Stage 1: Winchester to New Alresford

Monday 19th May 2014                                       Map: OS Explorer 132 (Winchester)

The park and ride bus dropped me at the bus station. Following directions given to me on the bus by a friendly woman who got off the stop before me, I was soon lost. A steady stream of people were walking towards an alley between two buildings so I followed. It opened out onto one of the main streets in Winchester, and on the wall opposite the end of the alley was this:

   The Scripture Truth says:

               Trust in the
              Lord with all
                thine heart;
                     and
              lean not unto
                thine own
             understanding.

The signpost listed many places but not Winchester cathedral but I got directions from a passer-by and arrived shortly afterwards at the end of a path lined by trees which hid the cathedral from view.

Winchester cathedral (there will be a separate page later for Winchester cathedral)

Entering the cathedral, I stood just inside the doorway. It was cool, and dark after the bright sunshine outside. A 'meeter and greeter' said there was a small chapel for private prayer, but the cathedral seemed too big, too full of people and the susurration of their whispers and shuffling feet echoed in the large space.
There is so much to see in Winchester cathedral and I was tempted to stay, but said a quiet prayer in the doorway and left.

Those 130 miles between Winchester and Canterbury stretched out before me, and it suddenly seemed a very long way! Feeling a little overwhelmed and tearful, I put my rucksack on, opened the map and set off on St Swithun's Way.


The Way Marker
Out through the back streets of Winchester towards the river, and the first way marker appeared near the footbridge. I'll be seeing this for the next 34 miles.

                   

The pilgrim's scallop shell has a crozier and staff crossed behind it.







The Walk
As this walk was going to be a personal pilgrimage, I planned to go into all the churches on or very close to the path. This first stage of the walk was rich in churches; five small country churches, each one different, each one old, beautiful, peaceful and each one somewhere in which I could have spent a much longer time.


St Bartholomew's Church, Hyde
The first of the churches, just on the edge of Winchester, was St Bartholomew's.

This ancient, squat church is opposite the gatehouse to Hyde abbey. The original abbey was close to the cathedral, but was re-founded at Hyde in 1110, and the bones of King Alfred the Great interred near the high altar. The gatehouse is all that remains of the abbey. St Bartholomew's church was also built in 1110 as a parish church and for the use of the servants of Hyde abbey.

I had hoped to find a bible reading or prayer in the church but in this first one there was nothing other than some modern, beautiful Byzantine-like faces painted on the rood screen and a beautiful stained glass window.

Like the small churches, these jewel-like windows are one of the themes running through this walk. I never get tired of looking at them and marvelling at the variation of designs.


Winnal Moors Nature Reserve
From here the path ran along the shallow valley of the River Itchen, making for easy walking. Lots of noise from traffic on the busy A34 and M3 nearby but the view was lovely - a pastoral scene with frothy cow parsley lining the path, butterflies fluttering along and a few, early damselflies.

Cow parsley is a favourite of mine. It belongs to the family of umbellifers (now called Apiacae), a group in which I have a particular interest. The wetlands to the right of the river is the Winnal Moors Nature Reserve and somewhere in there is water parsnip - another umbellifer and one I've never seen. Must return!


St Mary's, Kingsworthy
Through a tunnel under the A34 and out into the small village of Kingsworthy and St Mary's church.

A bench along this path was a comfortable place to eat lunch.

A heartening sight - on the wall of the church hall, attached to St Mary's. I was to see more of these on church walls while in Hampshire.

Knapped flints are common on churches in these chalky areas. A quick search online and I found this video of how flint is knapped. Do have a look because it's fantastic to watch (not sure about the singing at the end!). I've never seen this done before and was wowed by it.

No bible on the lectern but on the way out there was a board at the back of the church and on it were these words:
"Jesus, thank you for being our Good Shepherd, for protecting us and guiding us, and dying on the cross for us. Forgive us when we don't always follow you, and keep us on the right paths."

Amen to that, especially the last part.


St Swithun's, Martyr Worthy
Across the fields following a narrow but distinct path, I met a man with a golden labrador who directed me to the church, and wished me well with the walk. This church was delightful and has an knapped flint apse - just visible at the right hand side. The bright red door, covered with metal studs, has a scroll-shaped handle which was much easier to turn than the usual large ring to be found on many church doors. The very thin windows with rounded tops suggests that at least this part of the church is ancient - information on Wikipedia says the church was mentioned in Domesday Book. This link shows the inside of the church.

A card on the lectern gave the following, from Hebrews 4 v.12
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."


St John the Baptist, Itchen Abbas
The river and path, previously running north,  turn east shortly after Martyr Worthy. The path passes the gardens of some large houses before arriving at Itchen Abbas with its small country church.

This church is old but was refurbished in the  Victorian period.

Here I found a bible on the lectern, closed, and opened it to read Luke 2 v. 22:

"When the time came for the purification rites required by the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord."


One of the joys of walking alone is that it provides ample time to look around, and also to reflect. As I walked on towards New Alresford, I thought of Jesus who made many journeys in his short lifetime on Earth - the first when he was a baby. He was always travelling around, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied. As I neared the end of this first stage of the walk, I knew I'd be going home, and it occurred to me that while Jesus had a home as a child, with Joseph and Mary, I didn't remember anything about him having a home in later life.

End of Stage 1
By this time, my main reflection was that I should have carried more fluid than just a flask of coffee. It was a warm day. I knew there were three pubs between Hyde and New Alresford and had planned on getting a drink at one of them. It was an unpleasant surprise to find one closed down and the other two closed. Within a mile of New Alresford, thirsty and tired, I met an elderly man with a golden labrador who offered a glass of water. "Or a cup of tea or coffee if you'd prefer. I have gin or whiskey," the last said with a twinkle and smile.
The glass of water was wonderful!

Intending to look round New Alresford, I came out of the Co-op with a bottle of water to see a bus at the stop. Without a second thought for the delights of this pretty market town, I jumped on was back in Winchester in 20 minutes, at the car 10 minutes later, and then home.

A cracking start to the walk.

Distance walked:
St Swithun's Way 7.5 miles (sponsored walk)
Total                     9.0 miles (footpath plus distance to and from bus stops)