#83 Rob's Hampshire Pub Walks Holtpound, Alice Holt Forest &River Wey Walk 

Hi Rob, lovely walk, makes me very homesick.... my grandad Harry Faithfull was a stream engine driver out of Eastliegh during the sixties, nan and grandad lived in Bishopstoke , my brother and I were born in Colden common , my dad was in the merchant navy out of Southampton, beautiful thank you I love watching your walks.

Hello Rob. Nice walk, but as you crossed the railway tracks, it reminded me of a time in the mid sixties when there was a land slip on the main line to Winchestsr. They ran many trains down through Alton and over the mid hants railway to Winchester. Then Dr. Beeching came along and that very useful alternative route was no more. Now the same thing has happened again and there are no real alternative routes anymore. I'm told that the line was closed due to lack of passengers, but to help the case for closure, any train from London which was 10 mins late at Farnham was terminated there. So people wanting to get a connection with the Alresford train had to wait a long time at Alton. I also believe the railway company didn't count through tickets, so this made the numbers artificially lower than they actually were. Sad days indeed.