Summary (by AI): I enjoyed a fantastic bike ride through the beautiful landscape of the Meon Valley and South Downs, finding it a memorable and interesting experience despite the route's proximity to a military danger area.
Blog: For years, the Meon Valley has captivated and fascinated me. I haven’t known it particularly well, mostly just driving through a few times, but every time I did, I’d look at the landscape and think it was absolutely beautiful. I always promised myself that, one day, I’d finally do a proper bike ride there.
So, when it came time to decide where I was going to ride in Hampshire for the ABC tour, the Meon Valley was the obvious candidate. I suppose I could have chosen the New Forest, but having lived in Southampton during my university years, I’ve been down there literally hundreds, if not thousands, of times to mountain bike and explore. I wanted to get away from the obvious and try somewhere different.
I started planning the route by scouting Komoot and checking the OS maps. I have to admit, I struggled a little bit at first to find what I’d call a "decent" looking ride right in the heart of the valley. I eventually settled on a route slightly to the west of the Meon Valley, just east of Winchester, and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic.
The ride started at Folly Down, near a place with the interesting name of Cheesefoot Head. Local legend suggests the name comes from the shape of the natural amphitheatre there, which supposedly resembles a "cheese press" or the bottom of a traditional cheese mold. From there, the route took me through a variety of different trails across the South Downs, including sections of King Alfred's Way and the Wayfarer’s Walk. I eventually hit Beacon Hill, which offers an incredible view of the surrounding landscape—there are these amazing natural "punch bowl" land formations all around that area which were really interesting to see.
It was a lovely, sunny spring morning, and the return leg took me back via a series of fantastic bridleways. As I mentioned, the loop finished by coming back across Folly Down. It’s an interesting spot because it's marked as a military range and "danger area." You see warning signs everywhere telling you not to pick up anything military-looking because it might literally blow you up. Despite the warnings, the place didn't actually feel like a live range; it felt very much like a quiet, agricultural area. Whether they actually "bomb the shit out of it" or not, I have no idea, but it certainly made for a memorable end to a great ride.
The Map: