Is this just the Rowlands Castle Circular walk?

I'm a little confused by the mention of 5 days. Thanks!

It is

Just to clarify further, the "5 days" refers to the trip to Scotland this month.

Just me on the later train for the "short" walk in near-continuous rain, which was easing as I waited for the 3.28 train home. Although the shorter loop misses out most of the drama of this walk, it was worth it for the bucolic scenery, charming farmyard with free-range hens, many garlic patches and the first orchids of the spring.

As per the previous post, 1 walker took the late train to do the short walk, and 13 were on the posted one for the main walk and the long walk. Those 13 included 9 Scotland trippers, 2 runners, 1 first-timer (w/o waterproofs) and 1 other regular.

We only saw the runners very briefly obviously, but then surprisingly we saw them again, overtaking us on the bluebell diversion in Standsted Park; they must have started anti-clockwise before realising that that may get them to the lunch pub later than planned, as that is where some of us spotted them again, leaving as we arrived. Mr No-Waterproofs seemingly enjoyed himself and we may see him again, who knows?

It had been raining while on the train out, so most of us put their waterproof trousers on, which as per usual was a surefire way to ensure that the rain had stopped by the time we started walking. After half an hour some took their waterproofs off, which unfortunately just signalled that the rain was about to start again, and it then pretty much did not stop until late afternoon, before clearing up and even breaking for some late sunshine!

Late April/early May is the sweet spot for this walk, and yes, the bluebells were aplenty but about a week past their peak, while the wild garlic was very much at its best and there in enormous patches in many places, with several woods completely taken over by them. Is a wet winter good for wg? I certainly had not seen that much of it on any other walk before. The rape oil seed fields were also at their best, in full colour and without any petals yet blown off by the wind. There were even plenty of buttercups in the last pasture of the day.

Wildlife: a deer family including 2 albinos, later on another two deer, a nursery pasture with about a dozen pregnant cows, whom we admired while speculating about their breed, when a very very recently born calf waddled around the corner from behind a hedge.

10 of us (plus the runners) had lunch at The Royal Oak, with the backmarker just missing the kitchen cutoff time. We then split into 4 Main Walkers and 7 Extenders, all of which surprisingly then also walked the Extension-within-the-Extension. You guessed it: all those 7 are going to Scotland.

By now the rain had stopped and we had another short stop in Compton at the covered well. [The pub is closed after being taken over and there is planning permission sought for 3 en-suite rooms, so perhaps it will come back as a pub with rooms; while the shop-cum-cafe has also closed and was emptied completely, but according to a local is expected to re-open as a shop with cafe soon-ish.]

Upon reaching Rowlands, a few found time for a half pint at The Castle (no food service on BH evenings) and others to visit the village store, before we all caught the 19.28 (the 18.28 it had been for the Main Walkers). Due to the overtime ban on the rail, there was in fact no fast train that we could have changed onto at Petersfield, so a slow journey it was, fuelled by those purchases from the village store.

14 mild steady rain breaking to late sunshine

Anyone fancy doing the short walk, setting off from the station at 11:38? Thanks, Rolf

3 off the train, awaited by 2 others who had stayed the night in RC, ie 5 on a sunny and warm day. After West Marden, we split into 3 short walkers and 2 full walkers. The 2 got to the Hooksway pub at 13.30 and joined the slowest ever moving queue for ordering food and drinks. Understaffed as pubs are these days, the unseasonally warm weather had gotten a lot more people out than usual and they just couldn't cope. In the end, we were the last customers to be allowed to order food in any case, and that only after some pleading ("...all the way from Rowlands and have to walk back...").

Onwards at 15.00 and back in RC with enough time for an HSB (or a G&T) at The Castle, before the 18.12 train. What a glorious day for walking, with many fine far views (those valleys with their picturesque pattern of fields, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight), dappled lights through the trees (still with all their foliage), some leaves starting to turn in colour, the right kind of temps for walking, ample butterflies still around, birds of prey in the air, mushrooms here and there, pheasants galore, farmers ploughing fields.

The end of summer, finally.

The blue, yellow and white walk, that's what it was.

