08 May Swathes of bluebells and Hampshire countryside
May of course, is bluebell season, and the walk at Farley Mount near Stockbridge is a mass of blue transforming into a mass of yellow as you move on to swathes of rape in full flower.
The walk takes you across fields with stunning views of the Hampshire countryside and across to the Isle of Wight. It’s just under seven miles and is fairly easy going. The online reviews say it can be boggy in the wetter months and not suitable for buggies but it’s perfect for walking the dogs.
The Farley Mount Country Park is named after a historic pyramid-shaped, Farley Mount monument, which marks the burial place of a horse from the 1600s. In 1733 the horse and his rider apparently fell into a chalk pit while fox-hunting. Both rider and horse survived and the horse, renamed “Beware Chalk Pit” carried his owner to racing glory winning the Hunters Plate race on Worthy Downs in 1734.