The largest civil liberties protest in British history took place on Sunday, as over 400,000 people converged on the capital.

Many came from Hampshire, their avowed aim to push countryside welfare and the rural economy to the head of government policy.

They flocked to the Liberty and Livelihood march in groups large and small, from private cars to coaches and specially-chartered trains.

One rail service, the Rural Rocket, took 1,000 people from Basingstoke into the heart of London. The Chronicle went with them.

Outside Basingstoke Station, the Hannington Silver Band played uplifting tunes to speed the marchers on their way and recall memories of colliery bands pounding out songs of defiance as miners tried to preserve their industry in the mid-1980s.

Fast forward two decades and the protesters now were rural workers and their supporters, heading to Westminster to lobby a government they see as town-orientated and whose idea of "going to the country" only refers to an election.

Countryside Alliance organiser, Alistair Stobart, from Dummer, Basingstoke, was keen to stress the aim of the march was to protest without causing chaos.

"We're hoping for a quarter of a million people. Any more might bring London to a complete standstill, which we don't want to do."

After arriving in the capital, the passengers of the Rural Rocket marched along the South Bank, following a trio of pipers as if heading to a medieval battle.

At London Bridge , the group merged into the noisy yet orderly army of protesters, slowly filtering west towards Whitehall.

The atmosphere was both chaotic and orderly as people patiently walked and queued along the route while cheering amidst the din of horns and whistles.

Yet despite the jubilant atmosphere, many of the marchers were fearful and uncertain over their future.

Greg James works as a woodman on an estate at Wherwell, near Stockbridge. He said: "This is our way of life and we're prepared to fight for it. It is the life we know."

Matthew Westwood is employed as a gamekeeper and travelled to the protest from Andover. "If people want to make a living in the countryside, they should be allowed to. It's not just a job - it's a life."

Many slogans paraded through London accused the Government of not giving farming a future. Several were carried by children, who wore stickers and badges in support of the march.

Jamie Gough, aged 12, lives near Andover. He said: "This generation had a chance to live in the country. Mine should as well."

The numbers of children on the march was staggering, for this was a family occasion and as such, there never seemed any danger of violent scenes like those in Trafalgar Square during the Poll Tax riots of March, 1990.

In contrast, much of Whitehall was completely quiet last Sunday. Protesters filed past the Cenotaph in silence as a mark of respect, passing the tall black gates of Downing Street without a word.

After the Cenotaph, the crowds passed under two giant arches, which counted numbers. As the final marchers walked through, at 5.28pm, the total stood at 407,791.

They had come to highlight a myriad of rural issues, ranging from hunting to farm prices and village shops to rural policing.

Simon Andrews, a website designer from Berkshire, attended the march to promote a site he has developed listing where people can buy rural goods at source: www.localproducts.co.uk.

He added: "Hunting is a very emotive issue, but there's lots of issues here today. In my case, I was looking to buy some honey produced locally, but I couldn't find any websites that listed where I could buy local products, so I decided to make one."

Keith Story, of the Winchester Meadows Conservation Alliance, attended the march with a coach party from Sparsholt. "It felt that one was with the people who represent the heart and soul of England."

Yet there were dissenting voices, with small groups of anti-bloodsports campaigners shadowing the march, bearing placards and reading poems.

Other opponents included Romsey MP, Sandra Gidley, who accused the hunting lobby of hijacking the march. "Because I voted to ban fox-hunting, it was made clear that people like me would not be welcome unless we could sign up to the whole agenda.

"I regret this bullying attitude which prevented many people from expressing support for the countryside."

As the march reached its conclusion, protesters filtered away under the shadow of Big Ben. Placards were tossed aside by some (ignoring requests to take them home) and the massive tide began flowing out of the capital.

The countryside has now made its point to Westminster. It remains to be seen if the Government chooses to listen.