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Grayshott Morning Walk 25th July 2018

Temperatures had been high for some time but the forecast promised we would finish before it got too hot to walk. Combined with some excellent shelter from the woodland we were walking through, we all survived in reasonable comfort. The walk started from The Fox and Pelican, heading down towards Whitmore Bottom before turning down to Whitmore Vale. We then headed up to the ridge alongside the Golden Valley and on to the Beacon Hill road. Another shady path took us to the picnic area at the National Trust Cafe at Hindhead for some welcome iced refreshments. Revived, we travelled via Miss James' path to Nutcombe Valley. We then took the A3 footbridge (Miss James' Footbridge) before sneaking back into Whitmore Vale before finally reaching the Fox and Pelican for lunch.                  Miss James was a ladies companion who at the age of 57 was left her employer's entire estate in her will. She moved to Hindhead and was very active in the preservation of the area, giving land at Nutcombe and Bramshott Chase to the National Trust and was also instumental in the National Trust obtaining Ludshott Common. She financed the building of the church in Grayshott as well as giving the village the Whitmore Vale Cottages. She died in 1910, aged 79.

Wisborough Green Day Walk 18th July 2018

Jeff's walk was from the Mens Wildlife Trust car park to Wisborough Green and back. In several places we walked alongside the Wey and Arun Canal, completed in 1816 and then abandoned in 1871, suffering too much competition from the new-fangled railways. Originally it was designed to connect London via the River Wey at Godalming with the River Arun so the supplies could reach the south coast without being endangered by the French warships in the Channel. Heroic efforts by the Wey and Arun Canal trust since 1973 have restored many parts of the canal, rebuilding bridges, locks, aqueducts as well as clearing the canal itself. With the absence of any recent rain, many parts were devoid of water and the very impressive waterwheel at Lordings Lock wasn't running.    The lunch at The Cricketers was much appreciated before we set off on a slightly shorter route back to the car park. The walk was just over 9 miles, but the walking was flat and well maintained, so we were finished by around 4.00pm.

Ambersham Morning Walk 11th July 2018

Isabel's walk was slightly shorter than normal as the heat was still somewhat uncomfortable. However after a delightful 4 miles we eventually recovered ourselves in The Unicorn Inn in Heyshott with a leisurely coffee stop in Heyshott near to the aptly named Marsh Pond.

Ebernoe Morning Walk 27th June 2018

Kate and Nigel led this morning walk in Ebernoe Common, a National Nature Reserve. A lot of nature was seen!  We heard and sometimes saw blackcaps, whitethroats, dunnocks, song thrush, chiffchaff, robin,  greenfinch, bullfinch, little grebe, muscovy (aka barbary) duck and a buzzard. When we weren't birding, we found time to spot silver washed fritillary, meadow browns, marbled whites, skippers, ringlets, large and small white and speckled wood butterflies. It was a hot day but we spent most of the time in the shade which was very pleasant. The reserve has a great variety of vegetation and animal life, carefully nurtured by Sussex Wildlife Trust. They hadn't had time to clear some rapidly growing ferns from the footpaths but nobody complained! At the end of our 5 mile flattish walk we had a look at an extraordinary tree/trees. Almost gowing with a single trunk was an oak and a beech and over a century or two neither had won the battle for life and both seemed very happy in each other's company. Excellent lunch in the nearby Stag Inn.

Stopham Day Walk 20th June 2018

Excellent walk in excellent weather. This was Isabel's walk previously scheduled for January but flooding stopped it happening. After parking in a lane we walked alongside and then crossed the route of the Wey and Arun Canal, now dry, before walking through leafy woods and flourishing fields of the Stopham estate. The Stopham estate has been in the hands of the Barttelot family since 1379. Many members of the family are buried in Stopham Church and commemorated on floor brasses and in the 14th Century (modified in 1853) East window.    We had a very satisfactory lunch in the White Hart adjacent to Stopham Bridge before making a return past the extremely sucessful Coombelands Racing stables with the Toat Monument on a distant hill.  The Toat monument was erected in 1827 to commemorate Samuel Drinkwater, supposedly buried beneath, with his horse.

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