A short walk to the Longstone

Every now and then I have a few minutes of freedom from the glorious shackles of responsibility when every member of my family falls asleep apart from me.

We were on the way to Mottistone Manor Gardens when child one and Mrs Guru fell asleep. And so, I parked up at the Mottistone Down car park and decided to head for The Longstone in the rain.

I had two choices. Option one was to head through the field of cows which appeared slightly more direct, or walk along Strawberry Lane and then through a field. The cows were looking particularly menacing, so I took the road option.

In hindsight, I could have parked a whole lot nearer as there was a small layby with space for about three cars right by the footpath. Still, I had been complaining about my lack of time for exercise so I enjoyed the 15 minute walk to the start of the footpath with only occasional dives into the hedgerows being required when a car came along.

The whole of Mottistone Down is really pretty, with rolling greenery and hardly any people around even in the summer school holidays (although it was raining, to be fair). 

Another five minutes later and I was at The Longstone. To the initiated it might look like a missing lump of Stonehenge, but of course the definitely accurate history is that it landed during a shot-put competition between the devil and St Catherine.

​Having walked the whole way, I felt the need to at least touch the Longtone so I gently prodded it. Not exactly sure what I expected to happen, although of course I would have been delighted if I had opened up a secret door to a neolithic chamber. 

Nothing happened, so I wandered back to my car of sleeping passengers having tick off another thing from my summertime to-do list.