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M3, St Catherine’s Hill, Hampshire: OEX Phoxx 1v2 Tent Motorway Setup
Early March 2026
From time to time, I’ve driven past this location and thought that one day I’d love to camp up there and look down at the motorway. Well, tonight was that night.
For the full wild camping write-up, including photos and route details from St Catherine’s Hill, you can read the main blog post here: M3, St Catherine’s Hill, Hampshire – OEX Phoxx 1V2 Motorway Camp.
I brought my Phoxx 1 v2 which just fitted in the gully. It has a low profile, and only a bit of the top was just visible from the path, but in the dark, it should be fine.
Here is the YouTube link to the kit video of everything I took with me, including a quick look at my OEX Phoxx 1v2 setup: Motorway Wild Camping Kit – Full Gear Setup
The night was noisy, as expected, but I didn’t see or hear anyone. I packed up around 5 am and headed on to the path to brew a coffee. Then I spotted a head torch from a runner coming along the path and was glad I’d already packed up.
Getting there:
I parked on Lansdowne Avenue and walked to the hill, which is around 0.5 miles (0.8 km). I entered the hill via the Cadence Clubhouse car park.
I found the area I chose in Winchester a little tricky for parking. There’s a mix of permit only areas and some free on-street parking. The on-street parking comes with restrictions of 2–4 hour, but no restrictions after 18:00.
I arrived around 16:00, so I was able to use the two free hours then onto the free overnight parking.
Heads up:
Lots of paths in, on and around St Catherine’s Hill, as well as the neighbouring valleys and green areas. Most are exposed, but when I visited, the weather was grey and drizzling, so there weren’t too many people. I did a bit of research on the paths and byways beforehand, but didn’t have the time to explore the whole area- plus my goal was to pitch up close to the motorway.
Good phone and internet signal
DM me if you’d like the exact coordinates of the spot I used.
#motorway #phoxx1v2 #tentcamping #wildcamp #stcatherineshill #hillfort #leavenotrace #hampshire m3
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M3, St Catherine’s Hill, Hampshire - OEX Phoxx 1V2 Motorway Camp
The last time I came through here, it was at the end of the South Downs Way. This time, I came back with a plan - to wild camp along the M3.
