BOAT: Water End

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Nately Scures, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 144, 'Basingstoke, Alton and Whitchurch, Odiham, Overton and Hook'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU699532
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 16' 26.91" W000 59' 55.56"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU694531
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 16' 23.27" W001 00' 22.44"
• To see: Basingstoke, Civil War earthworks at Basing House and Oliver's Battery, source of the River Loddon.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

We drove this short BOAT from east to west. At each end it's blocked by height restriction barriers (those with a suspension lift won't make it through), and take care when turning into the lane as someone has placed some sizeable concrete blocks at each end of the lane. They're easy enough to drive around, however. Someone clearly doesn't want to give people access, but I suspect it has more to do with fly tipping rather than irresponsible offroaders. Also, take extreme care when turning off of this lane back onto the A30, it's a pretty blind junction.

The green lane itself is an earthen surface with some relatively deep puddles which appeared after the considerably wet weather of early October 2010. It's is also becoming overgrown : unless it's cleared soon it might become a bit harsh to get through next summer without scratching the paintwork (update: it appears to have been cut back. See comment below). Other than that, this byway is unremarkable although pleasant enough to drive. The green lane is incorrectly marked with a ford on the OS map as the brook has been re-routed through a pipe under the surface.

This byway is really not much more than an interesting detour if you happen to be in the area, but since there is actually a fair bit to investigate in the 'commuter hell' that is Basingstoke, you could do worse than a quick excursion down Water End. It scores a mere 2 because of it's brevity.

This is Hampshire County Council's Byway 6.

View Water End in a larger map