Plenty of wildflowers of said colours were in abundance, especially so bluebells in vast quantities, in places still in stunning displays and only a mere fraction past their best, especially in the early woods (along the Lady's Walk option in North Coopers Wood and in Withy Piece), later again in large numbers (Germanleith Copse comes to mind) but probably a touch further past their best. Wild garlic was here, there and everywhere, most tantalising in the wood with the "precipitous" (and slippery) descent, and later in the woods west of West Marden. Several large meadows had abundant buttercups as well, plus of course there were plenty of rape oil seed fields in near full bloom.

It was overcast most morning, with some breaks in the clouds, then for about half the afternoon there was rain or drizzle, then the sun came out again.

There were a herd of Belted Galloways with lots of offspring in one field, plenty of lambs in others.

'Daisy and Ben' were getting wed at 3 in the church in East Marden, so the thatched well and the church were beautifully decorated (but the rain will have spoiled the day a wee bit).

What about the people? 15 off the train plus 2 car drivers, an 18th walker had missed the train at CJ and went back home I'm told. 2 lunched in West Marden (and presumably walked the short walk), almost all else had picnic near the Hooksway pub, from where some then followed the main walk, some had a drink at the pub then did the extension, others did the extension straight away.

For us extensioners, the skies cleared just in time for the "views of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight"-stretch, and at the end, apart from the 2 car drivers and 3 who stayed in Rowlands for dinner, all else were on the 17.45 train.

17 some rain in the afternoon

Hi. Sounds great. Any train ticket advice. Thank you.

Well, it's a circular walk, so buy a return ticket to the start and finish station. Network Railcard is valid, no need to buy Advance tickets.

Hi guys hope to do the long walk and catching the 09.00 train. Weather should be spring like and sunny. See you guys for the 09.00 train. Not done this walk before and looking forward to it.

Monica

Will take 10am train and do shorter version of this walk. Train does't stop at CJ but Woking.

With plenty of past experience in missing buses, trains and planes, compromising numerous walks, matches, parties and holidays in the process, I invented a new one today: trusting the computer behind the PA system on a train more than my own walk posting! As when at Petersfield the announcement came "The next stop on this service will be Havant", in a split-second I got off the train, assuming I had mis-posted the travel arrangements and I needed to catch the stopping service from P'field (as - in fairness - was the case until a few timetable changes ago). Bad move.

The taxi fare was quoted as £25 to Rowlands and I didn't fancy an hour in a cafe, so I walked the morning bit of P'field - Rowlands Castle instead, to Chalton for lunch. Plenty of wild garlic, wood anemones, celandines, primroses about and even a fair amount of the bluebells already in bloom (bells open and all), 5-10% I'd say depending on the wood. The rape oil seed fields have also started to yellow up. Brilliant, shame I got a few hours less out of the walking day than planned!

After lunch I ventured across the valley to pick up the posted route at Horsley Farm near West Marden, en route exploring the intriguing church without a congregation that you can see from the train line. It's St. Hubert's, Idsworth, "The Little Church In The Field". Beautiful outside and in and with interesting murals. The settlement around it was wiped out by the Plague, apparently. Nice day, just not enough of it... 15.48 train

This virtual tour of St. Hubert's is excellent. You can see inside and out http://www.idsworthchurchfriends.org/

13 glorious

12 off the train at Rowlands Castle. A bit of wondering about where the walk poster might be (turned out he had found an alternative start to the Rowlands Castle Circular at Petersfield) and off we set. It was not long before people were shedding extra layers as the day felt much warmer than anyone had anticipated. Lots of spring flora - primroses...and...um... all the other flowers I haven't yet learned the names of. But lots of them! Even a few bluebells. A lovely morning through undulating countryside, wooded areas and past picturesque cottages.

Just 4, I think, lunched at the pub, while the rest had their sandwiches nearby. A popular place on a sunny day, the garden was quite busy.

After lunch, 9 set off on the main walk leaving 3 to do the extension. We got a little mixed up a couple of times in the Edgar Plantation portion of the route, but eventually got back on track. As a result of having to retrace our steps at one point, we were treated to the sight of two deer bounding across the path in front of us. We stopped for a break at the Village Shop and Tea Room in Compton and ran into a late starter who had taken the shorter route. She joined us for the rest of the walk into Rowlands Castle. With time to spare before the next train, some took to the benches on the village green and others had a wander to check out the village offerings. Headed to the station for the 17:48 train and were joined not long after by the extensioners.

A great walk in a beautiful area and in perfect weather.

