Watership Down & Downton Abbey

A strenuous winter hike across the North Wessex Downs with a number of moderate (South East standards) ascents. 

It will be a long day at a brisk pace but if we make good progress there will be a country pub stop too.

This event is targeted at those seeking a more challenging day, perhaps as part of training programme for other events later in year. 

Key points of interest:

1. Two Iron age forts at the summit of Ladle and Beacon Hill
2. A view of "Downton Abbey" (Highclere Castle)
3. Burial place of Lord Carnarvon (of 'Tutankhamun's excavation' fame)
4. Site of Sir Geoffrey de Haviland first flight
5. Sydmonton, location of the estate of Andrew Llyod Webber. 
6. Watership down, setting for Richard Adams Novel

The Down is best known as the setting of the 1978 British animated adventure drama film, based on Richard Adams' 1972 novel. The area is popular with cyclists and walkers, a bridelway (Wayfarer's Walk) runs along the ridge of the Down which lies at the south-eastern edge of the North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty. 

We will pass the following points of interest from the Book/Film:

• The Iron Road (Chapter27): "We came upon broad, flat pieces of wood and two great, fixed bars of metal.....this is mens work all right"
• The Combe Bigwig v Fox (Chapter30): "a shallow, dry downland combe....The fox was below them and still some way off"
• Caesar's Belt (Chapter30): "the line is marked by Caesar's Belt, a strip of woodland as straight as the road, narrow indeed but more than three miles long"
• The Beech Hanger (Chapter48): "On the ridge between Hare Warren Down and Watership Down, Doctor Adams stopped the car"
• The Hanger and the Honeycomb (Chapter19): "It consisted almost entirely of well grown beeches...."
• The Pylon Line (Chapter18): "...unnatural humming of a pylon in the summer air... Fiver's assurance that it could do them no harm"
• Nuthanger Farm (Chapter24): "Nuthanger is like a farm in an old tale"
• Watership Down (Chapter18): "You can see the whole world!"

You should have regular experience of walking 15+ miles before signing up to this event.  The last 90mins of this walk will be in fading light/darkness but is not treacherous....bring a torch.