Ball & Wicket, EAST HAMPSHIRE, Hampshire

In the tiny hamlet of Holt Pound, just a stone's throw away from the idyllic Alice Holt Forest, stands the charming Ball and Wicket country pub.

The pub’s name alludes to its local cricket heritage and position on a disused cricket pitch, known locally as “the oval”, where many important Surrey games took place.

The Farnham cricket club used this pitch as their residence before moving to a newly created pitch near the moat of Farnham Castle, leaving Holt Pound available to other clubs and locals to play cricket until it was abandoned shortly after the first world war.

The neighboring Alice Holt Forest, once predominantly an ancient oak forest supplying timber for the royal navy, boasts huge conifers and forms the most northerly gateway to the South Downs National Park.

The beautiful wooded scenery surrounding the Ball and Wicket makes for an ideal setting for a long peaceful afternoon stroll in the great outdoors, followed by a heart-warming meal and a pint of cask ale.