CSCC Reports 2011: Winchfield to Odiham Castle - August 2011

On Saturday 13 August Chris, Beth, Colette (on her first club trip), David G and Dan paddled on the Basingstoke Canal between Winchfield Hurst and Odiham.  

This Canal is a lot more picturesque than you might imagine from its name.  The water is much cleaner looking than that of any other canal I know and the waterway is lined with beautiful mature native species trees (including lots of oaks) and fruit bushes.  At this time of year it is possible to help yourself to a few juicy blackberries on the overhanging branches.  I dared to sample some elderberries and mystery berries resembling a cross between blackberries and blueberries.  Chris later worked out that the delicious purple berries were dewberries.

We also stopped for a more conventional meal at the Water Witch, a riverside pub along the route.  In doing so we made the mistake of landing at the dilapidated jetty immediately next to the pub and I almost fell in the drink in the process.  This area was fenced off from the beer garden.  On my next visit I will land on the slip at the adjoining marina instead.

Odiham has a ruined mediaeval Castle with an interesting history and we got out of our boats and wandered around it (entry is free).  We then made our way on foot to the tunnel which marks the start of the canal.  Sadly this lengthy tunnel has long been blocked and now it is apparently home only to large colonies of bats.

On returning to Winchfield Hurst we had refreshments in the Barley Mow pub by the free car park where we had left our cars.  A beer festival was in full swing with live music.  

Our thanks go Chris for organising a very pleasant day out for us all.