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

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BOAT: Georgia Lane/Park Drove

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Amport, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU297419
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 17' 60" W001 57' 60"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU293447
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 20' 10" W001 58' 40"
• To see: Hawk Conservancy, Thruxton.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Named after a particularly vile ex-girlfriend of your unfortunate Explorer's (actually it's named after the farm at its northern end, but still...) Georgia Lane begins where the tarmac ends just after passing under the West of England Mainline railway.

The byway offers an unrutted, grassy surface which is solid throughout. Initially quite easy going, after having passed down the greenlane for about a third of its total length, the undergrowth bordering the byway on each side closes in somewhat and the paintwork begins to protest. It stays somewhat uncomfortable for the majority of the remainder of its length, and only offers respite on entering the track serving the barnyard of Oklahoma Farm just before reaching Old Stockbridge Road. On crossing the latter, the byway )now called Park Drove) continues for a short distance on a potholed gravel surface serving some cow sheds, before turning back into a metalled country road running down to the village of  Over Wallop. As such, there really is little to recommend this byway and it scores a 2.

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 Hampshire County Council these are Byways 12, 23, and 29, combined here for convenience.

Statistics
Total distance: 2.76 km (1.7 mi)
Total time: 14:58
Moving time: 12:47
Average speed: 11.06 km/h (6.9 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 12.96 km/h (8.1 mi/h)
Max speed: 34.84 km/h (21.6 mi/h)
Average pace: 5:25 min/km (8:44 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 4:38 min/km (7:27 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1:43 min/km (2:46 min/mi)
Max elevation: 145 m (477 ft)
Min elevation: 125 m (410 ft)
Elevation gain: 27 m (90 ft)
Max grade: 9 %
Min grade: -11 %

Recorded: 04/10/2013 17:51

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BOAT: Bulls Drove

• Overall Rating: 0
• Location: West Tytherley, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU279287
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 55' 05" W001 60' 30"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU272288
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 05' 80" W001 61'30"
• To see: not much.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This byway through Bentley Wood is subject to a TRO, blocked by a locked barrier, and closed to traffic.

To Hampshire County Council this is Byway 32.

BOAT: Hay Down Lane

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Thruxton, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU287449
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 20' 30" W001 59' 10"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU291447
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 20' 10" W001 58' 40"
• To see: Hawk Conservancy, Thruxton.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Hay Down Lane is a byway of two halves. The northern half is an overgrown dead-end since there is no turning onto the A303 at the end of it and is therefore best ignored. With that in mind the byway effectively starts by leaving the farmyard of Bush Farm in a south-easterly direction.

There's little to say about this very short, straight stretch of byway, however. The hedge on the southern side of the greenlane has become unkempt, as is nature's want, and will add the odd scratch to protesting paintwork. The earthen/gravel surface undulates somewhat and the bank on the northern side of the byway means your vehicle will take some unusual attitudes at times, but never dramatically so.  The greenlane soon ends back on the tarmac of Hay Down Lane at a junction with some footpaths.

The Hawk Conservancy, a bird-of-prey centre, is just fantastic. It's nearby to the north-east. 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 Hampshire County Council these are Byways 28 and 31, combined here for convenience.

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BOAT: Palestine/King Lane

• Overall Rating: 1
• Location: Grateley, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• OS Grid Reference: around SU261404
• GPS Co-ordinates: around N51 16' 30" W001 62' 70"
• To see: Hawk Conservancy, Quarley Hill, Roman road, tumulus.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

'God' knows what all this is about... (see what I did there?!). Basically this is a set of byways all in one area that do little more than serve a bunch of bungalows in a place called Palestine, and a farm just to the east called Red Lodge Farm. I have no idea of the history of this place, but with a name like that there must be some! Some byways are gravel, some are earth, all are well tended, and from the point of view of the greenlaner there is nothing of even the slightest interest here. In fact, we've only really included them on this site for completeness.

That said, the very short byway called King Lane serving Red Lodge Farm is, at least, a byway in the traditional sense of the word: its earth and gravel surface was the only one we actually bothered to drive and the statistics below relate specifically to it.

There is a tumulus just east of South View Farm. The surrounding area is far more interesting, with the Hawk Conservancy, Quarley Hill Iron Age hillfort and the Portway Roman road all very close by. Check them out instead!

