THE ROAD TO EXETER
| London (Hyde Park Corner) to— | |
| MILES | |
| Kensington— | |
| St. Mary Abbots | 1¼ |
| Addison Road | 2½ |
| Hammersmith | 3¼ |
| Turnham Green | 5 |
| Brentford— | |
| Star and Garter | 6 |
| Town Hall (cross River Brent and Grand Junction Canal) | 7 |
| Isleworth (Railway Station) | 8½ |
| Hounslow (Trinity Church) | 9¾ |
| (Cross the Old River, a branch of the River Colne). | |
| Baber Bridge (cross the New River, a branch of the River Colne) | 11¾ |
| East Bedfont | 13¼ |
| Staines Bridge (cross River Thames) | 16½ |
| Egham | 18 |
| Virginia Water— | |
| ‘Wheatsheaf’ | 20¾ |
| Sunningdale— | |
| Railway Station | 22¾ |
| Bagshot— | |
| ‘King’s Arms’ | 26¼ |
| ‘Jolly Farmer’{xvi} | 27¼ |
| Camberley | 29 |
| York Town | 29¾ |
| Blackwater (cross River Blackwater) | 30¾ |
| Hartford Bridge | 35½ |
| Hartley Row | 36½ |
| Hook | 40 |
| Water End (for Nately Scures) | 41¾ |
| Mapledurwell Hatch (cross River Loddon) | 43 |
| Basingstoke— | |
| Market Place | 45¾ |
| Worting | 47¾ |
| Clerken Green, and Oakley— | |
| Railway Station | 49¾ |
| Dean | 51¼ |
| Overton | 53½ |
| Laverstoke, and Freefolk | 55½ |
| Whitchurch— | |
| Market House | 56¾ |
| Hurstbourne Priors | 58½ |
| Andover— | |
| Market Place (cross River Anton) | 63½ |
| Little Ann | 65½ |
| Little (or Middle) Wallop (cross River Wallop) | 70½ |
| Lobcombe Corner | 73¾ |
| ‘Winterslow Hut’ (cross River Bourne) | 75 |
| Salisbury— | |
| Council House | 81½ |
| West Harnham (cross River Avon) | 82¼ |
| Coombe Bissett (cross a branch of the River Avon) | 84¼ |
| ‘Woodyates Inn’ | 91¼ |
| ‘Cashmoor Inn’ | 96¼ |
| Tarrant Hinton (cross River Tarrant) | 99 |
| Pimperne{xvii} | 101½ |
| Blandford— | |
| Market Place (cross River Stour) | 103¾ |
| Winterbourne Whitchurch (cross River Winterbourne) | 108¾ |
| Milborne St. Andrews (cross River Milborne) | 111½ |
| Piddletown (cross River Piddle) | 115 |
| Troy Town (cross River Frome) | 116¼ |
| Dorchester— | |
| Town Hall | 120 |
| Winterbourne Abbas (cross River Winterbourne) | 124½ |
| ‘Traveller’s Rest’ | 131¼ |
| Bridport— | |
| Market House (cross River Brit) | 134½ |
| Chideock | 137¼ |
| Morecomblake | 138¾ |
| Charmouth (cross River Char) | 141½ |
| ‘Hunter’s Lodge Inn’ | 145 |
| Axminster— | |
| Market Place (cross River Axe) | 147 |
| (Cross River Yart) | |
| Kilmington | 148¾ |
| Wilmington (cross River Coly) | 153 |
| Honiton | 156½ |
| Fenny Bridges (cross River Otter) | 159½ |
| Fairmile | 161½ |
| Rockbeare | 166 |
| Honiton Clyst (cross River Clyst) | 168¼ |
| Heavitree | 171 |
| Exeter | 172¾ |
I
From Hyde Park Corner, whence it is measured, to the west end of Hounslow town, the Exeter Road is identical with the road to Bath. At that point the ways divide. The right-hand road leads to Bath, by way of Maidenhead; the Exeter Road goes off to the left, through Staines, to Basingstoke, Whitchurch, and Andover; where, at half a mile beyond that town, there is a choice of routes.
The shortest way to Exeter, the ‘Queen City of the West,’ is by taking the right-hand road at this last point and proceeding thence through Weyhill, Mullen’s Pond, Park House, and Amesbury to Deptford Inn, Hindon, Mere, Wincanton, Ilchester, Ilminster, and Honiton. This ‘short cut,’ which is the hilliest and bleakest of all the bleak and hilly routes to Exeter, is 165 miles, 6 furlongs in length. Another way, not much more than 2¼ miles longer, is by turning to the left at this fork just outside Andover, and going thence to Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Yeovil, Crewkerne, and Chard, to meet the other route at Honiton; at which point, in fact, all routes met. A third way, over 4½ miles longer than the last, instead of leaving Salisbury for Shaftesbury, turns in a more southerly direction, and passing through Blandford, Dorchester, Bridport, and Axminster, reaches Exeter by way of the inevitable Honiton in 172 miles, 6 furlongs.