CLOSE to the source of the River Meon, the unspoilt village of East Meon, with its Norman church nestling at the foot of Park Hill, provides the start for this 8 mile walk.

Following well-surfaced tracks and roads for much of the way, the route, hilly in parts, takes in some spectacular views from several vantage points.

With the George Inn on your right, walk along Church Street to the flint bridge and war memorial. Turn right at the T-junction passing Barnards Corner on your left. Just beyond the shops bear right along Workhouse Lane, noting an unusual mix of ancient and modern architecture.

When the road bends sharp right, cross the road into the car park and turn left past the remains of a stile to walk along the right-hand edge of a field. Cross a stile into the next field to emerge onto a road rising through new development.

At the T-junction turn right along a lane, past houses and over a white railing bridge before bending left. Continue along the lane to turn right along a concrete track uphill to Garstone Dairy. As you approach the farm buildings fol-low the concrete track to the left of the green barn and onto the field to follow its right-hand edge. At the footpath sign turn left along a grass track between fields to go through a gap in a hedge to a junction of paths. Continue ahead along a part of the South Downs Way uphill. At the top the folds, the eastern edge of Old Winchester Hill can be seen ahead. The track then descends to a lane.

Turn right, and at a barn and grain silo, turn left to follow the South Downs Way to Whitewool Farm, crossing a stream and passing a lodge house and then farm buildings. At the end of a flint, thatched barn, turn right downhill along a concrete roadway to metal gates beyond which the grass track rises to several gates and paths. Fork right through a waymarked metal gate along a rutted stoney track uphill with views over Hen Wood to the right.

At the top, go through a metal gate. Before turning immediately left along a gravel path, cross the lane to enjoy a spectacular view over South Hampshire westwards as far as Fawley and the Isle of Wight. The gravel track runs parallel with the lane and passes along a fenced route at the top of a field before emerging onto the lane. Cross over and go through a gate and turn left to resume your route, eventually com-ing onto the downland at the top of Old Winchester Hill.

Continue to a gravel track. For more spectac-ular views over the countryside and Solent, turn right along the track to several viewpoints. To resume the walk, turn left along the track and through a gate back onto the lane. Turn right and follow the lane for two miles, enjoying views left across the valley to East Meon.

Continue towards the radio masts and shortly after passing Leydene Gardens Farm on your right, the MOD buildings of Mercury Park come into view.

Turn left alongside a barbed-wire topped fence and passing a radio tower on the left.

Tarmac soon gives way to gravel and the track passes two more radio masts.

Look for a footpath sign and cross a stile into a meadow on your right before negotiating a small valley. On ascending the other side, make for a footpath sign and go left through a metal gate. The church and village of East Meon appear ahead as your route continues along the top of a ridge with views on both sides.

Pass through another metal gate or clamber over the nearby wooden hurdle. Ignore a path to the right and continue ahead with your goal now below you to the right. Start to descend and keep a post and wire fence on your left. Go through a metal gate and keep close to the fence on your left as you descend.

At the bottom of the field turn right at a T-junction of routes to keep a fence and wood-land on the left. Turn left through a metal gate and bear right downhill to turn left over a stile and along the right-hand edge of a field along- side a hedge. Where the hedge bends away right, follow a footpath sign bearing right ahead uphill across a field. Make for another footpath sign and bear left along the right-hand edge of the field. At the end of the field continue ahead across the next field toward houses and a stile.

Cross the stile into a parking area and onto a road. Turn right and follow the road as it bends left downhill and back to the village.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.