Well that was a fun day out. The day was again a mixed bag for results. A few pillboxes could not be found on this initial search so again i shall get back out there in the next few days to attempt to locate those elusive boxes.
I found a few surprises out there today ranging from Rail Sockets, miscellaneous lumps of WW2 concrete, an air raid shelter, a bridge that was clearly a roadblock at one end and some areas that will need to be closely documented as i was on the wrong side of the Basingstoke canal. This happened on a few occasions today where i was on a goose chase and looking for a pillbox that certainly wasn't in the area i was searching and hope to make the find. That is often all part of the adventure but it makes it all the more time consuming getting an area documented.
The greatest aspect of today was no rain, i remained dry, there was only a few spots of rain today and for once i only got stung by the nettles on one occasion and dumped on my backside due to tripping over a concealed AT pimple that i wasn't expecting to be there.
Now it's chill time to sink a few beers and relax to get this report done.
My first stop off was a fail, i attempted to get to a pillbox that was marked up as being sat just off the Guildford Road and along the Basingstoke Canal tow path. Easy or so it seemed. All the easy locations seem all the more difficult when a pillbox or other area of interest cannot be found. I really need to get me that GPS locator but by doing so it would be akin to just walking from A to B without exploring an area and finding other remains that have not been entered onto the DoB layer on Google Earth.
Anyhow, not too daunted i carried onto my second location which was sat at Coleford Bridges between the rail track and the A331, Loaded with ciggies,food and drink it was a pleasant walk. The pillbox is located right nest to the rail track and was a tight squeeze getting into the entrance. Another aspect to this pillbox was the pots and pans, sleeping bags and other evidence of someone living in the pillbox. Thankfully i have never found someone in residence. (yet).
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/24): S0011115
I found a few surprises out there today ranging from Rail Sockets, miscellaneous lumps of WW2 concrete, an air raid shelter, a bridge that was clearly a roadblock at one end and some areas that will need to be closely documented as i was on the wrong side of the Basingstoke canal. This happened on a few occasions today where i was on a goose chase and looking for a pillbox that certainly wasn't in the area i was searching and hope to make the find. That is often all part of the adventure but it makes it all the more time consuming getting an area documented.
The greatest aspect of today was no rain, i remained dry, there was only a few spots of rain today and for once i only got stung by the nettles on one occasion and dumped on my backside due to tripping over a concealed AT pimple that i wasn't expecting to be there.
Now it's chill time to sink a few beers and relax to get this report done.
My first stop off was a fail, i attempted to get to a pillbox that was marked up as being sat just off the Guildford Road and along the Basingstoke Canal tow path. Easy or so it seemed. All the easy locations seem all the more difficult when a pillbox or other area of interest cannot be found. I really need to get me that GPS locator but by doing so it would be akin to just walking from A to B without exploring an area and finding other remains that have not been entered onto the DoB layer on Google Earth.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/24): S0011115
. 
The steel shutters were in place on two of the loopholes.
Driving back down to Ash Vale station it was a case of attempting to find a place to park without fear of clamping or on double yellow lines. Eventually i found a space in the housing estate not too far away and walking up past Ash Vale Rail station. Walking along the Basing stoke canal i again failed to locate a pillbox so walked back over the bridge next to Ash Vale station and onto the other side of the canal. This is where i got my first surprise of the day. Sat in two banks of remains are the remnants of socket rails. The first bank of rail sockets consisting of 11 and the second row, sat further down the road, a row of seven. Slightly off to the side of the first bank of sockets and on the side of the road is the remains of a concrete base.
The second bank of rails sat approx 20 ft further up the road.
Just off the same section of road to the right is this AT cylinder.
All in all there are supposedly 4 pillboxes in this area and i only managed to locate one. One i have subsequently found was as a result of me looking too far off to the side of a lake, one is missing, and one was on a live firing range. The one i did get to is unclassified on the DoB layer but looks to be a type 23. Sat to the rear of Keogh Barracks and internally in great condition but the externals area showing huge amounts of frost damage. The area near the lake was stunningly remote but marshy, lichen covered fallen trees that i used as stepping stones to prevent the usual stink of an error that could easily be made. Beautiful with the dappled shade playing on the trees, iris and moss. The only thing that needed to top it off was finding that pillbox. I pretty much used every swear word possibly in this area before cutting back out alone the fence line to the firing ranges. With local names such as Romping Downs, Play Hill, Scarp Hill and Great Bottom, it seemed apt that there was a middle aged man, wandering aimlessly around in the woods with a camera, a strange dead man's stare and covered in putrid smelling on my boots. Nothing too suspicious there really!
