Danebury Ring

To earn yourself a good pub lunch try a lovely 10 mile (16km) walk that takes in part of the beautiful River Test and the 6^th century Iron Age hill fort at Danebury Ring. Starting in Leckford you follow the flat banks of the River Test along part of the old “Sprat & Winkle” railway that ran from Andover to Redbridge, near Southampton, before passing the Peat Spade Inn at Longstock and starting the uphill stretch to Danebury Ring. Excavations at Danebury showed that within the fort there was evidence for 73 roundhouses and 500 rectangular buildings. Thousands of deep storage pits were also found, perhaps ten of which were in use at any one time. A selection of the finds from Danebury can be seen at the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover. From Danebury you head back to Fullerton, passing close to the Mayfly pub in Westdown and then back south to Leckford.

OS Map Explorer 131 shows the footpaths and for a detailed description of the walk visit

http://www.bikesandboots.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=51

A Film Set and Gardens:

Walking just a couple of miles south from Stockbridge you can visit Houghton Lodge Garden and Hydroponicum , (open March to September) and enjoy the beautiful house and gardens that have been used in films such as Agatha Christie’s Murder at the Vicarage and Edith Wharton’s The Buccaneers. Houghton Lodge was built before sometime before 1799 and is one of the earliest examples of a Cottage Orné or Rural Retreat.

Keen gardeners will be inspired by the hydroponicum, where plants grow with no soil! For more traditional pleasures, explore the landscaped grounds, 18^th century shrubbery and herb garden.

There’s no café at Houghton Lodge so for some refreshment try the Boot Inn in Houghton

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