Day 2 - The Milbury's to HMS Mercury, 10.8m, 6h

No, we're not getting slower, there were three uphill slogs today, and we stopped for perhaps an hour in total.

 

Glynis has repeatedly remarked that the scenery has not been what she was expecting. One example is the 'green tunnel', of which there were several today - like this:

 

 

The first slog was Beacon Hill, followed by a dramatic downhill section to the tiny hamlet of Exton, which has a pub (shut) and a picturesque church.

 

 

Some fabulous views, both north and south.  The photo below doesn't really do the view justice.  This is from Old Winchester Hill (the next uphill slog) looking towards the Solent in the distance. We could make out Calshot Power Station (big chimney), the Isle of Wight (big hazy lump beyond the Solent), and Chichester Harbour (glistening thing further west!).

 

 

Two views below from and of Old Winchester Hill which is a pre-Iron Age Hill Fort which has a few burial mounds on top but whose main remaining feature is a huge ditch round the top which isn't really visible from the direction we came from, but becomes clear once you've left it!

 

One of the interesting things about a walk like this is the unexpected things you come across, such as the challenging obstruction (notice the footpath marker indicating where we need to go next!) . . .

. . . and the fishing centre which turns out to offer tea and coffee and sandwiches and beer - well, it was about 1.30 when we got there and it would be almost impolite not to . . .

. . . and then we discovered we still had 4.5 miles to go before reaching Butser Hill, which is where the SD Way used to start before someone had the bright idea of extending it to Winchester.  It would be easy at this point to think the last two days have been a bit of a con!

 

And so to the last uphill slog of the day - to HMS Mercury - a now-abandoned former Naval Signals Station.  Sadly, there's nothing to photograph as it all seems to have been demolished and I really didn't think you wanted to see a picture of a big fence with razor wire on the top keeping you out from what is now a wilderness!  So instead, here's another lovely view, this time looking north.
Until tomorrow . . .