was lovely. Looking forward to exploring a bit more in better weather now & trying more of the bridle ways and off road bits we've never bothered wi before.

Forest of bere is boggy at the moment. Went for a night ride on Thurs and found that someone has started putting logs across some if the drier singletrack up near the main car park. I don't think it's kids as it's a very quiet little section in the dense woods north of the main carpark. It's still worth a play for an hour.

Forest of Bere - is that also known as Creech Woods? If so it looks tiny compared to West Walk which does have some elevation, according to my mapping software.

'Forest of Bere' to my understanding covers quite a few different areas as it was a much bigger swathe of forest that has gradually been broken down into smaller enclosures by past road, house building and clearance for farming etc. Some private woodland is also part of it. West Walk and Hundred Acres, Creech, even Havant Thicket are all technically part of the Forest of Bere.
What different people actually mean by the name can be quite different.
Never bothered riding in Creech, No idea if it's worth it. Hundred Acres and West Walk are the same bit of woodland bisected by roads.

Thank you matt. Managed to find it on the Forestry Commission website and it's bound to be mentioned by my hero, William Cobbett, in his classic book so shall be investigating that later.

Hi CG. I ride Bere and West Walk an awful lot, if you are on Strava then you should be able to see my regular route if you can find me. John Nicholson, Fareham. It is muddy at the moment but still rideable if you like that sort of terrain, much nicer when it is dry.

Also allows you a link on to the South Downs if you join the old railway line and head right as you come out of the woods.

Oh, yes, Westlands Farm Shop is pretty good, great pies!

I usually mean west walk/woodend when I talk of forest of Bere but i understand it covers a larger area.

Walk there most days with the dog. Found a phone yesterday and started chatting to a biker from on here. Was in a bit of a rush so didnt quite catch their name!

Thanks john and cobrakai. 🙂 Shall check out that farm shop for pies.

Hi Cobrakai, It was me you spoke to yesterday. I found a couple of trails heading back towards the the railway line. My house backs onto the railway line a bit further up the valley, so will pop down again when it is a bit drier. It would be good to catch up again sometime!

A bit further up the line Wheelie?!!!! you aren't in the place with ferraris and R8's are you 🙂 big ol place that!

Do you have the mad collies that scare my wee working cocker?! Just as I left you the lassie phoned so had to take the phone round to the top car park. I'm probably going for a ride in the woods on Friday afternoon if anyone is about.

No mad collies here! I might get out on Friday, if i get my floor finished.
John I don't think i have and R8, the only letters on the back of the vehicle are 1.9 TDI !

Bere is drying out quite nicely now and you can get a decent ride in without dragging yourself through mud

Bumped into Cobrakai again the other day at Bere forest. Thanks for showing me a couple of trails. The other side of the road from West Lodge has a couple of good runs, seems like there has been a bit of building in the past. Still pretty boggy in parts.

Trying to figure out if you have found somewhere I haven't ridden Wheelie. Was it across from 100 acre car park?

Has anyone ridden the BW/BOAT between Houghton and Broughton that runs from the phone box in Houghton, then South of Evely Farm and down in to Broughton?

Doable on a gnarmac bike? Am heading over that way tomorrow, and it looked a nice addition to the route!

Evening Cap'n and, yes, I've cycled that RoW. Pretty bumpy iirc but it was around a couple of years ago, presumably you're coming from Meon Hill?

Will be heading S from Stockers, then up following the Wallop Brook from the Houghton/Broughton area.

Ah, the opposite direction! Well you know how it is on those tracks, weather dependent so go for it, enjoy and do report back. 🙂

Been a bit moist up here at the head of the River tonight, so weather may well play a part! 🙂 Will try and remember to take pics.

If it's been dry overnight it will be fine, shall look forward to pics!

John, if you turn left out of the car park and follow road for a few hundred yards. Turn right just opposite the big house 'West Lodge'
As it is getting drier i will have a bit more of a look.

Has anyone ridden the BW/BOAT between Houghton and Broughton that runs from the phone box in Houghton, then South of Evely Farm and down in to Broughton?

