BOAT/UCR: Mount Hermon Road

• Overall Rating: 4
• Location: Over Wallop, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU262401
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 16' 00" W001 62' 60"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU270369
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 13' 10" W001 61' 50"
• To see: Hawk Conservancy, Thruxton, long barrow.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

WARNING: The good old British Army has a training area immediately to the west of this byway. Do not stray into it, obey all signs and do not touch anything unusual!

(We had to guess at the name of this byway: if you know the correct name please comment below!)

This is one of the most westerly byways that falls within the remit of this website! Starting at the northern end, just south of the hamlet of Palestine (!), this long byway begins its journey at roughly 102m AMSL as a well used, well kept farm track; the muddy surface shows evidence of the tractors that use it to access the fields, but it could not be considered rutted.

Proceeding downhill, the greenlane soon reaches a junction: part of our byway heads off the the east and ends on the B3084 but this track is pretty overgrown. You'd have to really push a path through it and it is, as such, not worth the bother. Taking the southerly trail is a much more interesting option, and although the hedge that marks the westerly border of the byway is pretty overgrown it is not too hard to dodge the worst of it by taking a fractionally more easterly line whilst driving the greenlane (don't be tempted to drive on to the fields though: that is tresspassing!). However, the lack of any physical border to the east of the byway provides one with some wonderful views over to the hills to the south-east.

Pushing through the worst of the overgrown hedge our byway eventually reaches a second junction. This time, the path to the east is much better kept: a sparsely-graveled, relatively solid surface proceeds towards the B3084 and provides one with an option: finish here or push on southwards! We (obviously) chose the latter, especially since the western hedgerow has somewhat released its grip on the greenlane after this junction.

Onwards, the byway heads gently up the side of Suddern Hill on a very lightly rutted earthen surface with a strip of grass down the middle, and soon imperceptibly changes into a UCR. It ends on the A343, just est of the village of Middle Wallop. Well worth a drive, but stay well out of the Army's way!

The Hawk Conservancy, a bird-of-prey centre, is just fantastic. It's nearby to the north-east. Also to the north of the byway is Thruxton race circuit, should you desire to travel at a somewhat faster pace than that offered by greenlaning! To the east of the byway, just after the second junction, those with an interest in history may find a large, Neolithic long barrow. It has, however, been mostly ploughed away.

To Hampshire County Council these are Byways 11, 12, and 13, combined here for convenience.

Statistics
Total distance: 3.54 km (2.2 mi)
Total time: 15:35
Moving time: 13:30
Average speed: 13.61 km/h (8.5 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 15.70 km/h (9.8 mi/h)
Max speed: 27.61 km/h (17.2 mi/h)
Average pace: 4:25 min/km (7:06 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 3:49 min/km (6:09 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 2:10 min/km (3:30 min/mi)
Max elevation: 155 m (508 ft)
Min elevation: 131 m (429 ft)
Elevation gain: 42 m (139 ft)
Max grade: 6 %
Min grade: -5 %
Recorded: 04/10/2013 18:17

View Mount Hermon Road in a larger map