Sherborne to Overton via Kingsclere - 15th November 2010

Another free afternoon following a morning session teaching at Sherborne St John. Usual route north through Monk Sherborne, Ramsdell and Stoney Heath then briefly joining a section of the A339 northwards to Kinsgclere.

To start the day, the ride from Down Grange to Sherborne via Wooten St Lawrence and Monk Sherborne on a frosty, misty morning.  A freshening 6-7 mile run down to the school.

Wooten St Lawrence - Frozen veg!

Monk Sherborne

Kingsclere is new territory for me. A typically picturesque large country village with a couple of pubs a few shops and an attractive Church, St Mary's.

Kingsclere - on a Quiet Monday Afternoon

St Mary's - Kingsclere

 
I have to say the pub I looked at but didn't enter didn't look particularly inviting but in these times such establishments are no doubt finding it hard to keep going.  
A beautiful cold but sunny November day. I had a reasonable idea in my mind of the roads I should take but I realised coming south at Kingsclere that I wouldn't have time to drop down into Whitchurch and then back to Basingstoke, as planned. So after the long hard climb around Watership Down on the B3051, I decided to head directly south to Overton and then cut back through Ashe Warren and Oakley to my car at Down Grange, Basingstoke.
All worth the view from White Hill, next to Watership Down . In the pic below if you enlarge and look carefully you can see the smoke from what I believe to be the cooling towers at Didcot - many miles to the north.

White Hill - Looking North

Downland Nature

After a terrific downhill run on the south side of the Down and a speed of around 33 miles p/hr, there was a bit more climbing on this roller coaster road towards Overton. Turning off left into Hilltop Road along near Overton station, I turned east towards Ashe Warren and went on along that lovely long lane, Harrow Way, which runs parallel with the London to Winchester Railway line.

Ashe Warren

From here back to Oakley and thence Basingstoke along Pack Lane, that familiar escape route from town and already the sun was sinking fast. Only another month before the days start to lengthen again!

The Route