Long-term readers of my site will remember our excursion to the Holy Well at Holwell, which I dubbed the 'trainspotter’s well'. It will therefore come as no surprise that when, whilst walking the Meon Valley Path, we noticed a ‘Holy Well’ on the O S Map, on a route I've travelled many times, it would be a shoe-in that we'd return to find it. We were aiming for the A32, near to Soberton, and a little research showed that James Rattue references Hope (The Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England) who in 1893 recorded 'St Clare’s Well' as being 'on the mainland, to the south'. Hope's source is in fact Shore, in 'Springs and wells of Hampshire' (p55), who says rather more clearly 'South of Soberton, not far from the stream, is a pool or well called St. Clare's Well'. This attribution, which seems to have been lost over the last century, could conceivably refer to the 'Clere' family, who owned the land in the middle ages, but lacking any firm evidence to that effect, I consider it to be a genuine dedication to St Clare herself.
Finding it was another matter. The O S map shows it as being on the opposite side of a metalled track to a house, at a distinctive bend in the road. It's also marked on a leaflet of 'Parish Walks'. It's a beautiful area and the walks are well worthwhile (pun intended) but the circle with a number in it marking the well is basically misleading. I now know that the well is listed in the extract of wells in Hampshire that I posted ages ago, but listed as Swanmore - although Soberton is closer, the parish boundary appears to be the A32, so technically, by a yard or so, Swanmore has the well. Fortunately for my sanity the grid reference wouldn't have helped: it would have been more than a little annoying to have had useful directions on my web site and forgotten about them.
There’s an old adage 'do as I say, not as I do'. In this case it’s rather that we did the scary leg-work so that you can have an easier ride (although even then it’s not all plain sailing).
First, our approach. We drove north along the A32 and I confirmed that the two fairly distinctive bends were as I remembered. Using a GPS from the passenger seat I identified what I thought was the metalled track. We turned and drove back and from this direction a footpath sign was obvious, together with a notice 'no vehicular access'. Bingo, many wells are in such places. Further on was a patch of grass where we could put the car off the road without obstructing the gate. We turned again, parked and very, very carefully walked the quarter-mile back to the footpath sign. Sans footpath the A32 is scary even in the (mostly ignored) 30 limit sections. On the derestricted bits the average motorist doesn’t take prisoners. I’d like to thank the driver who slowed and indicated before swinging past us, but note the singular there.
We swung up the footpath: there was the house, and on the opposite side the grounds of what is obviously the 'big house'. There were a couple of distinctive clumps of trees but one turned out to be a hedge and the other was new planting. Locals to whom we showed the map, some of whom had lived in the area for twenty years or more, were totally unaware of the well's existence, but this is no surprise: only because of an unrelated piece of research over the last year am I aware of two ring-ditches and a hill-ffort all within walking distance of the house I?ve inhabited for a similar length of time. We returned to the road. Maybe there was another path? We hadn't passed one, but maybe it was further north. So we walked north, not bothering to cross to the correct side. About twenty yards further up, totally buried in the hedge, was the well. It looked pretty much like the line drawing in the Baker's Arms, at any rate. Its an oval cistern with a step down into it, the water fresh. You can just about photograph it from the road, but there is an access path. You can get right in and we did, but it's polite to ask the residents of the lodge opposite: they seem happy enough to give permission. Once in, there was, however, a feeling of quiet, which was not quite dispelled by the equally hazardous trek back to the car.
Now, for the easier way. We'd promised ourselves a drink and drove to the Bold Forrester at Soberton Heath. Facing North as we were, drive on, take the next right over the river and under a railway bridge. Almost immediately turn right into a fairly minor road that parallels the old railway, now the Meon Valley Path. Just when you’re absolutely convinced that you’ve gone wrong, the pub is on your left with the car park behind it. There was extensive building work but the place was as friendly as ever. We decided to walk down to Soberton Mill. Go out of the pub and, facing what counts as the 'main' road, turn left. At a farmhouse (Bere Farm) turn right and walk down to the mill. Now carry on over the river and into the undergrowth. There is a path there (to be fair it's apparently more obvious in winter, but then again the locals say it's very wet in winter. Push through and you’ll come to the A32. You can’t miss it, just listen for the traffic. Please be very careful since the opening brings you out onto the inside of a blind bend. Still not for the faint-hearted, but safer that a quarter-mile each way, and a good deal more pleasant.
The well is a real find and well worth a visit, but please be careful.