UCR: Horsepost Lane/Sawyer's Hill

• Overall Rating: 4
• Location: Denmead, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 119, 'Meon Valley. Portsmouth, Gosport & Fareham'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU664153 or SU668155
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N50 56' 03.25" W001 02' 22.27"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference:  SU662131
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N50 54' 50.59" W001 03' 32.26"
• To see: Hambledon cricket ground with the Bat & Ball pub, The Chairmakers pub for great food, the beautiful Meon Valley, the City of Portsmouth, the Napoleonic forts of Ports Down Hill.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Horsepost Lane

For the sake of convenience your intrepid explorer has merged the listing for these two lanes into one, as it is very unlikely that one byway would be driven whilst ignoring the other. As such, however, this review now details a lane very much of two halves.

Horsepost Lane, the northern-most half, has a choice of two starting points, both just south-east of Hambledon, a village often referred to as the 'cradle of cricket'. Check out the Bat & Ball pub too. The western start to the lane is probably the best, as driving to the more easterly one involves driving through Glidden Farm's farmyard, which could cause annoyance to the farmer, not to mention danger for yourself around the operating heavy farm machinery, for very little gain with regards to greenlaning. Best to avoid the farmyard itself as far a possible.

Heading south east from Glidden Farm, then, this greenlane is lined mostly by low hedgerows which never invade the lane. Horsepost Lane's two 'branches' merge where the lane changes direction and heads almost due south, winding it's way down the flank of Broadhalfpenny Down on a surface of chalk and gravel. Just south of a barn sited to the east of the lane, the UCR Pitt Hill Lane joins the lane from the west. Continuing its gentle decent downhill the lane twists and turns until it reaches the bottom of a shallow valley and Horsepost Lane techincally ends at the crossroads between it, the BOAT Harrowgate Lane and Sawyer's Hill. However, the obvious choice is to continue straight ahead.

Sawyer's Hill

After the crossroads Sawyer's Hill immediately plunges into high hedgrows which narrows the lane considerably, and for the first time those who do not want to collect scratches on their paintwork had better turn back. That said, it's never too narrow to impede progress (especially since your devoted explorers had a quick 'prune' to remove a most invasive branch!).

Whilst driving from south from the crossroads the lane initially climbs sharply up the side of the shallow valley on a surface of dry dirt and chalky gravel. At the brow of the hill the lane jinks slightly to the left and carries on almost straight, offering nice views across the Hampshire countryside, until it ends just north of the village of Denmead.

A great drive and on a sunny summer's day there is no better lane on offer in the immediate area. After you're finsihed for the day, head to either The Chairmakers or The Bat and Ball pubs, both marked on the map below (you may need to zoom out!).

Statistics:

Total Distance: 2.21 km (1.4 mi)
Total Time: 15:13
Moving Time: 10:00
Average Speed: 8.71 km/h (5.4 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 13.23 km/h (8.2 mi/h)
Max Speed: 28.86 km/h (17.9 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 113 m (371 ft)
Max Elevation: 164 m (539 ft)
Elevation Gain: 20 m (65 ft)
Max Grade: 2 %
Min Grade: -8 %

View Horsepost Lane/Sawyer's Hill in a larger map