To Hampshire County Council these are Byways 20, 22, 501, 502, 503, 504 and 505, combined here for convenience.

Statisitics
Total distance: 0.54 km (0.3 mi)
Total time: 01:43
Moving time: 01:33
Average speed: 18.99 km/h (11.8 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 21.06 km/h (13.1 mi/h)
Max speed: 33.03 km/h (20.5 mi/h)
Average pace: 3:10 min/km (5:05 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2:51 min/km (4:35 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 1:49 min/km (2:55 min/mi)
Max elevation: 149 m (489 ft)
Min elevation: 145 m (475 ft)
Elevation gain: 4 m (14 ft)
Max grade: 3 %
Min grade: -1 %
Recorded: 04/10/2013 18:13

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BOAT: Grateley Drove/Green Drove

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Grateley, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU284429
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 05' 80" W001 59' 50"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU275425
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 18' 10" W001 60' 70"
• To see: Hawk Conservancy, Quarley Hill, Roman road.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This is just about the western-most byway in Hampshire that is still worth bothering with! (Yes, we appreciate that the byways of Palestine are fractionally further west but, from the point of view of the green-laner, they are about as dis-interesting as they come so we are ignoring them!)

We drove from east to west. Starting from the junction between Skew Road and the metalled section of Grateley Drove, the byway leaves the tarmac and immediately enters a gypsy encampent. It is important to note that these people are not pikeys, but gypsies, the differentiation being that gypsies are the old-fashioned, decent sort of caravan dwellers that are, these days, the exception to the norm. Please pass with respect.

The greenlane continues on an earthen surface and very soon the hedgerow closes right in and, inevitably, the paintwork starts to protest at the damage it is enduring. On passing the bridleway at the half-way point, however, the hedges really close in. It's hard going, to be frank, even though the surface is pretty good. If you manage to push through and don't just give up, the byway ends back on the tarmac just south of Quarley Manor Farm. This little one's not worth the trouble.

The Iron Age univallate hillfort called Quarley Hill is just to the north-west. The course of the Portway Roman road, which ran from Silchester to Old Sarum, runs parallel to the south but there is nothing to see on this stretch of it. But what is most cerainly worth going to see is the Hawk Conservancy, a bird-of-prey centre that is just fantastic. It's nearby to the north-east.

To Hampshire County Council these are Byways 8 and 30, combined here for convenience.

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FORD: New Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: King's Somborne, Hampshire
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• OS Grid Reference: SU367313
• GPS Co-ordinates: N51 08' 00" W001 47' 70"
• To see: not much.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

A shallow, concrete-bottomed over a tributary of the River Test at the junction of New Lane and Winchester Road. Can run dry in very hot weather.

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BOAT: Ashley Wood Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Ashley, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU399296 or SU400295
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 06' 40" W001 43' 20" or N51 06' 40" W001 42' 90"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU392319
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 08' 50" W001 44' 00"
• To see: Roman road, Roman settlement.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This byway has no name that we can discover, so if you know the correct title please comment below. For now Ashley Wood Lane shall suffice.

Starting from the southern end, this byway begins in one of two places: either as the metalled driveway serving some cottages and a ridiculous palatial mansion or as a sylvan drive through a small copse that thankfully screens the wanton excess on display. After a short distance and on passing the gates serving the mansion (with stone cubes on top, strangely) the two options converge and the track strikes northwards between hedgerows and fields on a surface of gravel and, later, lightly rutted earth with a grassy middle. It's very easy going and suitable for all vehicles. The byway pretty much continues in this vein for its entire length, climbing very gradually on a remarkably straight course that follows the base of a shallow valley. After a fair stretch it ends on a country road called Chalk Vale.

For those interested in history, the route of a Roman road running from Winchester to Salisbury can be seen under the metalled country road . There's nothing to see above ground but it is still awesome regardless! There is also a roman settlement called Ashley Wood Camp to the west of the green lane. Again there is little to see, but if you follow the footpath up the hill it is still possible to see the ditch and bank that encircled the site.

To Hampshire County Council this is Byway 8, Byway 9 and Byway 31, combined for convenience.

