My commute to work is one of the favourite parts of my day. I’ve mentioned it before, more often than I probably should, but in this post I try and explain why I enjoy it so much.
The journey
Otterbourne village and crossing the motorway
I start off walking through Otterbourne: past the pub, across Otterbourne Hill Green and past the weird mini-castle at Otterbourne Hill Reservoir (I still don’t really understand what that’s all about).
Then down the hill to the footbridge over the M3 – because there’s a motorway between me and the office. The motorway is a bit busy and noisy, but nothing that noise-cancelling earphones can’t handle.
Why I like it This is the least interesting bit of the journey. When the motorway is busy I at least get to be smug that I’m not sat in the traffic. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Cranbury Park estate
Next, I wind my way through the Cranbury Park Estate – a few-hundred acres of country estate that used to be the home of Isaac Newton.
Through Woodend Copse, past “The Castle” (a folly made of ruins from Netley Abbey – ruins of the Chapel of the Former Monastery of St. Mary), and around the stately home.
image credit: anguskirk on flickr
Then I go down the hill to loop around the old Longmoor Farm buildings (now converted into offices and an antiques dealer).
Why I like it This is the architecturally interesting bit of the journey. It has the historical English countryside vibes that come with being the grounds of a Grade I listed building from 1780. Novelists were writing about this place in the 1800’s and it feels like it.
Across the farm
After the Estate, I take the public footpath that cuts across a series of farm fields, separated by footpath gates.
Why I like it I was tempted to write that I don’t… because the farm has a herd of cows and bulls that get rotated between these fields, and cows and bulls still make me nervous when they are in my way. Plus there is no shade on this bit of the journey, so in the summer I bake and in the winter the fields flood and I wade through a muddy swamp.
But… there is a duck pond in between two of the fields, and the flock of ducks that collect there are very cute. So the farm isn’t all bad!
Down the hill into Hursley
Following the entrance road up and out of the farm takes me up to the top of the hill at Ladwell. From there, you get views of the countryside around for miles.
This is over a mile from my office, but is high up enough that you can see some of the IBM Hursley buildings from here. (You can’t see that clearly from low-res phone photos, but honest – when you’re stood there, you really see it!) From here, it’s downhill through another farm field all the way into Hursley village and into the IBM site.
Why I like it The views from Ladwell are amazing. I love that I can see the office a mile before I reach it.
Wildlife
Did I mention that the cows make me nervous?
They’ve made me late for work more than once.
Fortunately, it’s not just cows. Cranbury Park have horses, too. Unlike the cows, the horses are kept away from the public footpaths, so I can admire them from the distance.
They’re not the only animals I get to see. I see wild animals on my way every day. Some days that will be small animals like squirrels and rabbits, and the occasional fox.
There are some times of the year when frogs and toads are super common, and I have to be very careful not to step on them!
My favourites are the deer. There are a few times of the year when I’ll see deer a few times a week. Sometimes just one or two, sometimes in large groups. They normally scarper when they see me.
There are a few ponds on the route, so I see a lot of water birds. I’ve mentioned that I see ducks most days, but there other birds on the ponds in the Cranbury Park estate, like Canada Geese and swans.
There are a huge range of birds that I see on the route. Some I think I recognise, like buzzards, kestrels, and pheasants. And pigeons, of course. I like pigeons.
But I regularly see loads of other types of birds… that I am too ignorant to name. (Maybe I should try identifying them?) I can say they’re very pretty.
The route
On a map, the route looks like this:
gpx file – in case you fancy giving the route a try for yourself
The whole journey is a bit over three-and-a-half miles. I do it in under an hour when I’m walking quickly. It takes me more like 1hr 15 mins when I’m a bit tired and slow.
About an hour for a commute feels like a reasonable amount. I spent longer than that commuting when I worked in London. And I don’t moan about it the way I did when I used to commute to Farnborough.
I don’t think I’d be up for an hour walking to get to work if it was through a town or city. It is the views, the wildlife, and the variety that makes it special. The fact that it is quiet and a bit remote is part of what makes it the perfect bookend to a busy work day.
People are often surprised I do this every day, all year around. I’ve walked this route literally hundreds and hundreds of times, but I still enjoy seeing how the landscape changes through the year.
I really don’t mind a bit of wind, rain and snow. I keep clean, dry clothes in the office and have a shower when I get to work, so weather is not a big deal.
Recommendations
A few recommendations if you’re tempted to try something like this.
Decent walking boots are probably the most important thing. I’m walking nearly eight miles a day in the countryside, in all weather, so I wanted something that will keep my feet warm and dry. I have a pair of SCARPA Terra GTX that I love. There have been a few times where I’ve wondered if wellies might be needed, but so far the SCARPAs have done the job.
After that, the next most critical thing is waterproofing my bag. I carry a MacBook and iPad Mini to the office with me, and when it’s raining I can’t rely on my backpack alone to keep them dry. They go in a Noaks Bag inside of my backpack, and then I wrap a rain cover around the whole backpack to be doubly safe. With both of them, I’ve not had to worry about my tech while walking even in heavy rain.
A torch is useful in the autumn and winter – there are no street lights on this route! I use a cheap LED flashlight that I found on sale for £9. I just need something to light the path in front of me, so I don’t need anything super bright or fancy.
Finally, podcasts. I spend a couple hours a day commuting, so it doesn’t hurt to learn something on the way. Last year was mostly politics and tech, but I’ve been branching out more this year with more podcasts on philosophy, business, and gaming, too.