Saturday 5th September 2020
Steady drive down via A11 until South Mimms services (where else) for a dirty burger at BK to keep us going, then round the M25, along the M3 and it was time to ask Google where the hell we were going. Found our way to Alresford and a Tescos to stock up on essentials before reaching Yew Tree Cottage, a converted thatched barn in someone’s garden in the village of Cheriton. A large open plan living space with a dining table for 6 and sofas for at least as many seemed a little excessive when there were only 2 single beds! The kitchen area was also a bit limited - but it came with a complimentary bottle of wine and a chocolate cake. There was also the distinct aroma of dog.
Salad, wine and chocolate cake for tea followed by sinking into the sagging sofas to catch the end of Karate Kid and all of Rainman as the wifi didn’t work.
Sunday 6th September 2020
A slow start to the day kicked off with coffee, crumpets and orange juice before setting off for a walk around the village of Cheriton. We discovered the amazingly clear chalk streams that run through the area along with the little bridges, and picture postcard thatched cottages that make up the village.
We had found a leaflet describing a 2.8 mile walk through the countryside that surrounded the village and as the weather was quite favourable we set off to encounter fields, horses, cows, dogs, chickens with umbrellas, and lots of MAMILs on bikes.
By the time we arrived back in the village, the Post Office shop had closed so we went back to the cottage for lunch. If you have ever tried to oven bake a sourdough baguette in a micro-combi convection oven but managed to microwave it for 7 minutes instead you will get the picture - a rock hard half brown, half white barely edible torpedo topped with cheese.
Having tested our fillings we needed provisions so drove to Alresford for a quick wander round the market town and then popped into Co-Op where Michelle met a fellow “Zoflo” maniac. Who knew there was such a thing, or that there were so many different Zoflora disinfectants to collect.
Back to the cottage for gnocchi and pasta sauce - oh and chocolate cake with cream.
Monday 7th September 2020
Good night’s sleep and up and about at a good hour. Toast and crumpets for breakfast and then we are off to Winchester which is only about eight miles away. Arrived at the Park and Ride site and paid our parking fee and prepared to pay our fee for the ride. The driver was on his first day and didn’t realise we had to pay so let us on for free.
After a little wander around to get our bearings we stopped at Coffee Lab for pain au chocolate and latte to keep us going. We walked up the hill to view the Great Hall, Archway and sculptures before making our way back down the High Street.
Down at the bottom of the High Street we discovered the River Itchen and decided to follow one of many streams partly along the Itchen Way footpath past Wolvesly Castle and out to The Handlebar Cafe. This is on the National Cycle Network and has some interesting sculptures on the approach to the cafe. A couple of cold orange juices refreshed us to continue our walk as we worked our way back through the water meadows at the back of Winchester College (Rishi Sunak and Tim Brook-Taylor are old boys of the school), until we reached the cathedral. We strolled around the gardens as many people lounged around on the grass in the sunshine, before taking the decision not to pay £20 for a look inside. Well it was nearly time for our pre-booked late lunch at Rick Stein’s Bistro. The poached egg salad, Hake with tomato and caper sauce, new potatoes and green beans followed by sticky toffee pudding and ice-cream/passion fruit pavlova and whipped cream were all excellent. Michelle was bullied by the waitress into having a £10 glass of Rose compared to my £7 sauvignon blanc.
It was time to head back to the cottage to discover we had some actual wifi which kept us quiet for a little while. Then it was time for a few crackers with cheese and a scotch egg, then off to the Flowerpot Inn for ‘Pots bitter/fruit cider which was served through the window for us to consume under a canopy (Damn you covid). They also stopped serving at 9PM!
Tuesday 8th September 2020
Three mile south of Petersfield is Queen Elizabeth Country Park with a car park, cafe, small shop and toilets. Masks on and straight in for coffee and cake before doing anything else, then set off for a walk into the woods. Plenty of trails and many cyclists using them on a very pleasant day and about an hour later we worked our way back to the cafe via a footpath right next to the A3.