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BOAT/UCR: Hoplands Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Ashley, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU390296
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 06' 50" W001 44' 50"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU368301
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 06' 90" W001 47' 50"
• To see: Roman road, Roman settlement, Ashley Castle, Farley Mount, tumuli.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Starting from the eastern end, this byway rounds a corner and proceeds south-westwards from the country road serving the hamlet of Ashley. Take care not to drive up the bridleway by mistake, but its pretty obvious. Following a field boundary on a surface of gravel and flint, later changing to earth, the hedgerows are well tended and pose no threat to paintwork.

Soon the green lane turns almost 90 degrees around the back of the field boundary on a north easterly track and enters Charlwood Copse. The surface changes back to gravel yet even in dry weather there are a few puddles around lingering from the last wet spell. It's all very easy going however. On crossing the virtual boundary between BOAT and UCR, on the northern bank of the byway and surrounded by wildflowers, we found a memorial to the crew of a German Junkers Ju88 bomber that crashed somewhere immediately nearby during the Second World War. People still lay poppies there. Soon after the memorial the tarmac resumes and the lane becomes little more than a driveway serving Hoplands. It ends where Parnholt Lane diverges to the south. An average lane in a historical awesome area.

For those interested in history, this lane in part follows the route of a Roman road running from Winchester to Salisbury (well, Old Sarum anyway). There's nothing to see above ground but it is still awesome regardless! Further awesomeness is provided by the presence of a roman settlement called Ashley Wood Camp to the north of the eastern end of the lane. Again there is little to see, but if you follow the footpath up the hill it is still possible to see the ditch and bank that encircled the site. Still more historical awesomeness is provided by Ashley Castle and a charming little chapel in the village of Ashley. Only the earthworks and the remains of the gatehouse and an odd bit of wall remain.We're not done yet! On the bridleway up to Beacon Hill, just to the south can be found some tumuli and just off the edge of the map lies Farley Mount, which bizarrely is a monument to a horse! Ok, we're done.

To Hampshire County Council this is Byway 6 and Byway 32, combined for convenience.

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BOAT: Parnholt Lane

• Overall Rating: 1
• Location: Furzedown, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU368301
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 06' 90" W001 47' 60"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU391284
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 05' 40" W001 44' 30"
• To see: bluebell woods, tumulus.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This untitled green lane (which whe have called Parnholt Lane)  is basically a tragedy of the needless, overbearing bureaucracy all too common in this country. It's absolutely mind-blowing in spring, as the byway passes through the old beech forest of Parnholt Wood, which is absolutely smothered in bluebells. Anyone with eyes, or at least a nose, cannot fail to be awestruck by the spectacle.

But its a dead end: you can drive down it but you'll have to turn around at the end and drive back, as the restricted byway (a RUPP) is closed to motorised traffic and gated off to the north and east (no gate as far as we know seems to yet exist on the southern piece of RUPP, curiously, although it is correctly signposted). Rather than re-designate the end of this green lane as a BOAT to keep it as a through route, Hampshire Council (who are usually so good!) just killed it off. So instead of driving it, take a picnic and walk it instead. The bluebells usually (when the seasons are on time) in April Just don't pick the flowers please: it does damage the health of the woodland and they are better off left growing in the ground where they can be enjoyed by all who visit (and the creatures that depend on them)!

For those interested in history, a decent-sized tumulus called Dirty Mount (uhuhuhuh) can be found just to the south of the byway (see map). It's pretty much intact: even the ditch around the circumference is intact, despite being covered with bracken.

To Hampshire County Council this is Byway 33.

FEAST your eyes (and your nose).

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UCR: Heath Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Vernham Dean, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU344590
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 32' 90" W001 50' 80"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU344569
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 31' 50"  W001 50' 70"
• To see: Fosbury Camp.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This byway is like a fair few others in this forgotten corner of Hampshire. Some roads in this area appear on the Ordinance Survey map at least as normal country roads, but many have never actually been covered in a layer of tarmac despite the fact that they are not classified as a byway. They are as such ripe for exploring, so get out there and do so! Heath Lane is one of these unsurfaced lanes in a network of similar lanes near the Hampshire village of Vernham Dean. There really isn't a great deal to say about this lane when it is taken in isolation. Instead, it should be driven at the same time as Rookmoor Lane.