Numbers update - 14

Another small addendum if it's not too late - 4 of us actually did the extension. Service in the pub was friendly and efficient, where they kept a jug of water topped up on the bar for much needed water refills, and it was very nice out in the garden where there were a couple of tables of SWCers at various times. The extension group dropped into the Castle (quite busy with locals and their dogs round the bar) for a swift half before the train.

Essential training for mountain men and women:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/may/07/ice-baths-and-snow-meditation-can-cold-therapy-make-you-stronger-what-doesnt-kill-us-scott-carney

14 on this walk, including one late starter that caught us at lunch. The weather was cloudy clearing to sun and cloud later . There were the remains of some good bluebell woods at the start and throughout we kept coming on good patches of wild garlic more or less still in flower. Early on we had our Senderismo en Londres friends (a Spanish walking group) on our tails but we lost them after a bit and never saw them again, even though they said they were doing the same walk.

I had never done this new longer version of the walk, which was very pleasant - up hill and down dale, plenty of variety of scenery. The wonderfully remote lunch pub had a lovely sunny garden. All but one then did the extension up onto the South Downs, and some even did the extension to the extension - 19 miles in all? Feeble old me stuck to the main walk and so did "just" 16 miles.

My reward was to get to the Compton village shop in time to get tea in pots: the rest arrived just as they were packing up and had to make do with takeaways (which nevertheless they were allowed to consume at the outside tables). We were then all together (ish) for the last 4.6 miles into town, where most of us caught the 6.46 train but some stayed for dinner.

If anyone would like to brush up on their map reading, compass and grid reference skills for Scotland you may wish to join me on the short version of the Rowlands Castle walk on Saturday. We will do a bit of map and compass work at the start of the walk on the open ground before Stanstead House. If you have the OS map and a compass bring them or print of the OS map in colour from the screen on the web site. If you have GPS or suitable phone download the GPX or KML as well.

Thomas, help please! Where do I download directions - I'm not a switched on IT person. Thank you. Barbara

Hi Barbara, in above posting, click on 'here' in the sentence 'For walk directions click here.' and Bob's your uncle...

Hi Thomas.

I'm planning to join you tomorrow - it looks like my best option is to join the train at Woking. Look out for me!

13 degrees it said it would be, and it might have been, somewhere in some dark corner of some deep valley. It felt like much more everywhere else all day, with a mitigating light breeze on the tops, but certainly felt very warm in the valleys, as the weather was sunny all day. Partly owing to the offer of a free map-and-compass refresher course by John L., we had 29 walkers, of which 20 walked the 29 km, 10/10 extended version of the walk (plenty of those probably hadn't originally planned to do that, but got sucked in by weather, scenery and company), and only 2 (as far as could be ascertained) walked the 16 km, 4/10 'short' version.

Lucnh for the main walk and extended walk walkers was at The Royal Oak in Hooksway, all of us sitting in the garden, soaking in the sun.

From there onwards up onto and along the South Downs ridge, interrupted by a suntanning break on top of Beacon Hill. Far, far views from there.

Another - chocolate and ice cream - break in Compton at the Village Shop. Drinks at the Castle Inn in Rowlands Castle. Dinner there for 10 of us, 20.46 train for those.

2 walkers had made good use of the long pre-notice period of this walk, by booking themselves into The Robin Hood Inn for the night, so they can go for another walk and sightsee in the area tomorrow (to Uppark House).

This walk was full of beautful secluded valleys, and early on in the walk arund Dolly's Hanger and Grevitts Copse we were treated to the call of the cuckoo, a most welcome and not often heard sound nowadays.

Lovely walk but muddddddd - yewk

16 on this walk weather overcast but little rain . Plenty of mud underfoot, but some firm stretches. The Victoria Inn made us all feel welcome and although a little overwhelmed with food orders, most agreed food was good. Mr. Tiger arrived somewhat late having run into navigational difficulties with possible ambiguity in the instructions.

After lunch the group split in two with Lane MudWalker guided by GP3PO leading team A on a slightly shorter afternoon route. Team B lead by Ms. Rug headed off to Compton to check out the hostelries there. All in all a great day out but not a walk for those shy of mud!

In defence of this walk we did it last March and the wasn't any MUD. 2016 is clearly going to be a vintage year for the stuff. Get it while you can, summer is on the way.

Mud usually starts to dry in March, due to an increase in evaporation as the sun gets stronger.