BASINGSTOKE - GATEWAY TO THE WEST

Let me say at the outset that I`m in no way a fan of Basingstoke. It has the odd thing going for it - close by was Jane Austen`s birthplace at Steventon and also John Arlott`s at Sherborne St. John, which reminds me that it used to house one of Hampshire Cricket Club`s more `atmospheric` grounds at May`s Bounty, but sadly no more.

Those examples apart, it`s cultural history is perhaps generously described as limited and was perhaps best summed up by The British sitcom `Blessed,` which referred to Basingstoke in an episode that aired during the last quarter of 2005. When the main character met an upper-class couple who had named their children "India" and "Ireland" to reflect their supposed mystical natures, he ironically replied that he had named his own children "Basingstoke" and "Milton Keynes".

No, the whole point of Basingstoke is that it lies on the cusp of the great divide between the promised land of the West Country and the sprawling, fast paced, high octane, competitive pretentiousness of the Londoncentric south-east. Now, I`ve lost count (not that I was counting anyway) of the number of times I have whizzed past Basingstoke on the M3 either on my way to or coming back from Southampton, Dorset, Somerset, Devon or Cornwall. For it is just past Basingstoke that the M3 carries on to the south coast and where the A303 branches off towards those far off West Country destinations. It`s a tough choice, but whatever you do, just steer clear of Basingstoke`s Ring Road.

In many ways, therefore, Basingstoke is the Stargate of Hampshire.......something one has to go through - to endure - to reach the great beyond. But whichever way I`m heading, I do notice an almost tangible change in the pattern and pace of the traffic and life itself around the area of Basingstoke. Heading south or south-west, the traffic thins, slows, becomes more mellow, reflecting the countryside passing by. Coming back, however, the traffic seems to quicken its pace, the road becomes more aggressive and the landscape flattens to reflect the way of life in and around the metropolis.

(Basingstoke Ring Road - click on image to enlarge)

So maybe I should be grateful for Basingstoke after all, for without it those choices, those conflicts and those turns of perception may not be there. I imagine that to actually live in Basingstoke must be a bit like residing in confused.com? But I know which direction I would be heading in.