UCR: Allens Farm Lane

• Overall Rating: 5
• Location: Exton, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 132, 'Winchester, New Arlesford & East Meon'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU595209 
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N50 98' 40" W001 15' 30"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference:  SU606208
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 98' 30" W001 13' 80"
• To see: Old Winchester Hill.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Allens Farm is a great UCR. It's certainly far more of a challenge than other lanes in this area. Starting at its western end by turning east off of Beacon Hill Lane at Warner's Cottage, the lane plunges very steeply downhill on a gravelly surface and in woodland just after leaving the driveway of the cottage. This is by no means tricky, but adds some character to the lane to contrasts the easy going, flat lanes that otherwise populate this area.

As the lane bottoms out it follows a field boundary, bordered by hedges that can sometimes get a little tight but certainly never worryingly so. To the north an occasional view  is offered of the beautiful Beacon Hill through breaks in the hedgerow. On this relatively flat section it could get a bit muddy in very wet weather. The lane ends where it becomes the metalled access road for Allens Farm.

However, and make no mistake here, if you simply drove home after finishing this great little lane, you'd be missing out utterly. Firstly, if you have any sort of passion for either history or the countryside it is imperative that you go and check out the awesome Bronze Age hill fort and the spellbinding views across Hampshire up on Old Winchester Hill, just to the east, and when you're done go and have a well earned pint in The Shoe, in the hamlet of Exton. The Shoe is our favourite country pub in the entire of Hampshire, despite its opening hours (midweek) of 12pm-3pm and 6pm-10pm. The pub itself is relatively unremarkable albeit offer decent food, however its quiet beer garden has the River Meon flowing through it, can apparently boast a kingfisher (and certainly a family of grey wagtails) and on a warm summer's day is literally unbeatable.

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