Walking the South Downs Way

Explore the OS 132 map

Exton to Winchester

• This walk covers the western end of the South Downs Way from the small village of Exton in Hampshire.

• This walk climbs onto the downs, passing through beautiful open country side to the city of Winchester, the western end of the South Downs Way.

1. Put the heading Exton to Winchester.

The Walk

• If you enter the village from the A32, cross the River Meon on the bridge in Hill Lane. Find it in the bottom right of the OS map.

• Make a mental note of the location of Shoe Lane and Church Lane from the map above.

Exton, The Shoe

• Turn right into Shoe Lane, past the pub on the left.

2. Describe what the walls and roof of The Shoe are made of.

Exton, The Church

• At the end turn left again into Church Lane, passing the Church on your right.

3. What is the church made from?

Exton Village

4. How many metres above sea level is the spot height at the junction of Shoe Lane and Church Lane? 69m or 62m or 79m

5. In what two grid squares is the hamlet of Exton? 6020 & 6120 or 6120 & 6121

6. What is interesting about the location of the telephone box on the map?

Leaving Exton

• After about 100m you can see a path off to the right after you pass the church, which you take and then turn to the right where there are two footpaths, again are signed.

• The South Downs way now heads diagonally across the field and continues diagonally across the next couple of fields.

• You walk across the fields until you re-join the road called The White Way.

7. Farmers prefer walkers to walk around the edge of their fields. Why do you think that farmers prefer this, even though you have the right to go across the middle?

Beacon Hill

• You walk across the fields and through a wood until you re-join the road called The White Way.

• Look carefully at the map you can see a number of orange contour lines.

8. Are you walking UP or DOWN hill between the wood and the road?

9. What is on the top of Beacon Hill?

10. Can you see it from the road do you think? Why?

Beacon Hill• So the path gets much

steeper as you climb up towards Beacon Hill, although the path doesn't actually go to the top of the hill.

• As you near the top of the path you come close to the footpath up to the top of the hill and a small car park.

11. What is the six figure grid reference of the cross roads beside the car park?

12. What direction do you walk up the path from the car park to Beacon Hill?

Beacon Hill View

• This is an interesting view of this chalk downland.

• The lowland area (middle distance to the right of the photo) has cultivated fields.

• At the base of the hill is mixed non-coniferous and coppiced woodland if the OS map is correct.

Beacon Hill View

• In the middle distance is Beacon Hill. On the OS map it is marked as “access land”.

13. What do you think “access land” means?

• Somebody please volunteer to go to the web site to find out – use a lap top.

Lomer Pond and Lomer Farm• This track passes Lomer Pond

and the site of the old village.• Then you pass Lomer farm

where the path goes more or less through the farm yard.

• You then reach a road which you cross. Turn left after crossing.

• Then you get to a junction in the road with a South Downs Way sign.

• Continue straight on here until you get to the end of the road.

Wind Farm

• Walk past Wind Farm and at a cross roads about 1km further on you will see a pub at a right turn.

• Turn right, passing the pub on the right.

• Turn left into the next road and continue past Windmill Farm.

14. Is the land rising or falling to the north of the road between Wind Farm and the cross roads?