Holden to Petersfield – to sleep in a bed!!

Holden Farm was a good place to camp. It’s worth paying £10 for a campsite to get to use decent toilets and washbasins. I don’t like wild camping that much. I’ve done it a fair bit in Spain when it’s been the middle of nowhere but always with my machete or pepper spray handy. It helps you sleep easier even though it’s a very safe country. I got a reasonable start at about 9am and pushed on towards Meonstoke, a village about 4 miles away.

The route was across country and a bit wet and boggy, but enjoyable. I had to make it to a place called Meon Springs where one of my mates, Mike Edwards now retired, from Interface, my second last employer, was going to meet me. It’s his fly fishing haunt and it was coincidentally on the South Downs Way. We’d arranged for 1pm. The weather was holding up, with some nice views.

I got to Meonstoke at 11.15am but hadn’t had anything to eat or drink so I got two coffees at a pub that was open and a bag of crisps. Then set off at a pace to meet Mike. I passed a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee beacon which looked ordinary but no doubt breathtaking on the night when they lit up all around GB.

And the day was getting lovelier.

I pushed it to get to see Mike because he’s a Portsmouth fan and I thought they might be at home. But they were away at Wycombe Wanderers and they did them 3-2. Mike was there when I got there. In his seventies and looking good for an old bar steward. Good to catch up on the last 15 years, and get a sandwich and coffee. Good bloke.

The chalk streams around here are brilliant. Look how clear this is.

What’s just as great are the churches and the houses. Cop this church! The leaning gravestone tickles me, but you’re bound to disturb something when you get out of bed at midnight to visit your old haunts.

Cop this for a house. Using plenty of the local flint as building material. 

I really love wild primroses at this time of year. Watch someone point out that they are not, in fact, primroses. But I think they is. 

And of great reassurance to anyone worried about an interrupted supply of pharmaceuticals, wine and cheese after Brexit, these south facing chalk slopes are doing their best on the wine front.

I made it to Petersfield to the guest house before 7pm. A good walk today, around 16 miles. I’ll treat you to a photo of me. How lovely.

Night night.