Doable on a gnarmac bike? Am heading over that way tomorrow, and it looked a nice addition to the route!

If i recall the BW from the phonebox in houghton was on some narrowish muddy/grassy tracks, a little sketchy, traction was ok on CX, slicks could be interesting.

There is also a BW slightly further south that was more open and stoney past the farm and brings you out the same area, i think that was less muddy.

I was around longstock/wherewell on the cx yesterday, pretty area for a quick road ride.

wherewell on the cx yesterday, pretty area for a quick road ride.

Any chance of you Hampshire peeps posting up some seriously scenic pics, any featuring bluebells would be particularly welcomed. 😀 Thanks!

Stopped riding in January and have recently been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. 😥

CG, all my pics are in the weekend riding plans thread 😀

Cheers bb, will wander over there!

Stopped riding in January and have recently been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease.

Lymes disease won't stop you attending the Baby /bike Bash will it?

You can borrow my electric assist bike so no straining required

jambalaya - shall accept healing vibes so thank you!

WCA - you're very kind but am just not able to ride any bike, my limbs have lost strength and have become rather clumsy. Please please please video your Baby Bike Bash and post up. 😀

[i] my limbs have lost strength and have become rather clumsy[/i]

Maybe I have had Lymes disease all my life...

CG, thats bad news to hear. I hope you take care of yourself and one day soon return to riding. Don't let that Tripster go rusty, you know what Titanium's like 😆 If it's not ridden, it crumbles.

I post all my pics on the Weekend thread now, obvs a huge amount of my riding is in the Downs, on occasion I scuttle off somehere else, but have noticed botht eh Wild Garlic and Bluebells are out in force now. Therefore, if you can, a great time to visit some shady woodland.

All the best CG.

@cg then please accept a double dose. Something very amiss regarding Lyme discease and the medical prpfession in the UK, when I lived in the US 25 years ago our neighbours warned us about it and there where many public info posters. Here the authorities / GPs seem to be in denial

Bluebells are out in force now

WCA - you made me laugh! 🙂

bb - thank you, I live for my cycling and my bikes are waiting. Poor Tripster has hardly been used and it's not the only Ti in my stable either. 😳 Shall continue to look out for your pics. 🙂

jambalaya - thanks. Yes, I agree with you but it seems that the NHS picks and chooses which conditions it treats. I already have to finance testing, consultations and meds for another permanent health condition so this is all extra expense. Last month a Lyme charity was involved in a NICE scoping workshop regarding guidelines so it's a start.

Meon valley trail

Hoping to ride part of it with my dog and daughter in a trailer (just daughter in trailer)

Question is which bit would offer best parking/ surface/ dog off lead longest?

Cheers for your help

CG,ygm. Hope it has the intended restorative power!

@cg then please accept a double dose. Something very amiss regarding Lyme discease and the medical prpfession in the UK, when I lived in the US 25 years ago our neighbours warned us about it and there where many public info posters. Here the authorities / GPs seem to be in denial

Still a mixed bag. My eldest had a classic rash, and whilst we couldn't remember a tick bite, the locum who saw him took the 'no chances' route and prescribed a course of antibiotics on the spot.

My wife took him back in for the second blood test and one of the partners was very dismissive - it wasn't likely to be Lymes, it's very rare, no point giving him anything, don't know why he did etc etc.

Few weeks later had a phone call from the senior partner. Second tests showed a very high probability it was, and he took the case on personally, wanted our corroboration of his surgery accounts, insisted on walking through all the possible pitfalls and warning signs we should be aware of for the next year or so, whilst re assuring the initial antibiotics would almost certainly have been the right action and at the right time. Basically couldn't do enough.

Whilst I understand there is/was a culture of antibiotics as a panacea that GPs are trying to get out of the national mindset, it seem to me with a suspicion of Lymes it's nothing to lose and potentially a lot of pain to avoid. Anecdotally, in my part of Hants at least, cases are on the rise (mild winters to blame?) so I wouldn't take any chances with seeking treatment.

brassneck - interesting experience and do hope that your son is in good health now.