We drove it from north to south, where the northern end is demarcated by a typical Hampshire sign post (see picture below). Starting from a crossroads with a country road also called Rookmoor Lane (the UCR above, which ajoins this one, is an extension of its metalled namesake), this wide and well-maintained byway proceeds southwards and downhill on a well-drained surface of crushed gravel. In places the trail is crossed by two other UCR's, one named Church Lane and the other Winterside Lane. Both are very short UCRs that leads past farms and quickly become surfaced with tarmac (and neither, therefore, are getting their own dedicated entry on this site!). Rolling gently over slight undulations in the terrain, this lane soon ends just north of the village of Vernham Dean.

The vast bronze/iron age hill fort of Fosbury Camp is just to the west, over the border in Wiltshire and well worth the short trek uphill to visit, not just to satisfy historical curiosity, but also for the incredible views it offers across gorgeous rolling downland.

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UCR: Rookmoor Lane

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Little Down, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU333587
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 32' 60" W001 52' 40"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU344590
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 32' 90" W001 50' 80"
• To see: Fosbury Camp.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This remarkably straight byway is like a fair few others in this forgotten corner of Hampshire. Some roads in this area appear on the Ordinance Survey map at least as normal country roads, but many have never actually been covered in a layer of tarmac despite the fact that they are not classified as a byway. They are as such ripe for exploring. Rookmoor Lane is one of these unsurfaced lanes in a network of similar lanes near the Hampshire hamlet of Little Down. There really isn't a great deal to say about this lane when it is taken in isolation. Instead, it should be driven at the same time as Heath Lane.

We drove it from west to east. Starting from a country road called Bowers Lane this wide, well-maintained byway proceeds on a well-drained surface of crushed gravel and mud almost due east. Rolling gently up and down undulations in the terrain, this short lane soon ends at a crossroads between it and Heath Lane, demarcated by a typical Hampshire sign post.

The vast bronze/iron age hill fort of Fosbury Camp is just to the west, over the border in Wiltshire and well worth the short trek uphill to visit, not just to satisfy historical curiosity, but also for the incredible views it offers across gorgeous rolling downland.

View White Hill Lane in a larger map

UCR: White Hill Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Hatherden, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU340510
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 25' 70" W001 51' 40"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU348518
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 26' 20"  W001 50' 30"
• To see: course of a Roman Road, The Fox Inn.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

We drove this pleasant byway from its eastern end. On a surface of mud and crushed gravel separated by a central strip of grass, this greenlane is an incredibly easy drive, and over its entire length the lane is well cleared of foliage, probably due to regular use of this lane by farm machinery.

White Hill Lane follows field boundaries along the bottom of a shallow valley at the foot of White Hill, from which the lane takes its name. At around a third of its total length, another byway called Hungerford Lane which follows the course of a former Roman Road which ran between Winchester and the Channel ports to Cirencester. Since it is a RUPP, however, it has been a restricted byway since 2006 and as such it closed to motorised traffic so please do not attempt to drive it. It seems to be used as a gallop for horses these days, as the junction between the two byways is protected by those white barriers usually lining the edge of racecourses.

Continuing downhill, the lane follows another field boundary and eventually ends where it meets another country road also called Hungerford Lane, just north of the village of Hatherden. For a compulsory apres-lane tipple, and some decent food, drop into The Fox Inn in Tangley (marked on the map below).

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BOAT: Batsford

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Swampton, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU410505
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 25' 30" W001 41' 30"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU415507
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 25' 40"  W001 40' 60"
• To see: not much.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This relatively short, unremarkable byway begins where it leaves the un-named country road that runs from just west of Swampton to Five Lanes. Following the contours on a surface of unrutted earth that, due to the greenlane's situation on the side of a hill, never seems to get too damp even in the wettest weather, the byway is remarkable well defined by low the vegetation that borders it (see picture, right). The trees do not seem to have grown in at all, unless this lane has been recently cleared.

As the first footpath leaves the lane due north the correct course can be confusing. A number of people have evidently taken the wrong course: the footpath is the left-most branch, the byway the 'middle', and the illegal off-roading perpetrated by some fools lies to the right. Don't be one of them.

The lane then turns hard right around the back of the hill and begins a steepening descent featuring a sharp turn back to the north around an equine facility.

