My village perches on the top of a Big Hill, the one I’m always moaning about climbing. The hill is actually called Lances Hill, after David Lance who once owned the land stretching from the village down to the river. It was David Lance who originally built the Big Bridge over the Itchen, more correctly called Northam Bridge, to connect his grand estate to the town of Southampton. After yesterday’s grumble about struggling up the Hill to the shops I thought I’d share a post I wrote back in 2012 to give you a better idea of the problem.
September 15 2012
There wasn’t much exercise today but I did walk up The Big Hill for some things I forgot yesterday. It seems I’m incapable of going shopping without forgetting things, even though I always make a list. It’s not all bad though because all that extra hill walking should count as a workout. I know I’m always talking about The Big Hill but, if you lived in a dip between two hills like I do, you’d be the same. On the WLR forum yesterday Mr Bumble was asking if I could take some photos of this famous hill so I used my shopping trip as an opportunity to do just that. I’m not sure if they show the true nature of the beast though. It has to be walked up to get that.
There are actually two hills leading up to the village, The Big Hill, which is longer but less steep and, to me the lesser of two evils, then The Little Hill, quicker to get up but MUCH steeper. Whichever you choose, there’s no way round it, if you want to go to the village you have to walk up a hill. The Big Hill starts as a gentle slope about a third of a mile from my house, close to the railway station and the Station pub. It lulls the unsuspecting into a false sense of security until they come round the bend and see the steep bit. My house is at the bottom of the steep bit. I googled it and it is apparently one in eight, I think that means for every eight meters you walk it goes up one meter, all I know is it’s a tough climb! It’s around about half a mile from my house to the top which seems a long way when you’re going up it.
The Little Hill, starts a short way from my front door. The first part, or the easy bit, is about as steep as The Big Hill, then you go round the corner to be confronted by the scary bit. I have no idea how steep it is in terms of gradient but, no matter how many times you go up it, it never seems any easier.
When my boys were little I used to hate pushing the pram down because I always had a vision of tripping and the pram sailing down the hill to end up embedded in the front of someone’s house. There’s then another corner and another steep bit before you finally reach the summit. I used to have to stop there to get my breath back but these days I’m made of sterner stuff, although it certainly gets the heart pumping.
Once upon a time these were rural hills, minus all the little houses and lined with trees. The roads were mere dirt tracks used by horses and wagons and a small stream trickled down the crescent where the road is now. In actual fact, once upon a time was less than a hundred years ago. Hard to believe so much has changed in such a short time but of course those hills are still the same.
It all sounds very hard work, I only live up a little hill and if I catch the right bus there is no hill at all!
There are buses that go up and down the Big Hill but I always walk because it takes so long to get across the road from the bottom. Someone decided to put the crossing half way up the steep bit which seems rather silly. I guess who ever planned the changes when they built the bypass never had to walk up it!
That really is steep!
Now you know why I moan so much about it. Every time I go out I have to climb it!
You really need to get yourself a car.
I do have one but there’s never anywhere to park 🙂