Throwing up a mysterious find. Two sections of corrugated iron shuttered chunks of circular concrete.
Wandering back up the track and attempting to hit one of the meandering trails, the woods was dotted with trenches and evidence of boys playing their war games. Two ladies were busy breaking the silence and tranquillity with aimless small talk just behind me so i wandered off with a sense of purpose to find the pillbox which was located behind Keogh Barracks. Sat next to an access bridge into the barracks, the bridge still had old railings, a sense of decrepit mystery and in itself was of real interest.
This pillbox is not actually classified and no photographs exist on the DoB.
Tracking back up to the firing range the second pillbox in the area was located on top of Furze Hill, the red marker flags were out and therefore it was a no go for a visit on this day. A slight tang of disappointment but this is something i get very familiar with. I shall be back on another day to see if i can locate it when it is safe to do so.
North Camp Rail Station. Fully expecting to see a pillbox sat in the marshy ground trapped between the B3166 and a lovely fine smelling sewage farm - i thought it was a quick win. Wrong again! No pillbox could be found. The ground was marshy, covered in ivy and nettles (no surprise there) and it wasn't until i fell over an AT pimple, landing flat on my face and covered in mud, that i realised there were at least 10 AT pimples. According to the DoB these should have been on the other side of the road.
Crossing back over the road and heading towards North Camp Rail Station was a row of AT pimples heavily disguised to an untrained eye. Ripping away some of the ivy confirmed my suspicions. I was getting a few strange looks from commuters going about their normal working day but what the hell.
An air raid shelter not marked up on the DoB. It was at this point i had given up the ghost on a pillbox marked up as being on the S bend of Fleet Road and decided to phone a friend who pointed me in the direction of this find. Located next to the entrance of an entrance to a Military Base on Puckridge Hill i seemed to arouse suspicion. A quick couple of photos and i made my way back down towards the triangle of Fleet Road and Laffan's Road to pick up the remainder of this first days visit to the area.
Sadly this air raid shelter is totally backfilled with earth and tree logs in both entrances.
Rear entrance.
Parking up in a car park on Clubhouse Road located at the edge of Farnborough Road, i tracked back through the woods fully expecting this pillbox to be on my side of the Canal bank, It was only as i looked at the ruined bridge located across the canal that i spotted the familiar shape of a pillbox covered in ivy. I would have to get back over the other side of the canal and walk down to this pillbox so more on that later.
Cutting back on myself and over the other side of the canal is an Army Golf Course. Dotted around on the grass verges are AT cylinders. Laffan's Road dissects the golf course so it was simply a case of parking up and walking over to the cylinders. Easy.
Back out onto the Basingstoke canal path to head for the pillbox i has seen earlier, i came across this bridge and fortunately took a breather to have a look at it. Thankfully i did as on one side is a roadblock. The roadblock is sat on the North side of the bridge approach and not marked up on the DoB layer on Google Earth. Using my phone i frame grabbed my location to plot the bridge.
The usual roadblock is a wedge shape and has a rail slot in one side to place and lift the railings into position. This roadblock is unusual in that the rails and pipes are slid through the concrete mounts.
Having checked over the other side of the bridge for more concrete remains - there wasn't any evidence. It wasn't until the second day out on the canal and walking the difficult route of the overgrown southern bank that i found an AT cylinder partially submerged in the canal.
Back to the first day of exploring again. Finally reaching the pillbox i was after before the light levels dropped too much, this pillbox is listed as a variant. Five loopholes, with two facing eastwards down the canal, one on each of the remaining walls. This pillbox was completely sealed and in relatively bad condition.
PILLBOX (VARIANT): S0007867
Miscellaneous concrete not marked up on the DoB.
An AT Cylinder back in the woods to the rear of Ash Vale Rail Station. Again i revisited this area to attempt to find two elusive pillboxes. Again despite a search i found nothing. Disappointing.
Walking back from the pillbox last night - i glanced over to the other side of the canal bank and spotted an At cone and 6 slabs of concrete that warranted a closer look. In three groupings of two and evenly spaced these are both intriguing and still unexplained. Located to the rear of a military complex, i managed to get the guard dogs barking when i returned back to the car. It was the usual hellish route attempting to track the canal route on the opposite bank but i was determined to get to them. Rewarded but still unexplained.
Finally walking back to the car. Another AT block.
Thanks for reading this report. Finally finished!