The byway ends back on the tarmac amongst some housing in the pleasant village of Swampton where it forms a junction with the B3048. Certainly worth a drive if you happen to be in the area, but I wouldn't make a detour for it.

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BOAT: Upper Wyke Lane

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Upper Wyke, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU401503
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 25' 10" W001 42' 60"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU405506
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 25' 30" W001 42' 20"
• To see: not much.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

What's to say about this very short greenlane? Not much. I mean, I suppose technically you get off of the tarmac but only barely, as this byway serves merely as the potholed driveway to some particularly vile bungalows. God knows why the planning system allowed them to be build, especially in such a picturesque area, but it is what it is. Don't bother driving this lane: instead drive some of the other far superior byways in this area.

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BOAT: Rag Copse Lane

• Overall Rating: 4
• Location: Enham Alamein, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU372501
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 24' 90" W001 46' 80"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU368513
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 25' 90" W001 47' 40"
• To see: beech woodland, Devil's Ditch.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This pleasant greenlane (which does not seem to have an official name, so if you have local knowledge of this lane let me know so I can update it!) is marked, at its southern end, by a height restriction barrier of 2.1m on the northern side of a country road called Green Drove. On an unrutted, firm surface of earth and gravel and with the undergrowth well maintained, this byway is relatively east to drive.

Paralleling a field boundary initally, the lane soon plunges into Rag Copse and is the better for it. We drove this lane in early May, as the leaves were bursting out of their buds, and the intense green of the beech leaves in this beautiful, open woodland has to bee seen to be believed. Coupled with the milkmaids and bluebells that can be found in abundance here, and one might say it is a Sylvanian paradise! Ok, yes, I am most certainly getting carried away but this otherwise pretty standard lane scores a 4 for its environs.

The lane offers more of the same as it bends first to the west and then gradually back to the north where it ends, via another height barrier, on the A343 just south of the very pleasant Hampshire town of Husrtbourne Tarrant. Take care here: the council have very helpfully erected a chevron sign which blocks your vision of the junction the the left, so eek out onto the A343 until you can see properly.

Part of the Devil's Ditch, an iron age border ditch between Hampshire and Wiltshire, can be fount just to the north of the lane. There's not much to see though.

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BOAT: Sladen Green Lane

• Overall Rating: 2
• Location: Sladen Green, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU416541
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 28' 50" W001 40' 40"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU414537
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 28' 10" W001 40' 80"
• To see: nothing specific.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This pleasant yet incredibly short byway technically carries on north of our starting point, but since that portion of it is a dead end (it turns into a bridleway and is as such off limits to motorised vehicles) we are not going to include it in this article.

Starting at the northern-most point of the greenlane, this trail starts opposite to a farm yard and involved leaving the tarmac to the left on a sharp bend up a grassy bank onto the lane itself. Once there, the byway heads in a southerly direction along a field boundary. The unrutted surface is a mix of earth, grass and gravel and the hedges are well cut back, and as such it is very easy going.

The lane ends almost as soon as it begins back on the tarmac just west of Sladen Corner. There's really not much to recommend this lane in isolation, but when driving other lanes in the area, and you happen to be in the area, why not give it a go. At least it gets you off the tarmac!

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UCR: Rope Yarn Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Stoke, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU408523
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 26' 80" W001 41' 70"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU409518
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 26' 40" W001 41' 50"
• To see: the 'phone box library' in Stoke (see pic below).
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

This pleasant byway is marked solely as a white country road labelled 'track' on the Ordinance Survey map, not as a UCR or anything else. However, it does carry vehicular rights so you are permitted to drive it, although you wouldn't loose any sleep if you didn't drive this short greenlane.

We started from the western end, leaving the 'yellow' country road running north out of Stoke to the east at it's junction at Stoke Hollow. This byway proceeds on a mixed surface of grass and mud, and foliage is a little tight if not restrictively so, so consider it as read that you'll pick up a scratch or two on the paintwork. The greenlane almost immediately heads downhill from it's western end, and more sharply so after passing the barn to the south of the lane. After the barn the foliage closes in a little , and the trail continues downhill, bears to the right, emerges from the undergrown onto a grassy surface between hedgerows and finishes up on Binley Bottom. Very short, and not really worth a look unless you combine it with other byways in the area.

