[sky]

Date & Time: 15 February 2003 @ 11:00

Location (Town/City): Oxford to Southampton

Venue: Oxford Pear Tree Services (North of Oxford on the A44)

Contact Person: 07790 905542 / puma_driver@hotmail.com

Details/Directions:

Oxford to Southampton a Great Drive? Surely you simply follow the A34 to the M3 and arrive in barely an hour?

Leave Oxford on the westbound A420, crossing the A34, and continue south-west until you reach the A338. Here, the route comes alive as you leave most of the traffic behind. This was once a Roman road and, except for the occasional wriggle, is arrow straight and mainly level. Ideal for overtaking mobile chicanes :-)

The fun begins on leaving Wantage. Almost immediately, you are faced with a 400ft climb up Lambourn Downs. At the top, the Ridgeway track crosses on its way from Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon.

Thereafter, the A338 takes you on a roller-coaster ride across the downs, past ancient field systems, burial mounds and linear boundaries. This is a challenging route, and will be many smiles per mile.

There is a gradual descent to the Lambourn valley at Great Shefford, then another climb. At the top of this rise, you cross the path of the Roman road from Silchester-Cirencester, before coming upon a route of even greater importance, if less romance. Inevitably, the level of traffic increases near the M4, but a winding descent to Hungerford compensates. Look out for huge windows in antiques shops as you go through the town for great pics of your kats!

Turn left along Park Street, past Hungerford railway station and continue to the common. For the next few miles, We take to narrow country roads and follow the signs to Inkpen. Although the road to this village rises gently, beware of the many sharp bends :-). Here we will stop for lunch in the White Swan.

Turn right in Inkpen and then first left, towards Combe. Soon you reach the towering escarpment of Inkpen Beacon. A car park at the top adjoins the massive Walbury hillfort and from here you can enjoy magnificent views in all directions and great for those site pics.

The twisting, single-track descent through Combe brings you to a dry chalk valley, through the hamlet of Netherton, past ancient common and woodland to emerge on the A343 at Hurstbourne Tarrant, tucked into the Bourne valley. There is a steep climb out of the village, followed by a rapid run to Enham Alamein.

On the outskirts of Andover, go across the ring road and past the Iron Age Museum, then follow the A3057 towards Stockbridge. This is a much faster route, with bends and hills aplenty. After crossing the River Test, the road turns sharply and follows the narrow valley through Leckford.

Turn right on the A30 to Stockbridge, with its wide main street, before continuing on the A3057 south up the hill before another steep and twisting descent takes you to King's Somborne.

Still following the Test valley, the road swoops and swerves on its rapid journey past Mottisfont Abbey to finish in a final flurry of bends before Romsey.

From here, we will head off towards Salisbury Plain and Crambourne Chase. A personal favourite of mine before the final leg to the pub. You can see for miles as we race down through some taxing corners with beautiful scenery before we have a fair well drink and depart on our seperate journeys home.

Distance: 100+ a bit miles.

The route has been designed to make it easy to follow. There are only a couple of right hand turns across carriageways and we keep well away from a lot of hussle and bussle of other motorists. Whats more, theres plenty of regrouping spots should we need them. And more importantly, MANY SMILES PER MILE :-)))

(Subject to alterations)

[puma_driver]

Urrr.....a few I think. Was a bit late to take loads of photos!!!! Will 'TRY' and get round to it soon......thats when I fugure out how to get arounf the new site. One question......WHY so quickly?!? :shock:

[happy-kat]

easy... the other one died or had u not noticed