On Sunday 7th April 24 Ramblers set forth from the Royal Oak car park in the picturesque village of Bishopstone with its beautiful thatched cottages. It's not known when it was first inhabited or what it was called, but fragmented records from Saxon times indicate that the whole of the Chalke Valley area was originally known as Eblesborne. Eblesborne meant land on river burna (river) and was once owned by a man called Ebbel. By 1166 it had been acquired by the See of Winchester and was known as Bissopeston.
Walking through the outskirts of the village they turned right onto New Town Lane, following the lane until the signpost to Idstone, a tiny hamlet. Following a path along the right hand side of a hedge they crossed a footbridge over a stream with gates at each end. They continued on through fields and tracks passing attractive farm buildings to reach Lower Idstone Farm. Crossing Featherbed Land, they took the footpath alongside an area for exercising horses, continuing on to Ashbury.
Ashbury is a lovely spring-lined village, as is Bishopstone, tucked below the Downs and mentioned in Saxton times as Aescaesbyries (camp of the ash trees). They made their way past the Manor House known as Chapel Manor, because there is a small oratory over the porch.
They continued on to Kingstone Winslow, another pretty hamlet in the parish of Ashbury. Here by the pond and one of the attractive houses dated 1792, they stopped for a quick break before taking the footpath along the edge of the pond to Kingstone Coombes and The Ridgeway.
On reaching Kingstone Coombes they started the steep climb up the narrow chalk escarpment. Dry valleys were formed when most of Britain was buried beneath a layer of ice. Unfortunately no panoramic views today, due to the cloudy sky. They then headed to a tree lined track where they stopped for lunch. Refreshed they crossed the B4000 and followed The Ridgeway back to Bishopstone, passing fields full of pigs, and walked down a steep sided coombe with Strip Lynchets, a form of medieval cultivation.
On reaching Bishopstone taking the narrow path signposted The City around the back of the picturesque thatched cottages, they emerged to see them in all their glory, with fabulous spring flowers surrounding the pond and little bridges over streams.
Walking through the outskirts of the village they turned right onto New Town Lane, following the lane until the signpost to Idstone, a tiny hamlet. Following a path along the right hand side of a hedge they crossed a footbridge over a stream with gates at each end. They continued on through fields and tracks passing attractive farm buildings to reach Lower Idstone Farm. Crossing Featherbed Land, they took the footpath alongside an area for exercising horses, continuing on to Ashbury.
Ashbury is a lovely spring-lined village, as is Bishopstone, tucked below the Downs and mentioned in Saxton times as Aescaesbyries (camp of the ash trees). They made their way past the Manor House known as Chapel Manor, because there is a small oratory over the porch.
They continued on to Kingstone Winslow, another pretty hamlet in the parish of Ashbury. Here by the pond and one of the attractive houses dated 1792, they stopped for a quick break before taking the footpath along the edge of the pond to Kingstone Coombes and The Ridgeway.
On reaching Kingstone Coombes they started the steep climb up the narrow chalk escarpment. Dry valleys were formed when most of Britain was buried beneath a layer of ice. Unfortunately no panoramic views today, due to the cloudy sky. They then headed to a tree lined track where they stopped for lunch. Refreshed they crossed the B4000 and followed The Ridgeway back to Bishopstone, passing fields full of pigs, and walked down a steep sided coombe with Strip Lynchets, a form of medieval cultivation.
On reaching Bishopstone taking the narrow path signposted The City around the back of the picturesque thatched cottages, they emerged to see them in all their glory, with fabulous spring flowers surrounding the pond and little bridges over streams.
Leaving Bisopstone
Apple and Mint Sauce springs to mind!
Making our way along The Ridgeway
A brief pause before we leave The Ridgeway
Descending into Bishopstone
Views of "The City" in Bisopstone