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Tim and Jane assembled us in The Fox and Pelican car park in Grayshott for our 4.5 mile walk in dry but cloudy weather. We started towards Whitmore Vale Road passing the WWII building that housed the Air Raid Wardens and the historic Primary School before taking a footpath on the left through a housing estate and along the top of Whitmoor Bottom. A southerly footpath took us through another estate, across Headley Road onto Ludshott Common along the old roads that formed the WWII Canadian Superior Camp. We headed across the Common where trees have grown since the tank training had flattened them all 80 years ago, over Summerden Footbridge where we stopped for coffee beside one of the Waggoners Wells lakes. Following the south bank of the ponds we entered the wooded valley before climbing back up Headley Road and to The Fox and Pelican where we all enjoyed an excellent lunch.
Isabel lead our 4.5 mile walk from Cowdray Café across the road onto The Race for a short time before cutting across to Easebourne Street and into Glaziers Lane, passing the cemetery to pick up the pathway to the right that led between the fields. A shallow hill brought us to the remains of Wick Lane where we encountered a fallen tree. Magically Tim produced an assortment of tools from his rucksack to clear a route through with other members demonstrating their forestry skills. Entering Whitters Copse we stopped for our coffee break at the picnic hut, availing ourselves of the long benches under the cloudy sky. Carrying on up the hill to a lane, we turned right enjoying a short lived downhill section, crossed Easebourne Street again rising into the woodland of Grevatt’s Common. Reaching the farm buildings at Gravatts we turned south between fields, past the reservoir at Lower Vinning taking the lane back to Easebourne Street down past the old Holly Tree pub (that is no longer a liquid refreshment establishment!) and back to the Cowdray Café car park. An excellent lunch was then procured at The Royal Oak.
The walk started from the Jolly Drover in Hill Brow, led by Tim and Jane. We headed for the top car park on Rogate common, next to Clayton Court and from there walked through the woods towards Tullecombe. It was a very sunny day and quite warm for February. With about a mile of walking through the woods we turned south and after more shady walking we suddenly emerged into daylight outside a large house called Commonside. A little way down the drive we turned west towards Tipsall and had a look at a large herd of cows enjoying their lunch. At this point we could have climbed a stile but with some pipe hazards in the way, we headed south towards Slade Farm before turning west again along a so called footpath. It proved somewhat challenging with a deep gulley, fortunately not with deep water in it! Thankfully we found a northbound path which had a few scattered seats for our coffee break and we then turned across the airstrip at Carrols to find the Sussex Border Path. This led all the way back to the car park and then on to The Jolly Drover for our lunch.
The previous rain put off a few walkers, but a select group rallied at the Welldiggers Arms to the east of Petworth prepared to slide through the mud but at least the rain held off. We set off along the main road to the first path on the right into the southern part of Low Heath leading onto Egdean Common. Crossing a B road we entered fields, encountered assorted sheep and saturated wetlands with ponds on the lower levels. At Hesworth Farm we climbed up into Hesworth Common with our coffee break being the reward for the climb, complete with a bench to admire the view to the south. Picking up the Serpent Trail on the common, we followed it into Fittleworth skirting woods and fields before leaving it to enter the woods for some road walking and crossing fields to Little Bognor taking a path on the right across fields and a track to pick up the path at Low Heath to retrace our footsteps to the Welldiggers Arms for a welcome, tasty lunch where we were joined by some more of our friends.
Eleven of us met at North Street Car Park in Midhurst to brave the mud and flood aftermath following three weeks of rain. Our route took us along The Causeway to the Cowdray Ruins and onto the road doubling back to the Mill and onto the footpath beside The River Rother where we were warned of flooding and mud which necessitated a diversion for the end of our walk. We took the Permissive pathway behind the school skirting fields onto June Lane which we followed to the Half Moon where we entered Midhurst Common. A handy bench and tree trunk with views over the common provided respite for our coffee break before heading downhill to follow the Serpent Trail to the access track to cottages which returned us to the main road. We walked up the hill on National Trust land with views of Woolbeding House and Tulip green house, down the other side and along the southern bank of the Rother. At the place where flooding was anticipated we skirted the field and picked up an ancient track back to the rear of the school and retraced our route back to the car park for a 4.45 mile walk. Kemaelli’s provided us with a fine lunch where we were joined by a couple of additional members.