It was a short final stage heading from Exton to Winchester, just 13 miles and thankfully the rain had stopped.

There seemed to be more scared pheasants in the fields today, though some of the cover crops were more interesting with variously colourful arable weeds in flower. It could have been the weekend shoots that were keeping the pheasants on edge, or it might have been the tanks, guns and other tracked vehicles that were roaming around a couple of fields.

Upon reaching Winchester I quickly found the cathedral grounds were preferable over the high street, and after a brief lunch headed back after successfully completing the South Downs Way.

The initial stages of the walk were by far the most interesting, with some fabulous views, though I am sure as autumn develops the woodlands of the western end will become much richer and vibrant – and more worthy of a visit.

Center of map

Route

View the map in Google Maps, or here is the Google Earth KML file.