BOAT: Yew Tree Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Ball Hill, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 158, 'Newbury & Hungerford'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU429639
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 37' 30" W001 38' 50"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU428631
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 36' 60" W001 38'50"
• To see: River Enborne.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

The inclusion of this byway is a bit of a cheat, to be honest, as the majority of it is in West Berkshire! However, it features a ford, so it would be rude to ignore it.

Starting in Berkshire then, on the eastern side of a generic bungalow on Enborne Street, the green lane strike out due south on a firm, grassy surface, and almost immediately plunges into woodland. Beware the ditch running alongside the byway to the east: I wouldn't relish having to extract myself from is having attempted to 'save the paintwork'!

The muddy surface is lightly rutted, and the undergrowth has started to encroach a fair bit, but it was only a single summer's growth when we drove the greenlane and was perfectly passable with only the odd chance of a scratch. Progressing on southwards, the byway eventually meets the River Enborne, which it fords. It's easy going: the river was very shallow when we visited in early October and the river bottom is gravel so it's not really an obstacle. The footbridge to the west is well out of the way. However, the northern bank is pretty steep and passes between two willow trees, and thus takes a little negotiation, but the southern bank is very easy going. On egressing the ford, the byway continues initially as a gravelled, and then a metalled track accessing a garden centre. Well worth the drive, but only scores a '3' due to it being a bit overgrown.

To Hampshire County Council this is Byway 43, and was reviewed in the July 2013 edition of LRO Magazine as Greenlane 13

Statistics
Total distance: 0.85 km (0.5 mi)
Total time: 06:51
Moving time: 05:50
Average speed: 7.47 km/h (4.6 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 8.76 km/h (5.4 mi/h)
Max speed: 24.37 km/h (15.1 mi/h)
Average pace: 8:02 min/km (12:55 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 6:51 min/km (11:01 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 2:28 min/km (3:58 min/mi)
Max elevation: 171 m (560 ft)
Min elevation: 153 m (502 ft)
Elevation gain: 16 m (53 ft)
Max grade: 7 %
Min grade: -8 %
Recorded: 04/10/2013 15:47

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