The Boy’s bad day with liquids

Having dropped off the Eldest for her final JDC hockey training, we decided to go on a walk to find Odiham Castle – not a particularly long walk, but enough to fill in a couple of hours with a promise of hot chocolate afterwards.  It all sounded so straightforward.  We found a route via a great app called iFootpath which has the Ordinance Survey map plus photos and text with directions.  Having parked the car in the jam packed car park of The Mill House in North Warnborough, we headed off to the start of the walk, just a short distance and away from the road.  The weather was overcast and dull, but dry and relatively mild.

The Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal

Gerald Durrell and the Littlest, togged up in wellies and jackets, were happily marching through the mud and puddles whilst the Boy walked ahead with Father of the Tribe.  I stopped to read a sign and persuade the Littlest that her legs weren’t going to drop off and she really could walk a lot further and the Boy disappeared with his father around a corner.  As we rounded the corner I could see the Boy half way across a ford which was obviously quite high after the recent rain.  I suggested (read told) the other two that they were absolutely NOT to go through it but around it instead.  As the Boy walked out of the water I noticed that his jeans were somewhat darker above his wellies.  He then used me to balance as he took the wellies off one at a time and literally poured out the water that had accumulated in them.  Father of the Tribe and I stared in utter disbelief.  His wellies, socks and jeans were sodden.  We’d only just started walking!  Father of the Tribe said he would take him back to the car and leave me to take the other two to try and find the castle.

What remains of Odiham Castle
What remains of Odiham Castle

We walked across an open field and found outselves on the footpath running alongside the Basingstoke Canal.  At this point the canal is very narrow.  As Father of the Tribe had the ma

Artist's impression of how the castle originally looked with what remains today in the background
Artist’s impression of how the castle originally looked with what remains today in the background

p on his phone I had a 50 50 chance of going the right way.  Within 5 minutes of walking, Gerald Durrell wondered when we were going to find the castle – low and behold, there it was.

Knowing nothing about the castle, I was delighted to find that it had been built by King John, brother of Richard the Lionheart, between 1207 and 1214.  The history that we had discovered at Chinon in France over the summer was now finding its English links.  Originally built as a stronghold surrounded by several deep moats, it was mainly used as a hunting lodge.  As I had previously found out, King John’s reign was turbulent and in 1215 the English Barons (with whom there was much hostility) persuaded King Philip of France to pressure King John into making fairer land and tax laws.  King John rode from Odiham to Runnymede and put his seal to the Magna Carta.  However little changed and the English barons called on Louis (King Philip’s son) and the French army to invade England.  In 1216 Louis attacked Odiham.  The siege lasted two weeks and when the English soldiers finally surrendered, the French were astonished to find that there were only 13 of them defending the cast.e.  Henry III, John’s son, became King in 1216 on the death of hi father and the new owner of Odiham Castle that he repaired.  In 1236 he gave it to his widowed sister, Eleanor of Pembrokeshire, who went on to marr

The entrance to what remains of the castle
The entrance to what remains of the castle

y Simon de Montfort (who went on to lead the second baronial rebellion, this time against Henry III, although this led to his death at the Battle of Evesham).  When Edward I came to the throne, he too continued to improve the castle and under his grandons Edward III it reverted to a hunting lodge for his wife, Quee

Finding a friend on our way home
Finding a friend on our way home

n Philippa of Hainault.  The remains of the fireplace of the main bed chamber can still be seen.  At the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346, Edward III captured David I of Scotland who spent 3 years of his captivity at Odiham where he was given a well furnished room, food and wine – not bad for a prisoner.  By the mid 15th century, Odiham had fallen into ruin and the outer stone had fallen off revealing the flint core that can be seen today.  In 1792 the Basingstoke Canal was cut through the outer bailey.  It was finally excavated in the 1980s.  Definitely worth a visit together with a lovely walk (especially if you bring extra dry clothes).

As it was almost dark we decided to stop in Odiham for the promised hot chocolate at Next Door, a welcoming contemporary bar and restaurant with rooms.  Having ordered, Father of the Tribe went to collect the Eldest – in the short time that he was away, the Boy’s ‘bad day with liquids’ (as he now refers to it) continued.  I was glad that I hadn’t gone to collect the Eldest as I think that Father of the Tribe’s patience would have been tested.  The three hot chocolates, piled high with cream, became two as one was knocked, very impressively across the table sending hot creamy, mocca coloured milk in an expanding pool around the table.  It was quite a smart place and we were rapidly lowering the tone.  Whilst one member of staff mopped the mess up another, very, very kindly made another mug of hot chocolate.  The Boy was still looking on in horror as to how on earth he could have managed to create such a lot of mess (he was bare footed wearing very wet jeans, just to add to the whole ambiance). I was just waiting for those words “It wasn’t my fault”, but on this occasion he had more sense.  By the time the rest of the family joined us, all was calm.  A big thank you to the staff at Next Door who really did make us feel very welcome.  We will definately be back, although maybe we’ll leave the Tribe at home next time.

www.ifootpath.com

www.hants.gov.uk/odiham-castle

www.nextdoorodiham.co.uk

Author: Mother of the Tribe

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