Writer's Way: Mounters Lane Traditional Cache

East Hampshire has been home to some of Britain’s literary greats: Gilbert White, William Cobbett and Jane Austen, and the Writer’s Way is a geat way to explore the areas that they knew so well.

In this case it’s Jane Austen, who lived in Chawton from 1809 until 1817 during which time she wrote, revised and had published all her major works.

Mounter’s Lane is now a nice footpath which joins the main part of Chawton with it’s most northern part which was left on the Alton side of the A31 Alton bypass when the road was completed back in 1971.

The heart of the village has a population similar to that of Jane Austen’s day and it’s centre is the junction of the old east-west London-Winchester route, and the north-south Southampton-Basingstoke route. The roads meet outside Jane’s former home and are now known as the Winchester Road and the Old Gosport Road.

The pub, school, recreation ground, church, cricket club, tea shop and the village hall are all within a few hundred yards of this central point. The now-detached northern part of Chawton, however, comprises simply of the houses running from the Butts roundabout along Winchester Road and Mounters Lane, then along Chawton Park Road and Northfield Lane.

Living north of the A31, Mounter’s Lane is the route we take to get to our local, it’s muddy in the winter though so bring your wellies and remember it’s further on the way back!

The cache is a small black metal canister and there is space for small swaps.

You can find a map of the Writer’s Way here: (Visit Link)