On the 24th of August 2019 we set forth from Winchester train station and began out three day adventure along the South Downs Way, something that we had been planning for quite some time. This weekend turned out to be the hottest recording August bank holiday, and with this being my first attempt at a long distance walk I totally over packed!

For Day 1 the plan was to make it to Meonstoke where we’d booked a night at The Bucks Head, which was roughly 14 miles. To me this seemed like it would be a long, but leisurely walk… However in hindsight, hills make a significant difference to distance travelled!

At about 6-7 miles into the walk it was becoming rather tiring, mostly down to the heat, but we ended up stumbling on a place called Holden Farm Camping, which had advertisement for cold drinks. We decided to take a short break here to refill our water, and buy something with a bit of a fizz to it. This is where I discovered Cawston Press Rhubarb soda; a delicious drink! Knowing there was a pub not far on we continued the walk up a nice big hill until we eventually found the pub, The Milburys, which was closed. We sat on a bench and had a bit of a rest, discussed our options, and the likelihood that we may not make it to the Bucks Head in time – We decided to press on.

We eventually made it to Beacon Hill which had some amazing views, especially on a hot sunny day like this, not a cloud in the sky and you could see as far as your eyes would let you. It was a long walk, a tiring walk, but it was worth it for these views. As a bonus, it was all downhill from here and we ended up making some great time once we were descending. Spirits were lifted and the knowledge of cooked food and cider urged us on.

By the time we’d been down all the hills, through Exton, Corhampton, and were headed to the final turning my feet were killing me. I didn’t need to look to know I’d gained a few blisters from this trip, so as we turned the corner and came across the sign for the pub down the road I was very happy!

The staff at The Bucks Head were amazing. We were almost instantly greeted by a woman behind the bar, she was very friendly and made us feel so welcome. She asked for my name, checked the book, grabbed the key and asked if we’d like drinks brought with us. Our answer was a clear yes, so the woman sorted some drinks for us then carried both pints while guiding us to our accomodation. I wasn’t expecting much from the room, but I was most pleasantly surprised by it. We had everything we needed and more.

After showers and changes of clothing we went back to the pub and I was introduced to Old Mout Cider which became my goto drink for this weekend. We had a pint each of different flavours, and more or less went through the collection of flavours on offer. We spent our time drinking outside, talking, and double checking things for Day 2, while admitting to one another we weren’t sure if we were going to make it here. Eventually heading inside for food (I had a cheeseburger and Min had a ploughmans the size of the table), a continuation of talking, then back outside to finish our drinks.

*Min’s ploughmans with a pint of cider for scale*

After our drinks it was to bed with us, to discover the one downside about The Bucks Head; the bed. Every time I moved on my bed it squeaked and woke me, it was a rather restless night for me, to the point I was considering sleeping on the floor.

South Downs Way: Day 1

South Downs Way: Day 2

Brockenhurst Amble