Midhurst Footpath Companions
Walking in Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey.

Stroud walk on 19th August 2026

With 2 months of virtually no rain, at long last we had a shower or two! It was still raining a little as we assembled at the Seven Stars in Stroud. After walking a short way down Ramsdean Road we turned right and headed towards Mustercoombe Copse and with some difficulty mastered a broken stile. Next we skirted Stancoombe Copse before turning north to meet the Winchester Road near Langrish.  Once across the road we took the footpath adjacent to Manor Farm with its listed 16th Century Dovecote. (The doves were kept for their manure which was used to tan hides, used  as fertilizer, and as an ingredient in gun-powder. However the real purpose of a dovecote was as a reliable source of food for the table.)  After climbing through a couple of fields we reached Cold Hill where the blackberries were tasty but small, probably due to the miniscule amount of rain we have had this year. A little further on we stopped for a drinks break at Ridge Farm where a large collection of logs were very useful as seats. A pleasant walk along Stoner Hill brought us to the path that descends through Lythe Hanger, not the easiest pathway but luckily the chalk was not wet enough to be slippery. A walk past Lythe Farm and Rothercombe Farm eventually brought us back to The Seven Stars for a well deserved lunch. About 4.3 miles.

Looks like rain!!!

This was a real test!

Rain, rain, go away, please

The delightful Mustercoombe Copse

Some plants grow, some don't. It depends which side of the path you were born on!

Shouldn't we be going that way? By the way, there's a sun in the sky!

Manor Farm, dovecote just the other side of the farm buildings

Steep path going up towards Cold Hill

Heartwood fungus may have been inside the trees for decades but usually seen outside when the tree is dead or dying

Well, coffee stop is over and on we go!

Coming down the gulley in Lythe Hanger

A seat with a view - the South Downs.

View to the south-west

How do you expect me to look happy when there's no grass to eat?

Seven Stars at last

Whilst we were eating, the rain put in a brief appearance

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