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Blackdown walk on 16th February 2022

From Tennyson's Lane, Bernard and Celina had thoroughly researched this walk, some parts more than others........

O, all the woods and the meadows,

Woods where we hid from the wet,

Stiles where we stay'd to be kind,

Meadows in which we met. (Lord Alfred Tennyson 1809-1892)

From the car park we headed to the top of Blackdown with heather and conifers providing the ideal habitat for listening to churring nightjars in the summer and autumn dusk, these birds having flown from Africa each year. The sun was trying very hard to help with the views, but not really succeeding. The paths were now mostly downwards and not too muddy, with an excellent drink stop beyond Valewood House. After a great lunch stop in the Red Lion we then had to return up the hill, by a different route. The paths were somewhat muddy, but local alternatives were available for the really difficult gulleys. After some puffing and blowing we were again near the top and by then the visibility had worsened and some misty rain was hanging around. We found the spot called Temple of the Winds where Tennyson walked to each day and of which he wrote ‘You came, and look’d, and loved the view long known and loved by me: green Sussex fading into blue, and one gray glimpse of sea’ Well, he got that wrong, as far as we were concerned! A few more yards and we were back in the car park, perhaps a little tired but glad we had conquered the hill! Very nice walk of about 6 miles.

Car park gathering.

Morning sun doing its best

No churring nightjars for a few more weeks

Huge camellia bush in full flower

Chirpy robin doing his best

Snowdrop season

No posing going on here.

Time for a drink

"You can use sign language as much as you like, but I'm not listening!"

"I chatter, chatter, as I flow, To join the brimming river; Men may come and men may go, But I go on forever." Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Someone still not listening?

Booting up for the return journey

What goes down, must go up.

Not too much further.

Temple of the Winds

‘You came, and look’d, and loved the view long known and loved by me: green Sussex fading into blue, and one gray glimpse of sea’ Well, what was Tennyson on about?

About 6 miles

We were offered a cattle diversion but chose to opt out. So here is a sample.

Ambersham Common walk on 9th February 2022

Led by Isabel, we had a very enjoyable walk starting from the car park in Ambersham Common. The conditions were good and a few coats were consigned to rucksacks as the morning warmed up. After descending to a stream which later joins the Rother, we headed along the Serpent Trail and down into Graffham Common. We then headed north east to reach Gallows Hill, luckily no longer used. This area has also a number of Bronze aged barrows which we unknowingly walked past! After a stop for refreshments, we headed west and did a portion of road walking. There was a sound of a helicopter. Looking up we were fortunate not to realise what manoeuvre was being undertaken, but it appears helicopters can briefly fly upside down! After turning off the road, we were then heading back to Ambersham Common and the cars to take us back to The Unicorn for a very good lunch.

Descending down towards Hoyle Hanger on Graffham Common

Stream on the way to the Rother

Ascending on foot

Descending on invisible horse

Nice little 4 storey cottage tucked away on the common!

Confused animals in the Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve

"Now, where shall we go from here?"

Picnic time

"It went thataway"

Careful, no jumping on that bridge!

Chinook overhead

Two seconds later he appears to be upside down!

Snowdrop time

and wild daffodils.

Back up to Ambersham Common

Back on the Serpent Trail again

Another trig point collected!

Food at last

About 5 miles

Farringdon 2nd February 2022

Starting out from Upper Farringdon we had a pleasant walk through some of the village before crossing the A32 road and finding the old railway track that ran towards Alton. The line ran from Alton to Fareham. The passenger service stopped in 1955 but the line was still open for freight until 1968, when the track was lifted. This has left a very clear and easy path nearly all the way to Chawton. On our way to our coffee stop we had a look at a geocache hidden in a pipe before finding benches to have a midway rest. Jane Austen's house was partly hidden by scaffolding and polythene sheeting used to protect the building whilst 30,000 roof tiles were being replaced. We then moved on to Chawton House, once the home of Jane Austen's brother, where we had a pleasant walk through the grounds. We eventually linked up with the footpath that returned us to Upper Farringdon. We had a look at the massive Massey's Folly building and also the cross in the churchyard which was used by Gilbert White for delivering sermons. After that we had a stroll back to The Rose and Crown for an excellent lunch.

Farringdon was alive with topiary

Even bigger topiary

and plenty of snowdrops.

Some of the old railway ironmongery is still in place

"Mummy said I can have long hair until I grow up"

Pretty thatched cottage in Chawton village

and another one!

Chawton House

St Nicholas Church, next to Chawton House.

Jane Austen statue in the churchyard. She died in July 1817 and is buried in Winchester Cathedral

Paying his respects to Cassandra, Jane's mother, and Cassandra Elizabeth Austen, Jane's sister.

Lovely walk through the park.

Too small for a railway........

Massey's Folly, built solely by the vicar, one bricklayer and 2 helpers. It took 30 years to complete.

A 2000 year old yew in the churchyard

Nice brickwork

Nice barn on Staddle stones. Northern Spain is full of them - called hórreo. Link here.

Smile, please!

East Dean 26th January 2022

Pauline's walk started from the East Dean valley and unsurprisingly went uphill. It was an overcast day but with some superb views, with an occasional glimpse of where the sea should be, sadly hidden by a light haze. After some cattle and bird-spotting, we stopped for a break amongst a nicely spaced woodpile in Hat Hill before descending and ascending through Ladys Winkins and Little Copse. For anyone not familiar with the Saxon language, Ladys Winkins probably means irregulary shaped wood, and nothing else. We later reached Open Winkins, a wood mentioned several times by Eleanor Farjeon in her book "Martin Pippin in the apple orchard", written whilst she lived in nearby Amberley. That was some years before she wrote the hymn "Morning has broken", recently made popular by Cat Stevens. After passing through Open Winkins we were at the top of East Dean Hill, so it was an easy walk down through the woods of Bubholts to return to East Dean once again. We then had a very nice lunch in the Star and Garter after a walk of about 5 miles.

Very nice spot

Heading south

Climbing the hill, looking over East Dean

What a climb!

Some people just love a swing!

Walkers meet cattle

But where are the birds?

Little egret but with the wrong beak colour - juvenile?

Red Kites are everywhere.

Time for a drink

Walk leader with electronic mapping!

Plenty of seats for our break

Chin rest for a tired head

Descending Ladys Winkins wood

Heading for Open Winkins

East Dean Hill

Bubholts- no idea where that name came from!

A mostly even slope for a group photo

Lunchtime!

OK, let's eat!

About 5 miles

Weavers Down walk 19th January 2022

The walk, led by Catherine, started from Liss Forest and took us over Weavers Down to find the delightful Deers Hut, a one time hunting lodge dating back to the 17th century. Queen Anne was nearby inspecting her deer in 1708 and probably dropped in for a swift half. We walked most of the day to a background noise of gunshot, but we think it was the Army training on the nearby ranges. It didn't stop us enjoying some splendid views and gorse in glorious flower. The going was mostly dry on the sandy soil, with a few puddles included for entertainment purposes. After 3.1/2 miles we stopped for lunch. Most people continued walking in the afternoon to Liss Forest, by different paths from the morning route. A very pleasant walk with a few odd spots of rain and only a few slopes to test the calves. Total walk was about 7 miles.