Friday - 5th April Plan

Day 1 plans

Official start is from Winchester City Mill and our end of day destination is Wetherdown ECO Lodge, which is a 16 mile cycle ride.

Winchester rendezvous location

As we will be travelling down in two groups, we need to meet up at St Peters Car park, Gordon Rd, Winchester SO23 7DD.  Half way between Winchester BR Station and the start at the Old City Mill.

A Team

Gary; Andy and Chris, will cycle from Hertford down the Lee tow path and across London to Waterloo to catch a train down.

B Team

Hugh, Adrian and Paul along with support driver Garry will be driving down to Winchester

The official starting point of the South Downs Way is the Old City Mill




SDW Day 1

First nights accommodation - Wetherdown Eco Lodge, The Sustainability Centre, Droxford Rd GU32 1HR - 01730 823549

As we are a team 6/7, finding suitable accommodation with secure bike storage proved to be impossible.  Utilising, PG's local contacts (Thanks to Andy and Hannah), he soon discovered that the best first nights accommodation would be Wetherdown Eco Lodge, which has a lockable garage for bikes.

Wetherdown Lodge was once the home of Royal Navy trainees, but it has been completely renovated and is now a model in how to use energy and cut carbon emissions. The heating and hot water is provided by a biomass boiler, which uses locally sourced wood, whilst the warmth is retained by wool fleece insulation. It has triple glazed windows, solar roof tiles and natural maromoleum flooring.

Road access to the lodge

Lodge room details

Private triple room with one single bed and a bunk. The room has a sink and access to shared bathroom facilities. Towels and linen are provided. The lodge itself features a communal lounge area with a sofa, television and a selection of books and games. There is also a large, modern, well equipped communal kitchen for self catering. The price includes a help yourself breakfast and tea/coffee. Check in for the Lodge is from 4pm, check out time is 10am.

Food

We will be pre-ordering Vegan food from the cafe at the Wetherdown Lodge.

http://www.thebeechcafe.co.uk/

Beer for the night

The Ball and Bat, Hyden Farm Ln, Clanfield, Hambledon, Waterlooville PO8 0UB. 2 miles cycle (10 mins). - https://www.batandballclanfield.co.uk/