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Very wisely, Denis chose a nearby walk as conditions were not good for the proposed descent of Windmill Hill. Starting from Rogate we followed the paths up to Tullecombe and took the Serpent Trail along Combe Hill to get to The Jolly Drover in Hillbrow for an excellent lunch stop. We returned via Rogate Common and then the one and only muddy field to get back to Rogate. Thank you Denis and Jane for additional photos.
We had 11 brave walkers assembled on Cocking Hill in sub-zero temperatures to partake in Paul's walk to Singleton. Visibility was very poor and there was a hoar frost in the hedgerows. However after getting near the top of Heyshott Down on the South Downs Way, the mist cleared, the sun shone and there were patches of blue in the sky. We saw no more mist and no frost could be seen even as we went back down to Singleton. We did a small diversion to have a look at the Singleton Oilfield, which is currently producing 500 barrels of oil a day. Excellent food at The Partridge. Distance just above 4.1/4 miles
Walkers and friends had a great night in The Barley Mow in Walderton. Luckily the food was on a much higher level than our bowling! Despite our best efforts, no-one succeeded in knocking over 9 pins with 3 balls, so we're unlikely to be asked to bowl for England. Geoff from Milford was the highest individual scorer and his team also won the team prize. The bottle raffle was well supported with almost too many prizes. Walkers kindly supplied leftover bottles and there were some very interesting bottles on display. Thanks Marian for photos and raffling!
Linda, Marian and June's walk started from the car park and travelled through the local commons to reach The Hamilton Arms in Stedham. From there we went to Stedham Mill and then followed the river to Woolbeding Bridge, to then head for June Lane and eventually back to the car park. The frost was present all day and any mud was mostly frozen. We made good progress and were surprised to find we had covered nearly 9 miles.
Jennifer and Jean led an excellent walk of around 5 miles, starting at Compton village and going upwards to a Neolithic long barrow called Bevis's Thumb. The route went along the back of Apple Down towards Up Marden before finally turning back across Telegraph Hill to Compton village. Lunch was at the nearby highly rated Victoria Inn in West Marden. Thanks to Jeff for all the photos.
The legendary Bevis was the warden at Arundel Castle and he normally consumed an ox and two hogsheads of beer each week. Bevis chose his burial site by throwing his sword from the ramparts of Arundel Castle. It landed just above Compton village, an impressive throw for a sick man. This information may be a very early example of fake news, sources are unchecked.....