UCR/BOAT: Eastland Lane

• Overall Rating: 0
• Location: Denmead, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 119, 'Meon Valley. Portsmouth, Gosport & Fareham'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU675124
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N50 54' 27.69" W001 02' 26.34"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference:  SU684122
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N50 54' 20.10" W001 01' 41.05"
• To see: the beautiful Meon Valley,the awesome city of Portsmouth!
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This could be you!

Make no mistake, do not attempt to drive this cul-de-sac lane unless you have a specialist offroad vehicle or a means of recovery. Anything else WILL get firmly stuck (like we did!).

Striking out east from the crossroads between Anmore Lane and Broadway Lane, Eastland Lane begins life as a UCR. That's the easy bit! As soon as the lane becomes reclassified as a BOAT (at SU679124) the surface changes from prepared gravel to heavily rutted earth. Just around the first bend lies a deep mud hole with a deep bottom of around 3 feet of soft clay, just waiting to suck in any vehicle short of a tractor that is foolish enough to attempt it. Bearing in mind that we have had no rain for five or six weeks now (this is written in April 2011), the fact that the ground is swimming with water should put it into context. We tried to skirt around to one side of the pit and failed dismally when the rear two wheels slide in and, on top of it all, we became cross-axled. A kindly farmer and his John Deere was the only way we could get free!

However, even if we had made it through, more pits lurk further down the green lane. The byway itself soon peters out as the foliage encroaches in James's Copse to the extent where it becomes an impassable cul-de-sac for any vehicle, even motorbikes. To sum up then, avoid this lane at all costs!

Statistics:

Total Distance: 0.72 km (0.4 mi)
Total Time: 16:13
Moving Time: 4:12
Average Speed: 2.65 km/h (1.6 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 10.23 km/h (6.4 mi/h)
Max Speed: 41.44 km/h (25.7 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 105 m (346 ft)
Max Elevation: 111 m (365 ft)
Elevation Gain: 9 m (30 ft)
Max Grade: 1 %
Min Grade: 0 %

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