Chawton Walk and Walkability 20 March 2016

This month's walk had a literary edge to it and sixteen well wrapped up guys left the car park opposite Jane Austen's house, now a museum for a brief stroll through Chawton village and then out into the surrounding countryside.

The lanes were picturesque and the surrounding countryside dry, flat and mudless as we walked up the Caker Stream to Upper Farringdon home of the 1100s Church of All Saints.  The mission here was to find the gravestone that graphically depicts the robbery and murder of Mary Windebank in 1758, sadly we failed miserably - in our defence: a little guide book in the church mentioned it but didn't know where it was either!

By now stomachs were growling and lunch was had outside the church on the village green overlooking Massey's Folly.  A huge structure built by the Revd. T Massey over thirty years, never finished and if it had a purpose he took it untold to the grave with him.  It is now used as a village hall,

The afternoon took us cross country and back to Chawton via the old railway, now a walk and we detoured to explore another part of the village where stands Chawton House, now the Chawton House Library with the church of St Nicholas next door where her mother and sister, Cassandra are buried.

At the end of the walk and back at the car park some of us ended the afternoon at the Greyfriar pub whilst other went to explore an exciting looking bric-a-brac sale in the grounds of a beautiful cottage.

It was a great day out and I personally really appreciate that so many turned out for 'Walk and Walkability'.

Ready for another adventure?

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