So day 8 and we were going deeper in Hampshire to places we both hadn't heard of, that included Exton our destination for this day. The coach ride was pretty long for us in Shoreham today but of course, a lot less for our Chichester friends. Swings and roundabouts, it all works out the same for everyone, in the end. It was simply the A27 again and the A3 as far as the QE Country Park. The cafe was to be kindly opened up early for us but it looked very closed when we arrived at the front car-park. Several coaches arrived at the same time and keener walkers than us, seeing it appeared 'shut' simply stride off in a westerly direction. The saving grace for the cafe owner was the loo was needed by those that had travelled further and we ventured around the rear to where we finished yesterday afternoon, and there it was.....open for coffee, cakes and bacon butties. Our host apologised for looking shut but the shop shop next door doesn't open till later and they have the key to the front shutters! 
Perhaps in hindsight a simple sign around the front saying, yes we are open, at the rear entrance........but this may just be me! 20 minutes of morning refreshment before we got underway. We were on the edge of the large park so our long, tree shaded walk of yesterday, wasn't repeated. Straight under the A3 and up and up Buster Hill, or that's what we called it but it is actually Butser Hill.
A mile of up hill with frequent pauses to catch the view, or breath before joining Limekiln Lane at the top. This gave us views over Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight and further on to Southampton with its Fawley refinery clearly visible. The day was warm already and not just from the climb. Cover-up today, hats and sunscreen.....again! Following the elevated track for a short while, we thankfully entered some shaded woods before reaching our first morning stop at around four miles.
The old HMS. Mercury that used to be a military listening station but now possibly due to us, not wanting to listen anymore! It has just the remnants of the barbed wire security fencing remaining but now has some swish modern houses that are gradually replacing the navy's former-ears. Leydene Park which was opposite, appeared to be some form of activity centre but more importantly to us, it was a nice cafe and loo. When I say loo, it was just the singular unisex so a queue formed that made it pretty slow to reach your goal. We took a coffee and cake as being almost obligatory now and sat inside out of the heat for a few minutes before retracing our steps and back onto the path. 
After just a few hundred yards we were back into open farmland with the SDW circling a bowl that overlooked Coombe Farm with its acres of fields. Just three more miles further on and our suggested lunch stop at Whitewool Pond, trout fishery and cafe was a welcoming sight. Its lake and log-cabin styled cafe was very pleasing on the eye. We crossed to the other bank and like many others, we had our lunch, chatting in the warm sunshine. 
Clive and Lizzie appeared again and shared a half-hour with us before it was time to go as we still had almost five miles and Old Winchester Hill, to go. The climb up to the Nature reserve of Old Winchester Hill was stunning, the views behind when looking back made the ascent worth the huffing & puffing. At the top the path runs alongside the lane and it became a bit deceptive trying to follow it. We took an entrance into the nature reserve and wound our way around the perimeter......like the 2 sisters and another lone bloke! We weren't lost but as we were told that we had a choice on Old Winchester Hill, we weren't too sure where we should be, to make this choice. Being hill-fort walkers for many years we wanted to walk the mounds rather than take the actual marked SDW.
We all then split up and took different directions, we circled the fort, some went straight across and others, took the SDW way marked route.
In twenty minutes we all arrived back on the same track, somewhere near to where the Monarchs Way joined and continued on a slow descent until we crossed the A32 and walked alongside the sparklingly clear, 
River Meon in the picturesque Meon Valley. Exton was just a few hundred yards away and we soon found we were walking through the 'chocolate box' village before we saw our redshirts in the Shoe pub garden, fairly full of already-finishers, sipping drinks and telling tales of the long day. Footprints had really scored with this pub that as well as being very nice, both inside and out, it had a garden location to die for. A fast flowing and crystal-clear river at the garden end, but unfortunately that day,(and probably every day) a large sign saying 'no paddling'. I suppose its not nice for the fish to have 180 pairs of cheesy feet upsetting their delicate ecology. 
There was plenty of time for a refreshing pint and rest before our ticket was called and a short walk through the village, with its narrow roads, to board our coach and take the journey home.
Last day tomorrow, we are having some mixed emotions already. It's nice to finish and to have achieved our goal but we are getting pretty used to the waking up routine now...a bit like work perhaps! No nothing like work at all!