Gallery

-

Rogate walk on 11th June 2025

We started on Tim and Jane's walk from the layby on the A272 at Terwick. We welcomed Jo, a guest walker from New Zealand - who must have started out MUCH earlier than the rest of us!  Heading north up a gulley between fields we eventually reached Terwick Common where we crossed the road to continue our northwards route. Eventually reaching Dangstein Road, we turned west and took the road past the Fyning Hill Estate, before eventually turning down into Fyning Common. After walking through the trees, our route eventually took us through fields of intensively grown sweetcorn. We spent some time wondering how they removed the miles of polythene no longer required by the plants, but failed to arrive at any conclusion. The nearby Rogate Village Recreation area provided an excellent spot to rest our legs and have a drink and also to celebrate a birthday. Once revived we walked into Rogate and took a path through Parsonage Estate and then through fields to reach a bridge over the somewhat murky River Rother. Some more lane walking until we reached Habin Bridge, thought to have been built in the 15th or 16th Century by monks from the nearby Durford Abbey, perhaps a hundred years before any European found New  Zealand. We then walked alongside the Rother before making for the church of St Peter in Terwick.

There we found the Lupin Field,  click here :- LUPINS. 

The weather this year has been not particularly good for lupins but there was still a good display. New plants had been protected from the slugs by sheeps wool which is an interesting alternative to all the other remedies that never seem to work very well.  Crossing the road we found our cars and heading to The Elsted Inn, where we all enjoyed an excellent lunch, promptly served!

---

Fernhurst walk on 4th June 2025

Starting from the recreation ground car park we walked across the Midhurst to Haslemere road onto Vann Road and took the footpath towards Hawksfold Farm.  On to Lower Hawksfold, across fields and into Amon’s Copse and more fields until the footpath crossroad near Lower North Park Farm where we turned north.  On entering Furnace Woods we stopped at the Fernhurst Iron Works and Gun Foundry remains for our coffee break. This  is one of the best preserved sites of its type in south-east England.

The Pond was the source of water to power the water wheel which worked the bellows to heat the furnace sufficiently to melt iron ore. Iron making was taking place from the 16th to the 18th Century throughout the Weald and it is said that this was the start of the Industrial Revolution. Iron manufacture in southern England only stopped when coke was developed as a much hotter fuel in the north of England.

The whole area has many hard chips of slag in the ground, a by-product of the furnace process. Reaching Vann Road again we turned west before taking the footpath to the right into Oakreads Wood and then east towards Greenhill House and back to Fernhurst.  Lunch was at The Red Lion on the Fernhurst Green.

There is to be an open weekend in September at the site of the Fernhurst iron works.:- Open day at the furnace site

---

Midhurst walk on 28th May 2025

We met at The Half Moon on the outskirts of Midhurst for our 4.2 mile walk around Midhurst Common and the surrounding heathland.  There was a short uphill section to a small glade on Midhurst Common where we turned right into the woods on the Common, then dropping down to the lower common and onto Severals Road.  Heading down towards the Bepton Road, past the tree trunk carving we crossed by the Countryside Inn through fields and back into the Warren woods over the old disused railway embankment. Trains used this railway between 1864 and 1955. At the edge of The Warren we crossed a stream and the fields to Minsted Road where we turned north and had our coffee break beside the disused gravel pit.  Further up the road we turned towards Quags Corner, skirting the edge of the woods at Stedham Common to Woolmer Bridge where we picked up the Serpent Trail back across The Severals heath and Midhurst Common before the final downhill back to the Half Moon for our lunch.

Lots of information is available about the railway on the Gravelroots website :- Midhurst to Petersfield railway.

For more information about Midhurst generally:- Midhurst history

Thanks to Gravelroots for all this great information.

---

Chilgrove walk on 21st May 2025

We mingled with the assorted dog walkers at the carpark of the recently refurbished White Horse at Chilgrove for John’s 4.5 mile walk.  Once he herded us together we crossed the main road making our way up Chilgrove Hill beside The Plantation where views to the south west allegedly gave us sight of the Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight according to ‘Hawkeye John’.  We entered the woods of Lambdown Hill until reaching the Stoughton Forest car park where we turned north west on the narrow road for a short time taking a footpath on the right into Wildham Woods where a lot of forestry work had been completed with logs stacked neatly with many also left where they fell.  Our coffee stop allowed us to spread out on the fallen logs before continuing our gentle hill climb to the peak at Bow Hill Farm.  The return route was through the fields on Chilgrove Hill back to The Plantation where we back tracked our start down the White Horse, where, despite being a bit early for lunch, it was excellent.

---

Hawkley walk on 14 May 2025

There were reduced numbers on today’s walk, led by Jay, as quite a few walkers were away. For those walking we were blessed with fine sunny weather. The walk started out from Pococks Lane in Hawkley heading west and then north along Standfast Lane to Empshott. We stopped for coffee at the picturesque Holy Rood Church on Empshott Green. The church is 13th century, though there has been some rebuilding over the centuries, including an interesting leaded glass bell turret. Heading on to Hangers Way we spotted some baby lambs separated from their mothers. Animal rescuers Mark and Jo sprung into action, catching the lambs and depositing them on the right side of the fence. We then headed South towards Lower Green before passing through the village of Hawkley and a quick stop off at St Peter and St Paul church. It was then on to the Hawkley Arms for an al fresco lunch.

---

• Page 1 of 98
• ←
• 1
• 2
• 3
• →