Portsmouth Ramblers

Coach Walks - Mid Wilts Way

This walk on Sunday 9th March was well attended with some 21 walkers picking up the coach at Cosham Railway Station and setting off at the relatively early time of 8am, arriving at the start at Ham at 9-45.am

Good views were to be had as we walked along the ridge towards Wilton village our lunch time stop. A windmill which was used to assist with pumping water for the Kennett and Avon canal and which could been seen on the hilltop.

After Lunch at the Sawn at Wilton we made our way to Burbage, via the canal and the Crofton Beam Pumping engines which are open to the public during the summer months.

A shortish walk along the canal brought us to a junction alongside the main railway line to the West Country, which was in triangular format with the old Midland and South Western Junction Railway which was closed many years ago. A part of this railway line which ran from Andover in the South to Andoversford in Gloucestershire via Swindon, remains as the Tidworth branch still exists and forms a connection with the main South West Trains line from Salisbury to Exeter, via Ludgershall.

This is an M O D branch and runs through the old station site, and the part to where we were forms a earthwork for both parts of the triangle before a connection with the main line, prior to a very complex overbridge for through trains.

The weather kept clear until the very end of the walk when as we were boarding the coach for our return at about 4 pm  the heavens opened with a hailstorm, were we jammy or what!!

Our thanks to Roy for a very well organised walk and to Colin the coach driver who as usual couldn’t do enough for us.

David Nichols