Boundary Stones – I Walk Alone

Boundary stones and a visionary man

Southampton is a city of green spaces. Right in its heart there are areas of greenery galore, including the Common, the big central parks, the parks around the docks and all the tiny green squares hidden away in odd corners. One of the largest green spaces is Southampton Sports Centre, nestled between Lordswood and Bassett. The Sports Centre is right on the edge of the city so it’s not somewhere I often walk but, in May 2020, Commando was finally put on furlough and had an early morning run planned with his friend Rob, who lives close to it. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to go along and have a wander on my own.

All about hills

6 August 2019

One of the worrying things about the Clarendon Marathon, apart from having to walk twenty six point two miles in under eight hours, is the last five miles. By all accounts they are very hilly, including a trek up Farley Mount (the Mount part is a particular worry). With this in mind I thought our short walks should be hilly ones. On Sunday morning I scouted out part of today’s eight mile route and I was fairly sure Kim wouldn’t thank me for it, at least not today. Maybe on Marathon day though, she would.

On a mission

13 September 2018

Today CJ and I were on a mission. In August the renovations on the Royal Victoria Country Park chapel were finally completed. Although we were both itching to go and visit, we both agreed it was best to wait until the school summer holidays were over and the initial burst of visitors had subsided before checking it out. This was not something we wanted to rush around in a crowd. So, we set off bright and fairly early for what would be the longest walk I’ve taken since my back troubles began. Continue reading On a mission

More than one way to cross the Itchen – a postcard from Crosshouse

28 March 2017

We’d had an adventure in Eling and I’d given my knee a good testing, but the walking wasn’t quite over for the day. This evening I had a meeting to attend close to the town end of the Itchen Bridge. Commando needed the car for work but he offered to drop me off in Woolston on his way. The timings were a little out, meaning I’d be more than a little early, but at least I’d only have to walk across the bridge. Time to kill down by the water there is never time wasted so I didn’t much mind being early. Continue reading More than one way to cross the Itchen – a postcard from Crosshouse

Another day another stone

1 November 2016

Following my fifteen minutes of radio fame CJ and I spent a fruitless couple of hours wandering around Basset Woods looking for a boundary stone on the strength of a cryptic message. Searching on Google maps showed what I thought was a stone on the edge of the woods. It turned out not to be but the same search turned up another possible stone, this one ancient rather than modern. Today CJ and I decided to check it out. Continue reading Another day another stone

The mystery of Bassett Woods

12 October 2016

We’d walked four miles or so and now, right in front of us, was exactly what we’d been hoping. Or was it? With our hearts in our mouths we walked slowly forwards, hardly daring to hope. It all seemed a little bit too easy though. If this really was a boundary stone, right there in full view, why had no one found it before? Continue reading The mystery of Bassett Woods

Counting chickens

12 October 2016

When my street view hunting turned up what looked very much like another boundary stone, albeit half hidden behind a wheelie bin, CJ and I were itching to go and see it for real.
“It might not actually be a stone,” I said as we set out along the river this morning. “We shouldn’t count our chickens before they’re hatched.”
Even so, there was a thrill of anticipation in both of us, if it was a stone, it was one that no one else had found. It felt like a very big thing and we couldn’t help getting excited. Continue reading Counting chickens

Southampton City Archives, more questions than answers

11 October 2016

As we walked through Aldermore after our final boundary stone discovery I knew the time had come to visit the City Archives to see if I could find any more information about the eleventh and twelfth stones. Several fruitless searches on the Common and Golf Course Road had left me wondering if they even existed and, if there were any answers to my questions, I guessed this was where I’d find them. Continue reading Southampton City Archives, more questions than answers

The final boundary stone, or is it?

6 October 2016

After my fifteen minutes of radio and video fame I’d hoped for some clues about the whereabouts of the final two boundary stones. What I actually got was people asking if I’d found any more stones and a lot of comments about stones I’d already found. There was one cryptic comment about Bassett Green and Stoneham Lane but neither was anywhere near where the last stones were meant to be and I couldn’t get any more information so, for now, I’ve discounted it. Even so, it seemed about time I went in search of the final stone I knew really was there. Continue reading The final boundary stone, or is it?

Fifteen minutes of fame and one final zebra

28 September 2016

A couple of weeks ago I had an email from Chris Hitchings, a journalist working for Radio Solent. He’d seen my post about finding the boundary stone in Lord’s Wood and wanted to know more. We had an email conversation about the stones and how I’d been searching for them and he said he’d like to interview me. This sounded a little disconcerting as I’ve never been one to crave the spotlight and at first I was inclined to decline. When Chris said he thought someone out in radio land might know where the two missing stones were though, I decided a touch of public humiliation was worth it. Continue reading Fifteen minutes of fame and one final zebra

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