Midhurst Footpath Companions
Walking in Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey.

Winchester walk on 27th November 2024

We met up at St Catherine’s Park and Ride car park for our 4 mile walk led by Tim and Jane. Once gathered we headed towards the Tun Bridge where a small number diverted to a café while the remainder scaled the heights of St Catherine’s Hill.  At the top we enjoyed the panoramic views and demonstrated our amazing skills finding our way out of the St Catherine’s Mizmaze.  It is only one of two surviving historic English turf mazes in the country with the path being grooves in the turf.  Flushed with success we admired the British white cattle, walked the ramparts of the Iron Age fort before descending the 333 stairs down to the River Itchen Navigation where we caught up with our friends who had partaken of refreshments.  Staying on the path beside the Itchen we took St James’ Way over St Cross Bridge over the River Itchen and stayed on the Itchen Way trail skirting and wading through puddles until we reached St Cross Hospital.  We stopped to admire the buildings of the hospital founded in 1136 to support 13 poor men too frail to work and to feed one hundred men a day at the gate.  It is rumoured that today you can still received a cup of ale and bread.  It was put to the test and we can confirm the tradition is still going strong, adding some extra vittles to our coffee break.  Staying on the Itchen Way beside the river, we passed Winchester College playing fields and buildings before taking the back roads into the centre of the city to the Cathedral Christmas market where we scattered to buy our preferred lunches from the variety of stalls.

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