SUMMER WALK 10 The Chairmakers, Worlds End Tuesday 10 th June 7.30pm This is a very short walk made so due to the majority of the footpaths in the area around the Chairmakers being overrun with high nettles and other dense foliage. In addition, one particular path has been deliberately cut off as the farmer has placed a large bale in front of it and it is interesting to note that the same person has put a bull in the field through which another footpath runs across his land. (See photographs of blocked path at the end of this preview) Leaving the pub car park we head for the road junction and, after taking great care crossing the road, turn right in the direction of Hambledon. After 300m we take a wide track on the left that leads to Meadows Farmhouse which we soon pass on our right. We come to the first of 13 stiles on this short walk after passing the farmhouse and continue along what is the Alan King Way on this straight, overgrown path with fencing either side until we come to a junction. The Alan King route we wished to take to the right at this point is completely overgrown, so we will go straight ahead over our second stile and walk through a narrow stretch of woodland eventually emerging onto Bunns Lane. Here we turn right and continue on the lane until we reach the Rudley Mill cross roads.
LEFT First stile on the walk near Meadows Farmhouse. RIGHT Woodland leading to Bunns Lane. Junction at Rudley Mill
Keeping left at the junction we cross a small bridge then again bear left into another lane in the direction of Newtown and Soberton. Our route takes us past several properties, then at the end of a short rise we pass St Martin s Corner Farm. Shortly after this farm we take the road to the left and as we again go under a canopy of trees ahead we will see a modern building, Kille Cottage, which has large wooden gates in front of it. Kille Cottage Stile going from field of long grass On reaching these gates we turn sharp left and the path/bridleway skirts around the property going to the right after a short distance. Our route on this slightly overgrown path takes us to a stile on the left which we go over before crossing a field with long grass. The next stile (pictured above) awaits at the far end of the field after which we go obliquely right to a ford and cross this narrow strip of water on a wooden bridge.(see below)
With hedges either side we continue to yet another stile after which we are again in Bunns Lane. Going right we walk along the lane for a few hundred metres ignoring the footpath sign across a footbridge on the left but continuing to the entrance of Bunns Farm. Turning left on the footpath that goes through the farm we encounter a pleasant sight in the form of a donkey sanctuary. The final leg of this truncated walk takes us across another two stiles and immediately after the second we take a third stile to the right. In the distance one can see the Chairmakers as the stile is crossed, however the field which we go across in the direction indicated on the signpost has very high grass so anyone who is vertically challenged may get lost as we traverse the field. Has anyone seen Judith lately? Final overgrown footpath across field Chairmakers in background
There are two more stiles to negotiate, one on the far side of the field and another which is in a potentially dangerous position on the road junction by the pub, as we emerge at the end of the walk. Great care is needed when crossing the road junction in front of the Chairmakers. WALK DETAILS Duration: Approx. 1h Distance: 4 Km (2.5 miles) Conditions: Dry underfoot but some paths have nettles and long grass overhanging them so expect wet trousers if it has been raining. Again for this walk, shorts are NOT recommended. Grade of walk: Easy but please note the number of stiles. Number of stiles: 13
The scenes above and below are typical of what we encountered when planning this walk!