Today we took a trip out to Winchester to do a bit of recconnaisance, checking out some accommodation options, and following the start of the South Downs Way from the start point at National Trust City Mill.
As luck would have it, parking is mostly free in Winchester on a Sunday and our car park was very conveniently situated at the top of the high street and literally a 5 minute walk from the High Street and also the famous King Alfred statue.
Popped into Costa to start off the day right, coffee and bacon rolls!
After filling out stomachs we set out to find City Hall National Trust office, and the official marked start of the South Downs Way National Trail, which was only a few minutes walk from the very impressive statue of King Alfred which stands at the very bottom of the high street.
And in no time at all we were off! Following the path next to the river and getting our bearings. 15 minutes later and we were well out of the town centre, into the suburbs and heading towards the bridge that crosses over the M3. Once we crossed the motorway we were really on the start of the trail and into the countryside. Very soon the noise of the motorway subsided and we were quite alone in the fields. It was a bit windy with the incoming storm, and rather cloudy as well; hopefully it will be much nicer when we return in June, fingers crossed.
4.5 mile walk from the start of the South Downs Way out of Winchester City, over the M3 and into the countryside
Check out the link below for a short video of our walk.
https://www.relive.cc/view/v36AVy39XGq
We turned around after just over 2 miles and retraced our steps, taking in the sights and wondering what this will be like when we return in June. We made it back into Winchester town centre and had a wander around the ground outside Winchester Cathedral. Feeling very pleased with ourselves and now getting quite excited for our upcoming adventure we felt the need to have some cakes by way of a celebration!