Of course we had earned something for lunch now, so ordered jacket potatoes with cheese bacon and chives along with a cup of tea. It was no Rick Stein’s Bistro, but it was adequate for what was needed. Fully fuelled we did manage a longer walk which included parts of the South Downs Way, Hangers Way, Shipwrights Way, and the Staunton Way lasting a few hours and seeming to cover the whole Park. Our only provisions were a couple of Alpen bars which were consumed at a picnic table part way round. This was just before the wrist strap on my camera decided to snap as we were walking along a tarmac lane and the camera did a couple of somersaults. It seems it got away with just a couple of chips and scratches.
Back at the cottage Nigel was on hand to open the gate for us to drive straight in, and we just about managed to cook a pizza in the combi-oven-thing. Jean-Claude Van Damme provided the entertainment to send us to sleep.
Wednesday 9th September 2020
Down the A3 to Portsmouth and we discovered a shopping centre with a large car park so thought this must be near the town centre, but that wasn’t exactly true. We walked a fair old distance past a lot of M.O.D. and University properties to finally reach the pier where we sat and had a coffee outside in the sunshine.
Wandering further on with a little help from Google maps we reached Gunwharf Quays where the old quayside had been modernised with shops, bars, sculptures and the Spinnaker Tower. We took the lift up the 170 metres to see the views across the dockyards, The Solent and The Isle of Wight. It was a beautiful day so the views were very clear. Naturally, we had a quick walk over the glass floor part of the tower - the view down from there wasn’t so great! Then it was time to get back down to earth for prawn baguettes and orange juice at the Spinnaker Cafe.
We set off towards the dockyards, and thanks to a misunderstanding between me and Google maps (Google wanted us to go through some 12 foot high gates which were very definitely locked) we had a quick look round a complex of flats as a bonus before we got there. Once there, we bought tickets for The Mary Rose Museum and made our way past HMS Victory to spend a fascinating couple of hours viewing all the recovered artefacts, along with the actual ship. Coming out of the museum, via the compulsory shop, we were just in time to see the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth pull out past her sister ship, The Prince of Wales to leave port. Apparently the Queen Elizabeth had been held up for a few days due to a crew member testing positive for Covid - I think they were just waiting until we were in Portsmouth to witness the event. Took a few photos of Victory, Q.E., and P.O.W., had a quick drink and then headed back to the cottage. Cheese, meat, crackers, scotch egg and wine for tea.
Thursday 10th September 2020
Another slow start to the day due mainly to my “broken back” which was getting progressively worse. The limp saggy sofas were taking their toll. A couple of full strength Nurofen help and we set off for a walk in the local area.
Heading along Cheriton Lane, then crossing the road to work our way around the back of Bramdean and eventually to The Fox Inn. The Ordnance Survey app made this quite easy, but some very high stiles made it slightly more problematic for those of us with short legs. Lunch at The Fox consisted Ham, egg and chips/Roast beef and horseradish sandwiches with fries and a couple of alcoholic drinks to wash it all down. All accompanied by Countryfile calendar images on the wall.
We moved out of Bramdean via a good tree-lined track and encountered a couple of dog walkers looking for a black Labrador they had misplaced. We found a very peaceful route round the back of Hinton Ampner N.T. before coming back to the cottage from the other side of the village.
It was time for a bit of quiet time with hot baths to cure aching muscles and broken backs. Then it was time to cook a cottage pie for 55 minutes with a stupid combi-oven which would only cook for 6 minutes at a time.
Friday 11th September 2020
My stupid snapped spine is still a problem so the pain killer supply is reducing rapidly, but more importantly we are running out of food and wine so we need to go out. Late morning we set off for the market town of Alton but ran out of helpful signposts half way there so had to ask Google for more help. By the time we got there (via the scenic route) toilets were urgently needed so we dived into the handy Wetherspoon’s next to our car park for 2 x latte, and 2 x flat white for a grand total of £2.58
A slow wander around the town centre revealed little to excite as we tried to socially distance ourselves from the hundreds of students on lunch break from the college. A very nice lunch in The Wheatsheaf, which Trip Advisor didn’t think existed, consisting of Cumberland sausage and mash/Falafel burger and fries.
Marks and Spencer foodhall on the way back to the car park provided a meal deal (including wine) for £12 which kept us going through the evening whilst packing to go home.
A few days at home with a proper sofa and bed managed to fix my broken back.