Brown Candover (Wayfarer's Walk 9)

Rape fields near Northington

I was a bit desperate to get our for a walk after a wet week in which I had anyway to be at home to supervise the installation of  a new central heating boiler. The weather forecast promised more rain at 1300, but I thought I could get most of a walk in before then. It did not entirely go to plan.

I picked up the route at Brown Candover at 1015 and headed off along a lane, bearing left after a while along a track in the direction of Northington. Just outside Tortford the track, by now a field-edge path, meets a road and you turn left to cross the A3046 by the Woolpack pub.

This tree-lined track winds uphill and emerges on a road by rather derelict looking farm buildings. The picture above was taken here, looking back. Much later, I discovered that I had missed my turn here. I knew I should turn right around this point and did in fact take a right, but not the right one. On the way back, I realised that the arrow indicating the turn had been placed on the back of the short sign post, rather than on the front, so I felt a bit less incompetent. I did of course fail to notice the absence of WW sign on the next post, so I can't really avoid responsibility.

So instead of continuing on the Wayfarer's Walk I walked along a very pleasant track, the Ox Drove, with birdsong all around, for another mile or so. I stopped at a road crossing when it started raining and sheltered in the middle of a bush when the rain turned to hail. All this was earlier than expected and when the hail eased I decided to turn round. Back at the derelict farm, I had planned to take a short cut back to Brown Candover and when it wasn't in quite the right place relative to the Wayfarer's Walk I gradually came to understand that it had all gone wrong.

I walked about five miles, only two of which were forward along the WW. And because the route does a curious dog leg, I ended up only about a mile away from Brown Candover. Must try harder next time! 

Conditions: cloud, rain, hail, a few brief bursts of sunshine, about 9 degrees C.

Forward distance: 2 miles; distance now traveled 32 miles.

Map: Explorer 132 (Winchester)

Rating: three stars. Good to get out, but fairly basic.