More interesting than the lane itself is the 'phone box library' in the adjacent village of Stoke. Set up for locals, by locals (it's PIN protected), this is probably the best thing I've ever seen a phone box used for and certainly beats the pith out of the Out of Order 'sculpture' in Kingston-upon-Thames!

The phone box library in Stoke.

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BOAT: Whiteshoot Road

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Broughton, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley. Stockbridge & Ludgershall'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU286316
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 08' 30" W001 59' 30"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU292340 
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates:  N51 10' 40" W001 58' 50"
• To see: Broughton Down Nature Reserve, tumuli, course of a Roman road.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

We chose to drive this remarkably straight byway from its southern end. Leaving the crossroads between Roman Road and Stony Batter Lane on a northerly track, the lane is a little tight with regards to the hedges that line each side of the lane, but on the balance it is well maintained and the surface of gravel makes it very easy going (except for your paintwork).

After a short distance our byway is crossed by another called Buckholt Lane, a similar greenlane that is also well worth a drive. You can elect to drive this lane or carry on uphill on Whiteshoot Road. After the crossroads it soon reaches its summit of 129m AMSL alongside Broughton Down Nature Reserve which lies to the east. From this spot, the lane offers some incredible views northwards across the rolling countryside towards the Wallops.

Plunging steeply downhill, right at the bottom of the slope the lane splits into two. Unfortunately the BOAT to the left is a dead end, as the very end of it has been classified as a RUPP and as such is closed to motor vehicles (so don't drive that bit of it!), but the greenlane to the right is fair game and ends in the farmyard of Broughton Down Farm, back on the tarmac that serves as a driveway between the farm and the A30. It's worth driving for the view!

The course of the Roman road which ran between Silchester and Old Sarum can still be seen just to the west of the southern ends of this byway, in the form of parallel embankments. Broughton Down Nature Reserve and its associated tumuli can be found just east of the greenlane, which offers incredible views northwards towards the Wallops.

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BOAT: Buckholt Lane

• Overall Rating: 3
• Location: Broughton, Hampshire.
• OS Explorer Map 131, 'Romsey, Andover & Test Valley. Stockbridge & Ludgershall'.
• Starting OS Grid Reference: SU301325
• Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 09' 10" W001 57' 20"
• Finishing OS Grid Reference: SU291318 or SU277321  
• Finishing GPS Co-ordinates:  N51 08' 50" W001 58' 60"  or N51 08' 80" W001 60' 60"
• To see: Broughton Down Nature Reserve, tumuli, course of a Roman road.
• ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!

Buckholt Lane is a two-pronged byway, both of which are driveable. Once leaving the straight metalled road that serves as a driveway for a couple of houses, the greenlane turns hard right past an unusual sculpture (see pic, left) and, on the surface of gravel that covers its entire length, starts a steep climb uphill to the west. It should also be noted that, although there is a height barrier at this end of the lane, there is room to spare to get a Defender through it. The lane turns to the south west and continues climbing up to a summit of 138m AMSL, passing through a copse called Smith's Plantation until the lane divides.

The junction

First we'll deal with the shorter track. If you choose to maintain track, the southerly branch takes a course past some mature beech trees and a reservoir which pass on the western side, and then starts a gradual descent towards it's terminus on Roman Road, having dropped 30m in elevation since its summit. Not a bad little track, and it allows convenient access to the considerably longer byway called Whiteshoot Road.

The second, far longer, branch passes with the beech trees on its eastern side this time, and starts running down the side of Cold Harbour Hill until it crosses Whiteshoot Road. Over the whole stretch of this branch the hedgerows that line it have been well maintained, but in places the have started to grow back a bit and as such a few scratches on the paintwork is inevitable. Curving slowly towards the north-west, then turning sharply south-west and beginning to climb uphill once again, this byway eventually emerges into the farmyard of Buckholt Farm after passing under another spacious height restriction barrier. Immediately after doing so, to avoid blundering into the farmyard proper follow the 'acorn' Clarendon Way signs to the left and around the back of a large barn. The lane then ends when it meets the metalled country lane which shares it's name.

The course of the Roman road which ran between Silchester and Old Sarum, and the embankments in some places, can still be seen just to the south of this byway. Broughton Down Nature Reserve and its associated tumuli can be found just north of the greenlane, which offers incredible views northwards towards the Wallops.

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